i am now free of the oxen

Oxenfree always seemed like a weird game based on what I’ve seen. I’ve played it purely for the 90% off sale on Steam and the fact that it’s a highly regarded game. So the gameplay can basically be boiled down to: go from point A to B, use your radio device to open doors or advance the plot, walk 90% of the time while you’re hearing conversations, make choices based on those conversations, see different outcomes/endings and find a few collectibles along the way. That’s really all there is to it, it’s simple but it’s well presented. The voice actors did a great job, the game has a good visual style and you can get some wildly different outcomes with the dialogues. I played it completely blind the first time and I was a total prick the second time to the point that everyone hated me. It was hilarious!

I highly disliked some of the achievements though. They’re not difficult but they’re incredibly tedious. You need to complete a run where everyone hates you and I felt like I did a good job but the game doesn’t agree, so I had to do another run to get it right. I’ve also tried to get certain characters to date twice and I failed both times because of one or two things I might have not chosen in the conversations. You guessed it, that means you can start a new run. Then there is the achievement where you have to complete the entire game without picking a single dialogue choice. OMG! What is the point of this aside from forcing you to play another run specifically for this and nothing else?! I don’t mind completing the game twice or so, but maybe be less strict about the requirements so you don’t ruin the fun of choices and consequences? Even though it was over 12 hours total, it’s a horrible feeling when you feel your time is being wasted.

With all that said, it’s still a good game to lovers of mysterious stories and different outcomes. When it comes to completionist players, you might want to keep a guide nearby at all times. It’s a shame since it’s all about making your own choices, especially the first time. The normal price of €10 isn’t outrageous but I’m not sure I consider it worth it. €5 or less is better safe than sorry.

I got this game along with the sequel, on 90% sale for each. Absolute steal at this price.


Lets start from the mechanics. Its a point-and-click game with optional controls with WASD making it a semi-platformer. In a platforming sense, it is quite lacking, plus at times it may feel too much of a drain, or at times not a smooth enough experience. The story is unfolded in an island which hides a mysterious secret which only few within the island know about. All the interactions that the main character does (Alex) with all the others branches with different dialogue options. You can choose whatever you see fit to say during a situation, making you more involved with the story. It is a really great addition. With this, there is a flaw though, which is that at times you may feel like you are jumping the gun too early while given a choice, thus you may interrupt the others while they are speaking, and not just when you talk, but also when you interact with the environment when given the choice; you need to time it well enough so that you get a better flow of the conversation and to avoid not being able to speak up, so beware of that. The saving in this game is done only when switching places, meaning if you quit the game midway through a scene, when you restart the game you will be at the beginning of said place.

As far as the overall gameplay goes in terms of playtime, being as spoiler-less as possible, it really encourages you to play at least twice; given it is short, on a second playthrough you can start to process how all interactions go if you missed anywhere along the track.

The cast is different enough to have every member being memorable in different ways, I enjoyed watching everyone with how they interact with others. The Voice acting is a great addition to this, helped enhance the experience!

The game has multiple endings, which rely mostly on how do you interact with everyone in the game.

Lastly, get this game on steam, you will have a good subtle feature while playing the game if one of your steam friends have played it already. :)

Overall:
Pros:
👍 Interesting and intriguing supernatural elements.
👍 Multiple dialogue options which allow you to immerse more in how you perceive the story; you pretty much see and interact with how the story goes.
👍 Cast is great.
👍 Different endings depending on how you interact with the others.
👍 Heavily encourages you to play it (at least) twice to get the main gist of the game.

Cons:
👎 Choosing dialogues fast enough and/or interacting with objects may look like you are cutting conversations too soon.
👎 Walking may feel too drain-ish or sometimes it bugs a bit, but it happens seldom.
👎 Very short experience, but for the discounted price i bought it for, i cannot complain much.

Final Vote: