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Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals Review (PS4, PS5): Stuck in a Loop

It seemed like Alex was damned to wallow in limbo until the end of time. 2016’s Oxenfree had a dark…

Reviews Michael Leri 2 weeks ago

These Platinums mainly suffer because of how laborious it is to replay these types of titles, which often call for a few playthroughs. Running through games again to nab trophies isn’t a bad proposition — as shown by the Resident Evil 4 remake and the Dead Space remake — but it can be in this genre. Dialogue and cutscenes are often unskippable and walking speeds are usually incredibly slow. Having to crawl from story bit to story bit and listen to most of the same conversations again means trophy-related replays aren’t snappy. Even just going back to grab a single collectible can take far too much time.

Oxenfree 2 falls into this trap, too, since Riley’s movement speed is sluggish, and there’s no way to blaze past anything. Players have to hear about Jacob’s insecurities again and clamber up the same ropes with very little in the way of expediency. Trophy hunting would be significantly more tiresome if every game had these restrictions and forced players to hit credits at least a couple times.

Supermassive Games’ titles have had the same issue, not only contriving multiple trophies to encourage another run or two, but also getting players to sit through a lot of the same scenes. This approach doesn’t do this genre any favors since it points out how truly limited they often are. While The Dark Pictures Anthology and games like Oxenfree pride themselves on variability, second playthroughs often don’t differ too much. 

Oxenfree 2 has a few splintering points, but many of the choices players are presented with are in regards to how they talk to Jacob. Some lines are different, but that doesn’t distract much from how similar the rest of it is. Few games are truly that unique each time, and the trophy list shouldn’t make that even more clear.

Oxenfree 2 is also full of highly specific and missable trophies. It’s easy to forget to ping Evelyn after every transmitter, not tune into Maria’s radio station, or even pick the specific dialogue choices in two scenarios in order to unlock the “3 AM Food Friends” and “Merry Scary Christmas” trophies. Supermassive’s titles are rotten with these types of trophies, and they’re not much better here. Having to deduce how to trigger certain events or closely adhering to a guide is also not the most ideal way to play these games, especially when ignorance or a slip up can force yet another run.

Detroit: Become Human also has a few scene-dependent trophies and 1979: The Revolution calls for players to not miss a single quick-time event, but those games, unlike Oxenfree 2, at least has a chapter select feature to mitigate frustration. It’s not possible to skip around and mop up collectibles or grab the aforementioned missable trophies in this sequel for some puzzling reason. Not even the game’s final autosave lets players pick the other endings; those who don’t back up their save right before that choice are completely out of luck.

Trophy Talk: Street Fighter 6’s Trophy List Is Divided Up, But in the Wrong Way

People hate online trophies. Before the tired debates around auto-popping and 45-seconds Platinums, trophy hunters have long despised the multiplayer…

Features Michael Leri 2 months ago

There are some narrative adventure games with friendlier trophy lists, though. The Life is Strange series not only lets players skip around, but each entry also has a Collector Mode that strips out the story and makes collectibles easily accessible. Telltale Games, with a few exceptions, also takes the easy road and gives players the Platinum for reaching the end. Not every narrative-heavy title like this needs to be so simple, but they also show that a less prickly path is possible.

Games like Until Dawn, The Quarry, New Tales from the Borderlands, Heavy Rain, Last Stop, Beyond: Two Souls, and The Medium all suffer from many of the aforementioned issues, but Oxenfree 2 still is one of the most hostile to completionists when compared to many of its genre peers. Its glacial movement speed, inability to let players skip dialogue, nearly identical events, lack of chapter select, and very specific and highly missable trophies make it a true slog to complete. There’s even one completely bugged trophy on PS5 (which Night School Studio is aware of), but that’s not nearly its biggest problem. Its biggest problem is that it’s a multifaceted pain to complete that succinctly illustrates this genre’s trophy-related struggles.

The post Trophy Talk: Oxenfree 2 Highlights the Tedium of Narrative Adventure Platinums appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Oxenfree 2 feels like it is repeating itself because it is so similar to the first game. The original was a novel take on the narrative adventure genre since it let players walk and talk at the same time, while utilizing a free-flowing dialogue system that ensured conversations progressed organically. Players weren’t usually doing much, but being able to move to the next story beat while also engaging in conversation was a meaningful iteration on the regimented style of Telltale Games, Supermassive Games, and Quantic Dream.

It’s still an effective way to build character and gives Oxenfree 2 ample opportunity to flesh out its new faces. The way characters speak is also one of its strong suits since they will talk all the way until the player picks a response, meaning conversations don’t have the dead air that is so distracting in many of its contemporaries. The naturalistic performances further ground these characters since they speak with hesitation markers and stammer much like real people without it being a hokey crutch. 

All of these small decisions play their part in making Oxenfree 2’s dialogue presentation so impressive, but it’s still the same formula. Night School Studio seemingly didn’t improve or expand these systems to further build on the foundation it laid all those years ago. After seven years, it would have been more enticing if the team pushed forward with some new tweaks or innovations since standards are different now. Oxenfree should have been the starting point, not the endpoint. The walkie talkie that can ping a number of different characters is the most noticeable difference, but those exchanges regularly get interrupted or overlap with other dialogue.

Carrying over the movement system is more detrimental since it drags down the pace and stretches out simple trips. Players can’t even control their walking speed, but it’s almost always too sluggish anyway. Taking a wrong turn is also particularly excruciating since it’s impossible to quickly course correct. Hunting for collectibles or potential secrets only to be met with a dead end is demoralizing and often not worth the effort.

Moving at a snail’s pace curtails the urge to explore and, more broadly, limits replay value. Oxenfree 2 has some hidden conversations and many dialogue choices, but it doesn’t appear to give players many opportunities to truly craft their own playthrough. When so many scenes play out the same way or only have negligible differences, the glacial walking speed and unskippable dialogue just make additional runs even more unappealing. Lengthy and persistent loading times also frequently hinder its forward momentum and are only made somewhat tolerable by its incredible horror-tinged ambient soundtrack.

The pacing seems deliberately dialed down to give players more time to adhere to the cast. Sprinting to the end with a stranger wouldn’t have as much weight as crawling to the climax with a friend. Riley, the protagonist, and her new colleague Jacob are given the space to grow and become more than two-dimensional caricatures simply trying to bust some ghosts. 

Riley is laid-back and has a nonchalant attitude that could have become grating, but never does because of its mostly competent (if sometimes overwritten) script. Learning her history and why she’s returned to her hometown are both intriguing hooks that also make her a more nuanced person. Jacob is less complicated and more of an upbeat nerd that hides his staggering amount of insecurity behind humor. His past is not nearly as complicated or compelling, and it seems like his main purpose is to add the levity that Riley is emotionally incapable of providing. It’s bizarre that the game lets players be mean to Jacob since he’s agreeable to a fault — his flaws are internal struggles that aren’t negatively expressed outward — but the two make for a solid team.

Oxenfree 2 uses Riley, Jacob, and the antagonists to comment on acceptance and fate. The ideas are woven together well since they manifest differently in each character and grant alternate viewpoints that all uniquely poke at the game’s themes. While some of those antagonists are faceless ghouls, having a more human opposition with understandable goals offers more subtleties that spooky ghosts aren’t equipped to supply.

These themes are also integral to the plot, which banks too heavily on knowledge from the original game. While it is a sequel, it’s more of a second chapter that demands an intimate familiarity of its forebearer. Despite that requirement, it does a terrible job at recapping those important events by glossing over major beats from the last game and neglecting to properly reintroduce characters. Sequels obviously can and should continue prior storylines and reuse parts of the cast, but it’s crucial for said sequels to give proper context for those elements within themselves; they shouldn’t almost solely depend on prior experience.

And while a clever utilization of New Game Plus, Oxenfree’s canon conclusion is locked behind a few playthroughs that require certain choices. This means Oxenfree 2 is picking up from a finale many likely aren’t familiar with, one that’s radically different from the most commonly seen ending. Given how vital these details are, it’s surprising Night School Studio leaned so hard in this direction without providing a more helpful and thorough synopsis, especially with the lengthy seven-year gap between games.

Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals Review: The final verdict

It seemed like Alex was damned to wallow in limbo until the end of time, but it’s Oxenfree 2 that ended up being caught in a loop. Some of those replicated features work in its favor, like its fluid dialogue and cast of decently well-realized characters, yet it’s too heavily anchored to its predecessor. The aforementioned dialogue system is mostly the same and hasn’t been further streamlined or upgraded. Traversal is still too slow. And even though its narrative builds on what came before, it struggles to provide a comprehensive summary of that first game and contextualize those all-important events. All of these stumbles mean that Oxenfree 2’s signal isn’t lost, just full of unnecessary static.

Disclaimer: This Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals review is based on a PS4 and PS5 copy provided by the publisher. Reviewed on version 1.02 and 1.002.000, respectively.

The post Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals Review (PS4, PS5): Stuck in a Loop appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

The team revealed the acquisition via a blog post on its website. Night School has been talking with Netflix over the past few months, aligning their visions on “where we see games, storytelling, and our collective opportunity for positive impact somewhere in the middle.” Now under the Netflix umbrella, Night School says this gives them an “unprecedented canvas” to their team, unlocking the same potential that Netflix has afforded to its film and TV creators. The studio says it was an “instinctive” and “natural pairing,” based on Netflix’s previous catalog of support for diverse storytellers.

This makes Night School the first every game studio for Netflix, ramping up the streamers plans in the space in a big but perhaps not entirely unexpected way. Night School says that Netflix is respecting and protecting the team’s culture and creative vision, and that they will continue working on Oxenfree II (ironically announced at PlayStation Indies back in August), as well as making new game worlds. How exactly this acquisition plays out, especially in the console space where manufacturers have their own subscription gaming services, remains to be seen, but it is undoubtedly part of a much bigger strategy that Netflix is laying down as it enters the gaming industry in a bigger way.

Over on the Netflix side, the company said that it is in the early stages of creating a “great gaming experience for our members.” They echo Night School’s statements that the acquisition came from a shared passion for storytelling, and specifically how Night School does it for games. “Their commitment to artistic excellence and proven track record make them invaluable partners as we build out the creative capabilities and library of Netflix games together.”

Netflix says it will continue to work with developers, as well as hiring more gaming talent.

We’ll continue working with developers around the world and hiring the best talent in the industry to deliver a great collection of exclusive games designed for every kind of gamer and any level of play. Like our shows and films, these games will all be included as part of your Netflix membership — all with no ads and no in-app purchases. Stay tuned for more.

The Netflix Night School acquisition is effective as of today, and heralds a big new step in the video games and streaming landscape.

[Source: Night School, Netflix]

The post Netflix Acquires Oxenfree and Afterparty Developer Night School Studio appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Oxenfree II Coming to PS5 and PS4

Previously announced for Nintendo Switch, Night School Studio has announced their supernatural mystery-thriller sequel Oxenfree II: Lost Signals will be coming to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 at launch too. The game is set five years after the events of Oxenfree, the game features a whole new cast of characters. Riley is an environmental researcher investigating strange radio frequency signals in her home town of Camena. After discovering the history of ghostly occurrences at nearby Edwards Island, she finds herself in her own supernatural mystery. The title offers similar gameplay to the prequel with player choice-driven narrative and a radio that can tune into the mysterious signals. Players can continue the story when it releases next year.

