The pain that comes with reviewing the sequel to any game is trying to trying to balance having to judge it on its own merits while also seeing how it stacks up compared to its predecessor (or predecessors). For example, I could tell you that taken on its own,Dead Rising 4is a solid, fun, open-world action game where you get to bash zombies…but that’s it’s also a lousy Dead Rising game, as seen the second you compare it to the previous three titles. And that leads me to a similar problem with Oxenfree II: Lost Signals, Night School Studio’s sequel totheir 2016 supernatural adventure game.I kept thinking that it’s this good game with a great story, something I would have no problem recommending…but at the same time, there were also more than a few elements in it where I couldn’t stop remembering how the original game felt more impressive.
Oxenfree II takes place several years after the events of the first game, and sees players playing as Riley, a young woman returning to their hometown of Camena Island for their new job, helping researchers investigate strange electromagnetic waves that have been popping up. Accompanied by their local help, Jacob, they set out to place a few transmitters and check things out. Unfortunately, Riley had the bad luck to begin her new job on the same night that a trio of crazed teenagers belonging to a cult known as Parentage have decided to manipulate radio signals in order to open up a triangular portal that could possibly rip apart space in time, like the one from Edwards Island in the first game. In fact, you can see Edwards Island from Camena. Why, they’re so close, you might end up experiencing the same horrors that were seen on it…
The last part of the opening paragraph may have sounded too negative, but trust me, I do love Oxenfree II. Granted, the majority of its gameplay could easily be described as “Oxenfree, but more of it,” but I won’t complain. In fact, in might be better to describe Oxenfree II as less of a sequel, and more of a continuation from the first title. You still hike around a moody, atmospheric, scenic island at night, talk with your friend by engaging with dialogue choices where you can interrupt them if you desire, solve puzzles by tuning in with a radio, and of course, have your mind messed with by a series of mysterious and malicious spirits that communicate over the airwaves. Business as usual. Visually, Oxenfree II still looks similar to the first game, helped by Camena and Edwards Island sharing a lot of basic similarities. There are a few new locations like a community center and a ghost town to explore, and Riley’s more adventurous spirit allows them to get around in multiple ways via methods such as rock climbing and rope climbing where applicable, but overall, it still carries a lot of the same nicely creepy vibes and beautiful sights. Accompanying it is another terrific soundtrack as well, nicely chilled and moody synths, complete with a few tunes that you can dial into via your radio alongside some rather…unique local programming that adds character.
Story-wise, Riley finds themselves confronting a lot of their demons and insecurities again as part of the spectral trickery, much like Alex in the first game. As it turns out, Riley left Camena on bad terms, thanks to issues with their father, and they have some even bigger issues that get revealed later on, in a plot point that felt a bit obvious at first, but nicely found a way to throw me for a loop. Jacob also has issues with feeling like he never accomplished anything notable in life yet, a problem also shared with Riley. The two will address these obstacles of theirs over various chit-chat, and much like the first game, the dialogue is terrific and quite natural, and Riley and Jacob are great characters with a lot of nice chemistry.
You’ll have to get used to that particular chemistry, though, as one of the things Oxenfree II lacks compared to the original is a larger supporting cast. Whereas Alex’s friends allowed for different dynamics and relationships, here you’re basically tethered to Jacob for the vast majority of the game. There are the three teenage cultists (as well as the occasional somewhat hallucinatory figure), but they only appear at set points, and your interactions with them are minimal. But this brings us to the big new feature in Oxenfree II: A walkie talkie communication system, which not only allows you to pick up on the occasional conversation, but lets you talk with other people for insights and advice. Problem solved, right?
Well, not really. In fact, one could argue that Oxenfree II’s walkie talkie is actually the part of it that does the most harm. It sounds like a good idea on paper, since the individuals that you are able to listen to are some more well-written characters, each with their own unique yet related stories, and you are encouraged to talk with them and make decisions in order to help them out and reach a happy ending. But the problem is that this means that virtually every time you enter a new area or get past a huge plot point, you’ll find yourselves flipping it on to see if there are any new dialogue options with them. And even if you do get a new conversation going, you ironically can’t walk much with the walkie talkie, since the next time you reach a point that triggers a conversation with Jacob, the walkie talkie discussion gets cut off, with him apparently unable to notice Riley’s other conversation.
So not only does the walkie talkie kind of kill the pacing a bit as you stop to check it and listen at several times, but the actual stories that result from it oddly feel divorced from the rest of the main game. There’s a nice payoff to the results of them at the very end, but otherwise, they never truly come into play. Jacob never comments on the people you talk to, none of them talk with each other, and so despite being the shiny new addition, it not only doesn’t add much in the grand scheme of things, but detracts a little by conflicting with the more natural choice-based dialogue Night School is known for.
Still, even with the smaller cast and the walkie talkie issues, there’s a lot to love in Oxenfree II. The highlights, like before, are easily the more surreal, time-bending moments, which play host to some of the more wonderfully creepy sights and creepy, spliced radio dialogue, especially as the spirits tease you in various ways. The mystery surrounding Parentage and the three cultists is also enjoyable as well, and once again leads to great character stuff. There are also hidden documents to find, moments encouraging exploration as Camena opens up, and even a few nifty puzzles involving unique machines and radio equipment, which are a treat. Really, the only reason I can’t go into greater detail is because it might lead to spoiler surrounding the stellar ghost story at the core. Yes, Oxenfree II may arguably just be more Oxenfree, as mentioned before, but it still left me wanting even more of it.
Closing Comments:
While Oxenfree II: Lost Signals doesn’t hit the same heights as the original game, it still delivers another enjoyable adventure, once again serving up another unique ghost story that uses haunted technology to great effect, which succeeds thanks to terrific dialogue and well-crafted characters. Camena may be quite similar to Edwards Island in a lot of ways, but it still plays hosts to a nicely spooky trip more than worth taking, especially for fans of the first title.
Oxenfree II: Lost Signals
Five years after the events of Oxenfree, Riley returns to her hometown of Camena to investigate mysterious radio signals. What she finds is more than she bargained for.
