You can play it on your mobile device, and right now, the objective is to put a stop to those pesky kids.
Oxenfree holds a special place in my heart. It masterfully weaves together dialogues that feel natural and filled with witty banter, mixed with a storyline that’s as chilling as a great spooky podcast. It pulls you right into its enigmatic world. Imagine weird radio signals, eerie ghosts, and reality itself acting up—all experienced through the eyes of some smart-mouthed teenagers enjoying one last adventure before heading off to college. I couldn’t stop recommending it to everyone I knew.
Then, in 2023, its sequel dropped, but I hesitated to play it. I didn’t want to ruin the memory of that perfect experience. Plus, Night School’s next game, 2019’s Afterparty, didn’t hit the mark for me at all. However, I finally decided to give in. A bit of a push came from wanting a strong narrative to dive into during a brief holiday, armed only with my Android tablet. That’s when I recalled that Oxenfree II was available as part of my active Netflix subscription. And guess what? It’s fantastic! Really, truly fantastic! It does stumble more than the original, with certain parts of the story not fitting together seamlessly—maybe because of the choices I made, like not understanding why the two main characters seem so antagonized by the teenager Olivia. Still, it shines with remarkable voice acting and an intriguing plot, even if it’s somewhat unrealistic (radios don’t behave like that!). I’m nearing the end and can’t wait to see how everything resolves. — John Walker
