Playing Oxenfree feels like shaking a family snowglobe and dropping it on the concrete.
This adds a level of other-ness that one originator of the idea, Groundhog Day, misses entirely. Palm Springs and Russian Doll add humor to the formula, while Oxenfree goes into horror. Time loop stories are becoming more common these days in other forms of media and treading some interesting ground. The reeds are put in place meticulously to fold together to form a vessel that closes in on itself. Instead of exerting control over the direction of the narrative, it’s like weaving a basket. The player's perspective of Oxenfree is special. Life is Strange hits a lot of the same story beats but with an immersive, emotional slant that relies on immersion. The magical realism and nihilism hit a completely different chord, one that resonates within this decade. High fantasy and science fiction games like King’s Quest, Space Quest, and Monkey Island are the framework for Oxenfree to be judged on, which is unfair. Point-and-click is technically the term for it, but traditionally, those games have taken a much different narrative tone. Mechanically, the adventure game has been done over and over again in the same style as Oxenfree. And most importantly of all, it does the one thing I believe all games need to accomplish, in one way or another. The game design which supports multiple playthroughs and discovery is at its finest. It’s fully voiced and beautifully animated.
#OXENFREE GAME FREE#
This beautiful game’s story lies at the meeting point of two lines that basically overlap time travel and free will. Drawing a line from Oxenfree to any other narrative-heavy game would be a disservice.
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