Wytchwood Announced for PS5 and PS4

Alientrap Games’ upcoming crafting adventure game has a touch of Grimm’s Fairytales about it. Players assume the role of a witch who is stuck in a dark pact she doesn’t remember making. The only way she’ll get out of it is to right the wrongs of a cast of characters doing their best to bring misery to others. A bear likes to beat people up. Puss in Boots likes to con market traders out of their wares. The witch needs to collect ingredients to cast spells and craft potions to stop them in their tracks. Wytchwood will arrive on PS5 and PS4 this fall.

Carrion Coming to PS4

Phobia Game Studio’s reverse-horror title puts players in the role of the monster instead. Players assume the role of an “amorphous blob of gristle, teeth, and tentacles” as it wakes up in a secret laboratory deep underground. As it sets about making its escape, it also decides to consume every human it finds in its way, allowing it to grow bigger and open up new areas and escape routes. There’s also new abilities to acquire like possessing humans and bending light. The chance to cause carnage will be arriving on PS4 later this year.

A Short Hike Announced for PS4

Adam Robinson-Yu’s title does exactly what it says on the tin—Claire the bird goes exploring up a mountain. As she freely explores the small open-world, she’ll encounter other people off the beaten track who need her help. Other mini-games that can be found include fishing, boating, and volleyball. When the game arrives on PS4 this fall, it will include a slider so players can alter the size of the pixels, allowing players to experience the game in low-resolution or even as high as 4K on PS4 Pro.

Supergiant Games Explains the Origin of Hades

Not long after the release of Pyre, Supergiant Games began thinking about their new title. They wanted it to be a “greatest hits” of all of the games they’d created so far. The result was replayable rogue-like title Hades with character-driven narrative set in a world adapted from Greek mythology. The team goes intomplenty more detail on the PlayStation Blog, but in the meantime you can also watch nearly 25 minutes of gameplay courtesy of PlayStation Underground. The game will arrive on PS5 and PS4 on August 13.

Sol Cresta Turns Out to be Real

Previously assumed to be an April Fool’s Day joke, Sol Cresta is a sequel 36 years in the making. The follow up to Moon Cresta and Terra Cresta is a vertical shooter where players control the docking fighter Yamato and aim to reclaim the solar system from the evil Mega Zohar army. This time the docking mechanic has evolved to become a “three-fighter “dock-and-split” system” as the Yamato is made up of three smaller ships that can be split and docked in various orders to equip alternative weapons and adapt to different situations. The title will arrive on PS4 with a Neo-Classic Arcade label later this year.

Axiom Verge 2 Reveals a Second World

One of the new mechanics the sequel to Axiom Verge will have is that the game will feature two different worlds. While players have already seen the overworld in earlier footage, Axiom Verge 2 also has an interconnected breach world in an alternate dimension. This world is of alien originand has a blockier appearance. Players will be able to enter and exit the breach throughout the game, allowing for non-linear exploration and secrets that can only be discovered in either world. The game will arrive on PS5 and Ps4 in the future.

[Source: PlayStation Blog]

The post PlayStation Indies Announces Oxenfree II, Wytchwood, A Short Hike and Carrion for PS4 and PS5, Full Roundup appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Afterparty’s initial unveiling hit the web in late 2017, thanks to an IGN First premiere. Similar to Oxenfree before it, Afterparty will take players on quite the wild adventure. However, this time, Night School Studio fans should anticipate a trip through Hell. Literally.

The game will put players in the role of two friends, Milo and Lola, both of whom are deceased. Ultimately, the duo has been damned to Hell. Yet, there is one way they can escape the clutches of Pandemonium, and make their way back to Earth. Milo and Lola will have to impress Satan by outdrinking him. Should they defeat the Fallen Angel, he’ll see that they both return to the land of the living.

Satan will not be the first challenge that Milo and Lola face. During their night at a hellish pub, the duo must mingle with demons and other souls of the damned, all while managing to impress “Satan’s Monarchs.” How does one go about impressing Satan’s right-hand demons? Beer pong, of course. Or dance-offs. Maybe a bit of both and then some. Once the two friends get in good with the Devil’s underlings, they’ll be ready for the big leagues.

A complex conversation system rests at the center of the Afterparty experience. Every decision made within it will affect the course of the relationships players build throughout the game. This counts for the overarching narrative, too. But Milo and Lola aren’t the only ones subject to undergo change based upon player-choice. Hell and its many inhabitants will also succumb to the weight of whatever choices the player makes.

[Source: Night School Studio via Gematsu]

The post Go on Bender With Satan Once Afterparty Arrives in Late October appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

These two teens, Milo and Lola, are voiced by Khoi Dao and Janina Gavankar, respectively. Gavankar is probably most well-known in these circles as the voice (and face) behind Iden Versio, the protagonist of 2017’s Star Wars Battlefront II. Other members of the cast include Ashley Burch (Horizon Zero Dawn) as a ferry operator and Dave Fennoy (Telltale’s The Walking Dead) as Satan himself.

Here is the full voice cast for Afterparty:

• Janina Gavankar (Star Wars Battlefront II, True Blood) as Lola
• Khoi Dao (Detective Pikachu) as Milo
• Erin Yvette (Oxenfree, The Wolf Among Us) as Wormhorn
• Ashly Burch (Horizon Zero Dawn) as Sam Hill
• Dave Fennoy (The Walking Dead) as Satan
• Jackie Tohn (GLOW, The Good Place) as Onoskelis
• Sarah Elmaleh (Gone Home, Final Fantasy XV) as Apollyon
• Paul Bates (Coming to America, True Romance) as Asmodeus
• Jon Lipow (Castlevania, Batman: Arkham Knight) as Beelzebub
• Alanah Pearce (Rooster Teeth, IGN)
• Avital Ash (Oxenfree)
• Cissy Jones (Firewatch, The Walking Dead)
• Erika Ishii (Dream Daddy, Geek and Sundry)
• Giselle Gilbert (Resident Evil 7)

Fans of Oxenfree should feel right at home with Afterparty. Dialogue choices and branching paths are still the core mechanic here, but the feature is expanded for Night School’s newest game. Naturally, Hell is full of bars, each offering its own kind of drinks. These drinks have a direct impact on the kind of dialogue options presented to you, so there’s an extra layer of strategy presented here. In addition, you will have to engage in more tasks than simply choosing dialogue options to progress, meaning gameplay is a little more invovled in Afterparty than in Oxenfree.

Afterparty releases in 2019, though platforms haven’t been announced yet.

[Source: IGN]

The post Afterparty’s Cast Includes Voices from Star Wars and Horizon Zero Dawn appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Check out the debut Afterparty trailer below:

Here’s more on the upcoming game from developer Night School Studio:

In Afterparty, you play Milo and Lola, recently deceased best buds who suddenly find themselves staring down an eternity in Hell. But there’s a loophole: outdrink Satan and he’ll grant you re-entry to Earth.

Milo and Lola are now dead, thirsty, and roaming the streets of Nowhere, the outermost island of Hell.

It’s time to:
• Go on the best bender ever
• Party with dangerous demons and the not so dearly departed
• Best and impress Satan’s Monarchs to gain access to the big guy
• Drink Satan under the table

What adventures will you stumble through in the underworld? Every step is up to you. Time to go on the best bender ever, uncover the mystery of why you’ve been damned, and drink the big guy under the table.

Features

• Party as two best friends: Control Milo and Lola with an intelligent conversation system that changes the story and your relationships based on every decision. Uncover their personality quirks and foggy history during the wild events of the night
• Drink for your lives: Hell bars offer a variety of libations, each with different Liquid Courage effects to imbue Milo and Lola with specialized dialogue options and abilities
• Demonic activities: The underworld’s pubs are packed with drunken games to pass the time. Beer pong, dance-offs, karaoke and chugging competitions all mesh with the dynamic dialogue system for a seamless narrative bender
• Change Hell forever: Players’ actions won’t only affect Milo and Lola, but also the people and places of Hell. Finishing a quest on one island might result in the total destruction of another
• Flirt with Satan: Explore an interconnected network of underworld islands via the River Styx
• An original soundtrack by scntfc (Oxenfree, Sword & Sworcery)

Afterparty is set to release in 2019.

