Oxenfree Reviews
Despite its slightly vague story and note-collecting-based narrative, I was completely smitten by Oxenfree, so it's an easy title to recommend, especially if you know a lot about World War 2.
It's a triumph of writing, atmosphere, and dialogue design, let down by a story that builds up such an ungainly weight of entertaining strangeness that it can't quite stick its landing.
Oxenfree tells a great horror story by taking its teenage heroes seriously
Inventive, spooky, and compelling, marred only by an overly vocal cast. The story is clever, you will want to see this to the end. Surprisingly deep mechanics, and a different take on managing NPC opinions. Overall a very logical and thoughtful game.
Intriguing game held back by a faltering script
Despite its affinity for the supernatural, Oxenfree's soul is firmly planted in reality.
Oxenfree takes the best parts of supernatural 1980's teenage horror films and combines it with believable characters, beautiful set pieces, and a haunting VHS synth-pop soundtrack to create a masterpiece.
A fresh, compelling take on the "cabin in the woods"-style teen horror.
Oxenfree is a curious and fairly short game. The wonderful voice acting and characters, the interesting themes and the beautiful backdrops are sometimes let down by poor design choices. Ultimately, for fans of story, of which I am one, it is worth playing. But if you have to get your kicks from involved gameplay, perhaps this is not the one for you.
Like a top-notch episode of a great TV show Oxenfree presents a well told singular story in parallel with interesting mythology.
Just last week, Oxenfree was launched on the Nintendo Switch, bringing it to a whole new audience. As one of those new people, I am thrilled to have been given a chance to experience Night School Studio’s debut work. A tale of choice, friendship, communication, and what we do if we’re given a chance to alter events… Oxenfree is a narrative masterpiece.
The Director's Cut of Oxenfree remains a dissociative nightmare you can't wake up from.
Despite the supernatural intrusion, Oxenfree never loses sight of the human drama at its core, remaining largely understated and tasteful in its exploration of the gulf that grief and insecurity can create in any relationship.
Oxenfree just goes to show that you don't need vast wads of cash to make great games. You can make one with a strong enough idea and a solid and unwavering vision. With its engaging story, its excellent voice-acting and enthralling dialogue, Oxenfree is a game to remember, marred only by its constant crashes, which is less than ideal.
Oxenfree is here to tell a story, and it doesn't lose sight of what contributes to making that story feel relatable and consequential. Alex and her friends are in a time when every move is called into examination from a jury of ruthless peers. Oxenfree responds not by accepting or escaping from resolution, but accurately relating the tension of a time when every answer is on one side of zero. Whether the context is supernatural or merely personal, Oxenfree makes it feel powerful.
OXENFREE is an amazing story that doesn't ask a lot of extra attention from its players other than listening and occasionally playing out some puzzles/problems/actions onscreen. It's one of the better stories that I've played in 2016 and I hope that Night School Studio does a follow-up to it sometime soon.
Perfect for anyone who prefers narrative over puzzles.
Oxenfree deals with some heavy topics in just a few hours, and manages to do something genuinely interesting with them. A phenomenal conversation system anchors most of the experience, but there's many mysteries for dedicated players to solve. Oxenfree is a game that rewards players that go the extra mile, and how much you get out of it is directly tied to how much you put in.
Oxenfree is short, at around four-to-five hours, but like Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, it's the perfect length for what it is. It's not exactly challenging, and if you're stuck it's usually because you failed to spot something obvious – just check your notes or the helpful in-game map. That will be enough to write it off for a certain audience of gamers; the ones who don't think that games should be about the story or dismiss Gone Home and Everybody's Gone as 'walking simulators' (in which case you might label this a 'talking sim'). But if you're happy to get caught up in a rich, fascinating piece of interactive fiction, Oxenfree will keep you hooked throughout your first playthrough – and thinking through at least one more.
With a mystery that grows stranger and stronger the deeper you dive and characters that are instantly relatable, Night School Studio delivers a first effort that's spooky, sincere and enthralling.