I’d never even heard of this game, but it’s apparently been around long enough and was good enough for a sequel already. Another #VideoGameClub choice, this time for #VGCJune2024, it coincided perfectly with me picking up a Steam Deck. The visuals and art style of the game are gorgeous and lend really well to the beauty that the OLED display can provide.
I do have a small problem with this game when it comes to providing guidance to the player, which ultimately doesn’t take away from the overall experience, but could impact how you approach it. There’s no indication of how your choices in the game impact the outcomes. It’s very much a “decisions matter” type of progression and there appear to be some visual clues when you trigger certain events, but it is tough to tell if it is something positive or negative. I think a little bit of an explainer could have helped to at least make you aware of the positive and negative potential outcomes. All that being said, it wasn’t a big enough detractor to where it impacted my enjoyment of the game.
It’s a fairly short game and lends itself to the possibilities of multiple playthroughs, especially when you finally figure out that there are multiple outcomes. The various outcomes were not enough for me to want to pick it back up again immediately for a second playthrough and I’ll probably just watch the other outcomes online, but if I pick up Oxenfree 2, you better believe I’ll be much better equipped for that adventure!