Have a paranormal walk through the woods in OXENFREE II: Lost Signals.
The arduous job of any great sequel must be twofold: pay homage to what came before it and further explore the established universe’s laws and roles, and perhaps break them. If a first entry is successful, it also runs the risk of a sequel being financially motivated and creatively bankrupt, but it could also mean the creatives behind it took their time to develop a sound idea.
For a follow-up to take 7 years to finally take shape and release, suffice it to say it falls into the category of the latter. Although sequels are not that common in the indie gaming landscape, to the relief of many enthusiasts of the genre, OXENFREE II: Lost Signals arrived to break that cycle.
Much has changed since the first groundbreaking game, OXENFREE, was released on consoles and PC in 2016. The independent developer, Night School Studio, has been acquired by Netflix but has vowed to maintain creative freedom, and also released the similarly brilliant romp through hell, Afterparty. This is to say the developers have kept busy throughout the development time of this inventive sequel, and due to the passage of time, this has meant revisiting this world makes it all that more endearing and may even spark a bit of nostalgia.
Night School Studio’s second foray into the universe of OXENFREE begins with an unsettling introduction of strange frequencies. Instead of keeping its cards close to its chest, OXENFREE II: Lost Signals leaves crumbs of its overarching mystery as soon as you take control. You are in the shoes of protagonist Riley Poverly, a tired adult who sees herself appear out of nowhere on a pier in the middle of a heavy thunderstorm on the island of Camena.
After taking solace in a bus stop nearby and the storm dies down, Riley gets startled by a woman named Evelyn on her walkie-talkie. It seems Riley took an entry-level job as an environmental researcher and, in reality, is trying to escape her life and have a little respite from recent disruptive changes. She encounters Jacob, who becomes her companion for the rest of the expedition, and the stage is set for the unfolding of strange events throughout the night.
Ominous voices on the radio have been popping up all evening, and Riley & Jacob are charged with placing transmitters all over the island to try and comprehend what is happening. In the interim, a relationship between the characters can also blossom, depending on your decision. Once Riley is given the radio by Jacob, it once again plays an integral role as tuning in to the otherworldly frequencies is necessary to try to make sense of the world around her.
The nature of OXENFREE II: Lost Signals’ traversal does not lend itself to misinterpretation, as most of the adventure sees Riley walking all over the island, solving light puzzles, tuning in the radio, and making choices as to what to say in each conversation. While this might seem banal, the meat of the story is in its extremely natural dialogues and voice acting. Riley’s pragmatic sense of decisiveness, alongside the unpredictability of the situation, makes it easy to root for her.
Night School Studio’s specialty of putting young, lighthearted characters in distressing situations continues intact in OXENFREE II: Lost Signals. Thanks to its paranormal veneer, each chapter subverts your expectations and sometimes shows you glimpses of different timelines in the past and future. Depending on who you talk to or not, OXENFREE II: Lost Signals‘ various cast could forever stop recognizing you or branch out into a different timeline.
While the first game focused on a more jovial side of the mystery unfolding in Edwards Island and the USS Kanaloa, OXENFREE II: Lost Signals and Camena’s deep dive into the expanded lore and somewhat mature main characters lend itself to a more serious tone. Each character you encounter, be it by a channel on the walkie-talkie or in person as you thoughtfully walk across the island making sarcastic comments, has a reason to be and is on their personal journey.
As you slowly shift through the woods, what stands out the most in OXENFREE II: Lost Signals is its ethereal and reflective music. With synthesizers evoking the portentous mystery, Riley is trying to solve in each note, discovering her place in the story becomes a meditative experience. A longtime collaborator of the studio, Sciatic effortlessly conveyed once more a peaceful yet encroaching feeling of an uncertain future.
Sound design shines all the way through in small details as well. Turning on the radio lets you peek into some radio shows and conversations that, while admittedly do not make much sense in the beginning, start to feed into the universe of Oxenfree. Radio stations talking about cooking recipes, talk shows about conspiracy theories, and haunting recordings are all on display to make Riley’s walk all that more entertaining.
Once the fateful third act comes to a close, an epilogue shows how your decisions affected the characters’ destinies compared to other players, enticing another playthrough with different outcomes. Collectibles such as letters found scattered over Camena add little jewels of information for you to tie the pieces of the puzzle together. Matched with a handful of side quests and branching narrative decisions as to where your favorite character could end with just a little push breathes more life into Riley’s eventful night.
Regarding performance, on mobile, OXENFREE II: Lost Signals crashed once, and the walkie-talkie and transmitter were unresponsive at times. Stutters and slow movement were also present in some regions of the map where the scope was more extensive or the graphics were more demanding when opening portals. According to the developers’ updates, this has since been fixed. A communicative developer is always appreciated.
With elaborate ties to the first game, the wait was worth it. Night School Studio excels in poignant character studies and has proven once more that its creative writing knows no bounds. What OXENFREE II: Lost Signals lacks in the graphics or gameplay department the spectacular sound design and alluring interdimensional narrative more than make up for it.
