Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals is smart. It’s doing what only games can do, merging past, present, and future in real time. For the past few years, the first game in the series has been projecting sinister and eerie messages at players through its in-game broadcast.if you turn on anaerobic Now, you’ll hear things that didn’t exist at launch—unusual snippets of dialogue and splits in reality that Parentage (the game’s villain) is said to be patching through space, time, and reality.
However, this is standard for Oxenfree’s courses. The series is still young, but it already has a reputation among developers and indie fans alike as one of the most atmospheric and unsettling narrative experiences of the last generation. It’s a story of grief, guilt, and ghosts about a group of kids who stumble upon a phenomenon that no one understands, told through a grounded and innocent lens.
Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals builds on these solid foundations. Rather than a group of kids tentatively looking into their future, the sequel begins with a reluctant return home. Protagonist Riley Poverly returns to her childhood home to find that nothing is quite the way she left it – but it is also pretty much the same. I’m sure any of you who left and were recalled for reasons beyond our control will know what I mean.
Here, in Oxenfree 2, the game’s older cast focuses on people grappling with the decisions they made in adolescence—rather than laying the groundwork for what they’ll become as adults. Acquaintances with vague memories ask you awkwardly if you remember them, and unresolved personal drama that you escaped years ago begins to resurface. It’s hard to focus on your work – investigating the paranormal – with all these little problems tormenting your subconscious mind.
The game’s structure starts out somewhat linear, but then starts to open up; set up beacons, report findings, start chatting with locals, and peek into their own uncomfortable lives. Camena’s island setting is a strange place, and it attracts strange people. You can reach them over the walkie-talkie or listen to local updates over the radio. Its gameplay is simple and its storyline heavy–much like the first one. But here’s what you want; a brain and reflection radio drama. All of this is underscored by a fantastic soundtrack (the original Oxenfree has one of the best modern soundtracks in gaming, to quote me).
It’s a game for weird nerds in AV clubs, probably written by various weird nerds in charge of AV clubs, with respect and reverence for old technology proudly worn on its sleeve. For the quiet sad Humans, it’s a quietly sad game that prides itself on its weirdness and really leans into its niche to deliver that kind of storytelling – backed up by various performances – art house, black coffee drinking or will pass out.
It’s fitting, then, that the game will be broadcast to the masses via Netflix (as has been the plan since Netflix acquired developer Night School Studio in 2021). Similar to the first one, it’s coming to PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PC, and Nintendo Switch, but anyone with a Netflix account will be able to play it on mobile. I hope these mass, mainstream audiences will enjoy it. Oxenfree is the perfect series for those who don’t know what games can really do in terms of story; it’s low risk, low intensity, rich in story, and emotionally rewarding.
This is a game that understands the stress of being a confused adult in today’s world. This is a game about what it’s like to exist in a threatened reality—whether it’s socioeconomic uncertainty, climate catastrophe, or the strange chasms of space and time that eat away at the edges of reality. This is a game that promises to deliver something special and knows how to get inside your head.
If you haven’t played the first one, you have until July 12th to do so. Because you don’t want to skip it when Oxenfree 2 starts.
Netflix subscribers can also play one of the funniest city builders of the year and one of the most forward-thinking titles for 2022.