The post Oxenfree Dev’s Next Game, Afterparty, Wants You to Outdrink Satan appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Crazy premise aside, the game will put players in the shoes of Lola and Milo, (you’ll hop between the two as you progress through Hell), two friends who unexpectedly die and find themselves in Hell. Once inside, they learn that one of the only ways to escape Hell is to best Satan – who the developers describe as a “Rocky Horro Kanye West” – in a drinking contest. That sets off the adventure, and the pair will then have to wander the streets of Hell, exploring the various bars and stops along the way. Once inside a bar, players can choose to chat up the various demons inside, partake in some karaoke, or grab a drink. There’s some more information to be found over at IGN, and with the game not coming until 2019, you’ll want to soak up as much information as possible now.

For more on Night School Studio’s last game, Oxenfree, make sure to check out our review:

Rounding out what has clearly been a labor of love by the development team is a slew of different documentary videos. These are selectable in the main menu, and go pretty in-depth on the voice actors that brought the characters to life, and the game’s development process. It’s a great extra, and it’s something I hope more developers will do in the future. The more people that realize games take a lot of work to come to fruition, the more understanding there hopefully will be from gamers whenever a game is delayed or turns out poorly.

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.

Afterparty is set to launch sometime in 2019.

[Source: IGN]

The post Oxenfree Developers Announce Their Next Game, Afterparty appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Oxenfree focuses on a group of teenagers who take a trip to Edwards Island, a tourist attraction that’s abandoned at night. Their goal is general tomfoolery like getting drunk on the beach and playing truth or slap (my favorite game). Eventually, they start to explore the nearby caves, and investigate the rumors that you can hear ghosts if you bring a radio inside them. Since this is a video game, paranormal activity gets set off almost immediately, and the group is left trying to fend for themselves and make it to the next morning.

Players are put in the skater shoes of Alex, Oxenfree‘s cyan haired protagonist. All she has with her is a map of the island, a radio, and her wits. The latter of which are in a pretty questionable state after what happens early on in this memorable (if not for all the wrong reasons) night. Players will lead Alex around the island, use her radio to tune into the supernatural (and the oldies station that barely gets reception), and make sure none of her friends go off the deep end (and there’s naturally some pent up aggression when dealing with teens).

Let’s Talk

One area where Oxenfree absolutely knocks it out of the park is in its dialogue system. Branching dialogue has been done in a lot of games at this point, but none have done it as well as Night School Studio. Particularly impressive is how you can interrupt a character talking by examining an object (thus forcing Alex to speak up about what she’s examining), and the computer character will naturally bring up the point he was going to make. It’s seemingly simple, but it ensures that players don’t miss out on backstory just because they were exploring. In past adventure games, I distinctly remember standing around doing nothing while I waited for a character to finish their story, afraid to examine items in fear that I’d interrupt the scripting and never get to hear it. That’s not the case here, and it’s brilliant.

While the dialogue system in place rocks (and it must’ve been a lot of extra work to record variants of lines just in case the player interrupted them), it would be all for nothing if the writing wasn’t good. Thankfully, Oxenfree features a cast of distinctly different characters that are all flawed (but ultimately likable), and feel layered. Each character, including Alex, has their faults, but I ended up growing attached to them all by the time the credits rolled.

Without getting into spoilers, it’s worth noting that Oxenfree deals with several tricky themes. Grief, death, and divorce are just a few that are brought up in the first 30 minutes, and it only goes into deeper territory from there. While it’s difficult to portray such complex issues, Night School Studios has done a great job of showing how these can affect different people. A lot of the credit goes to both the writing and the voice actors for making the characters come alive.

