Oxenfree hits all the sweet spots: A scary plot, teen friendships and wonderful visuals.
THE science fiction drama series X-Files was big on prime-time television when I was in college. It featured two FBI agents, Fox Mulder (the believer), and Dana Scully (the sceptic), who investigate the strange and unexplained, while hidden forces work to impede their efforts.
Supernatural mystery graphic adventure video game Oxenfree reminds me of X-Files.
Developed on the iOS platform by indie developer Night School Studio, the horror game takes place on a decommissioned military island where teenager Alex and friends hold an overnight party with some exploration activities on the side.
One terrifying mistake leads Alex to open a gateway to a dark dimension, unleashing terrifying entities. Will she and her friends make it out alive?
You play Alex as you try to uncover the deeper mysteries of the island, fighting to survive and saving your friends at the same time.
The horror plot of Oxenfree was the main draw that pulled me into the game. It reminded me of the follies of youth who are restless, curious and prone to emotional outbursts.
While exploring a creepy cave, Alex and the small band of arguing teenagers stumble upon some weird artefacts that start to communicate with the group using radio signals. The group then accidentally opens a gateway to a dark dimension, unleashing entities on the island.
I love that the game has a multiple ending gameplay which encourages replayability to unlock all the endings. On my second replay, I discovered previously overlooked items that revealed a lot more information about the entities which led me to revisit other locales which I had passed through. It’s like the more you play, the more you discover about the lore of the island.
The gameplay mechanics in Oxenfree is a point-and-click affair. You can interact with objects that have a small circle above them which allows you to examine or pick them up. The puzzles in Oxenfree involves interacting with the environment to move forward to new areas and to get useful items.
Another stand out mechanics is the use of your radio and tape recorder. The radio plays an important part of the game because it is how you communicate with the entities. Every time the radio comes on with its weird sounds and demonic whispers, I get goosebumps. When this happens, you need to fine-tune the frequency to make contact.
The tape recorder needs to be manually operated to play a tune at a certain speed, which serves as a puzzle element to unlock and reveal secrets. Although my experience with the radio and tape recorder unsettled me, I have to give credit to the game creators for coming up with such an original idea — that of using a radio and a tape recorder in a horror game.
If we are talking about a movie, the opposite of this radio and tape recorder mechanics would be the jump scares favoured by horror directors today. However, I find that in Oxenfree, especially using the radio, the effect in conveying horror is far more effective than any jump scares.
For example, when you try to adjust the frequency at important moments, you can hear strange voices and sounds coming from the radio, sometimes revealing hidden monsters nearby. The volume would rise suddenly and then go silent, creating a creepy and tense atmosphere. More than once, I had to stop the game and go have a cup of tea to calm my nerves before continuing.
While the horror elements captured my attention, I was pleasantly surprised that the core of the game is really about friendship. I honestly didn’t expect this at all.
I agree that some of the best horror movies centre on a group of teenage or college friends getting involved in the supernatural. But instead of the expendable casts for a Freddy Krueger or Friday the 13th, the young people in Oxenfree are more like the casts of The Goonies or The Breakfast Club. You really end up caring about their well being.
I wouldn’t be out of line to say that deep down, Oxenfree is more like a friends simulator than a horror survivor game. Friendship does play an important part in keeping everyone together and on the same page. That was why I said the game reminded me a lot of The Goonies.
Your alter ego Alex is the group’s leader. How you react to your friends has a lasting impact on the story’s direction and which of your friends survive the island. The cast of the game includes Alex’s best friend Ren, her stepbrother Jonas, the rude Clarissa and her squadmate Nona.
I cannot stress enough that your interactions with your friends really play a big part in the game progression; every reply has a consequence and can have a lasting influence on how the game ends. This brilliant situation has encouraged me to play and replay this game again and again to get the best ending possible.
It is through various replays and playthroughs that I come to the conclusion that while the horror premise in Oxenfree is good on its own to pull audiences to play, this game teaches an important lesson to young people, and even adults, about friendship and communicating.
Ultimately, this is the beautiful core of Oxenfree. While some of you may wonder why I did not elaborate much on the beautiful graphics like I often do when I play games on the iPhone, it is enough to say that the game’s elements of horror and friendship will stay with you long after you move on. Yes, without a doubt, this is one of the most beautiful visuals I have seen on a game for the IOS. Oxenfree should be in the category of Game of the Year.
Verdict: 4.5/5
FAST FACTS
PROS
- Strong horror settings.
- Interesting characters.
- Original use of items like radio and tape recorder as main game tools.
- Ability to teach the importance of communications skills.
- Impactful story.
- Beautiful presentation.
CONS
- Tense storyline may not be for the faint of heart.
- Gloomy graphics. Not a lot of cheery bright scenes.
- Not for action junkies.
- More Dawson Creek than Friday the 13th.