When it comes to point-and-click adventures, it’s almost always a hit or a miss. After a wobbly first couple of hours, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals really starts to shine but barely crosses the line of success. Walking in as a sequel to the hit indie original that offered a fresh perspective to storytelling of the mysterious, here’s how Oxenfree II fares in this often-overlooked game style.
Things as strange as Stranger Things
Stories such as Oxenfree create that eerie aura of mystery right from the get-go. Fans of Stranger Things will definitely be intrigued by what the game tries to do. Starting off five years after the events of the first game, Riley the protagonist, reaches her homeland of the Camena Cost guided only by her research contact, Evelyn, on the radio. Here she sets off on her journey to explore the radio frequency glitches or anomalies that have been at the crux of the story since the first game opening up the mysteries of other dimensions. With it’s choose-your-dialog style gameplay, it’s uncertain where your story’s headed but having played the first, it’s guessable. The narrative takes a bit to dive into given the slow paced start of the game but once you’re in, your binge begins. It’s clear however that the sequel does not live up to the sheer dread that the original creates.
Gameplay for that hungover Sunday
Oxenfree II is more of an interactive adventure than a playable game. Like most classic point and clicks, you’re bound to be tapping the screen or a singular button more often than using combinations of inputs. However, this was the intention of the developers to create that slow-paced adventure that pushes the player to rush through the story to unfold more. The expansive map in the game might seem a bit cumbersome at first but is not a painful to go through, given the pace at which your character trudges. The game is meant to be played at a slow pace after winding down from a long day at work or a lazy Sunday in bed — bit by bit.
Sound design is everything
Being a game about radio frequency anomalies, the sound design for the game has been given exclusive attention. You’re instructed to play the game with great headphones to get its optimal experience. Be sure to get a pair of good noise cancellation sets to truly experience the chilling atmosphere that the game creates with some surprises thrown in while tuning between frequencies. Every winding dial, background score, dialog emphasis has been given detailing beyond comprehension and this is truly where Oxenfree II stands out.
Who should play Oxenfree II?
If you love page turning supernatural mysteries and shows like Stranger Things, Oxenfree II might be an exciting interactive story for you to dive into. We recommend playing the first as well before diving into the second. Oxenfree II also makes for a great breather in-between high action-packed games, a side-quest amid 100 hour RPGs and a simple night-time read. The near 8 hour completion point of the game makes it an easy pick and go game but amid all the story’s attempts to keep you hooked, you will feel time slow down somewhere in between. Pull through and you feel rewarded at the end. Best played on a handheld device.
Oxenfree II: Lost Signals is available for free on Android and iOS devices via a Netflix subscription. Also available on Playstation, Windows and Nintendo Switch.
The force is strong
One of the quintessential things about a Star Wars game is the ability to use the force and Jedi Survivor couldn’t make this experience any more enjoyable. From pulling basic enemy types right into your lightsaber to shoving hordes of them off a cliff, your journey in learning the ways of the force really feels complete by the time you reach the end of the story.
Combining force powers with your combat moves keeps every battle sequence interesting and feeling fresh. You’re free to approach most battles your way, especially the elite bosses and bounty hunters.
Level-design Jedi mind games
The most interesting aspect of the original Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was its approach to level design. Keeping areas in different worlds locked out until you progress in the story and having you return to those levels at a later stage made exploration feel rewarding. Jedi Survivor doesn’t shy away from repeating the same formula that worked so well and has plenty of secrets stashed away in different worlds — making you want to search every nook and cranny of these worlds.
A particular level we enjoyed the most was the Shattered Moon sequence throwing up new surprises with the same blend of platforming methods.
Visuals, performance and photo mode
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is absolutely stunning. The game sports some of the best lighting effects of this generation to a point where your device might struggle to keep up with the bringing the textures alive. The various worlds are gorgeous and really make you want to stop to soak in the flora and fauna.
The best way to capture these moments is through the simplistic photo mode that the game offers. Pause almost anywhere in-game to create stunning, printable posters from your favorite moments in the game.
The game isn’t perfect, however, it does struggle with performance issues irrespective of platform. Our playthrough on the PS5 saw many frame rate drops, texture delays and screen cuts but nothing that was too experience shattering. Developers Respawn and EA are consistently patching the game to fix these issues on a regular basis.
Should you play Star Wars Jedi: Survivor?
Short answer: yes.
The game does provide an option to recap the events for the first game for those who haven’t played the original or simply do not remember it. However, we do recommend playing the first game to get the complete Star Wars Jedi experience and even recall a few references. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is definitely one for the keeps.
Reviewed on Apple iPad. Also available on Playstation 4, Xbox Series X/S and Windows
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