The gameplay ultimately never really evolves past using your radio (you’d be surprised how effective a radio can be when dealing with the supernatural!), exploring absolutely gorgeous areas, and talking to your friends during this terrifying situation. While some additional ways to interact with the world would’ve been cool, it never feels repetitive. The ability to set presets for your radio would’ve been nice (since you’ll specifically go to a few frequencies often), but that minor nitpick is all I have against the gameplay.

One other disappointment is that a lot of the non-story important radio signals aren’t subtitled. There’s a guided radio tour for the island, and it’s a shame that hearing impaired players won’t be able to get some of the backstory on past events. Thankfully, all of the major dialogue has been transcribed, so they won’t miss out on the larger story. Still, it’s something that Night School Studio should fix in an update, and it’s a bit disheartening to see it wasn’t included in the PlayStation 4 version considering it launched on PC and Xbox One months ago.

Let’s Be Free

One of the ideas that Night School Studio introduces early on is repetition. Players will often get trapped in time loops, where they’ll have to slightly change what they’re doing until they can fix a situation. It doesn’t fully explore this idea (as it never gets as crazy as Ghost Trick), but it’s very interesting how it actually plays back into the narrative.

See the truly brilliant thing about Oxenfree is that its mystery is merely just starting to unravel after your initial playthrough. There’s plenty of incentive to go back and play the game again (which doesn’t feel like a chore due to its relatively short length), and the game even changes on repeated playthroughs. There’s new endings, additional dialogue choices, and new imagery that makes this an even better experience when replayed. If you want to dig even deeper (and I may have spent several hours deciphering morse code last night), there’s a really cool augmented reality game built around Night School Studios’ game. If you want to dive into this, I highly suggest checking out the game’s subreddit (r/OXENFREE), which is one of the few times I’ll ever recommend Reddit.

Rounding out what has clearly been a labor of love by the development team is a slew of different documentary videos. These are selectable in the main menu, and go pretty in-depth on the voice actors that brought the characters to life, and the game’s development process. It’s a great extra, and it’s something I hope more developers will do in the future. The more people that realize games take a lot of work to come to fruition, the more understanding there hopefully will be from gamers whenever a game is delayed or turns out poorly.

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.

Review code for Oxenfree provided by publisher. Reviewed on PlayStation 4. For more information on scoring, please read our Review Policy here

The post Oxenfree Review – Teenage Debauchery (PS4) appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Already available on PC and Xbox One, Oxenfree from Night School Studio is coming to PlayStation 4 on May 31 in North America and Europe.

Calling it “the most definitive version of the game yet,” Oxenfree for PS4 includes alternate endings, new dialogue, and new locations in its New Game+ Mode. The New Game+ Mode also comes to PC and Xbox One on May 31.

A narrative-driven adventure game, Oxenfree stars teenage girl Alex, who brings her new step-brother Jonas to a party on an abandoned military island that goes horribly wrong. “It’s a supernatural mindscrew of an adventure with tons of different outcomes and story paths that let you shape Alex’s life, the fabric of time and space, and the fate of a bunch of really pissed off ghostly creatures,” Night School’s Sean Krankel said. “Think Freaks and Geeks but with possession, time loops, and terror.”

Here’s what to expect from the New Game+ Mode:

The OXENFREE New Game+ Mode is a surreal continuation of the story of Alex and her friends on a decommissioned military island and offers new locations and additional endings that serve as an extension of the story. Upon completing the story once, players are met at the start of a new game with fresh dialogue choices and a creeping sense of deja vu. With this feature, players will be able to further change the supernatural events of Edwards Island and the spectres that inhabit it.

Oxenfree on PS4 uses the DualShock 4 like the supernaturally charged radio in the game, syncing color glow changes on the light bar and playing broadcasts through the speaker. You’ll also be able to purchase an Oxenfree Dynamic Theme either as a standalone item or in a bundle with the game on launch day.

All platforms will also receive a behind-the-scenes documentary series in the game that details development from concept to completion.

[Source: PS Blog]

The post Oxenfree Comes to PS4 on May 31 With New Game+ Mode appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.