Oxenfree

 PC
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 366 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 247 out of 366
  2. Mixed: 91 out of 366
  3. Negative: 28 out of 366

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  1. Derf3L
    Dec 27, 2016
    8
    Game is good. Art style is really nice and the story is intriguing. Scary at times, the game gives you some creepy feelings especially in the first part of the story.
    The characters are a chore though.. they are a bunch of dumb teenagers.. just wanted to slap all of them most times. Maybe just cuz I'm not 16 anymore, but I would have liked something a bit more mature.
    Worth playing
  2. mbrigham1223
    Jan 11, 2017
    8
    An emotional, thought provoking 2D walking simulator spinning an excellent story over light but competent gameplay.

    Pros: - Deep, well realized characters (mostly, one is just passable) - Excellent voice acting, really bringing the story and characters to life. I was constantly reluctant to interrupt other's dialogue with my own - Intriguing and thought provoking story, perfectly    An emotional, thought provoking 2D walking simulator spinning an excellent story over light but competent gameplay.

    Pros:
    - Deep, well realized characters (mostly, one is just passable)
    - Excellent voice acting, really bringing the story and characters to life. I was constantly reluctant to interrupt other's dialogue with my own
    - Intriguing and thought provoking story, perfectly paced and woven masterfully
    - Choices and their resulting impacts feel organic and honest
    - Eye catching 2d art style and backgrounds
    - Interesting collectables that add to the story; I was perfectly happy to spend an extra hour trekking about the world, looking for the ones I'd missed.
    - The John Carpenter inspired melodies perfectly compliment the tone and feel of the game, great music
    - The ending leaves you wanting more, with the definite draw of multiple playthroughs

    Cons:
    - Choosing an option often cuts off NPCs dialogue (which I wanted to hear), but waiting too long leaves the protagonist silent (also unwanted). By the end I had timing down where I could catch my option at the last moment, so I could have the best of both worlds. Just wish it didn't have to be that hard
    - Characters move so slowly that exploration can be a slog

    This is a well paced, masterful story bound to the player's hand that flows organically and with impact. Any player looking for a gameplay-light, story-heavy experience will find more than their money's worth here.    … Expand
  3. Archound
    Oct 26, 2017
    9
    Unique looks, interesting plot with unexpected twists, moody music, perfect sound design, coherent gameplay. Overall one ot the best experiences in recent years. More games like this one devs!
  4. RagingPoet
    Nov 27, 2017
    9
    Oxenfree has the most influential choices out of all mainstream 'choice based' videogames. I started my second playthrough instantly after end credits and it was even better the first one
  5. everin
    Jan 15, 2016
    8
    Tier 2
    + The background art is gorgeous, the special effects are awesome, never a dull visual moment in the whole game
    + The soundtrack is pretty spectacular for setting the atmosphere, I only wish there were more of it + The characters are very well-acted and have some very good dialog, and the options given lead to notably different conversational paths ? The dialog system was unique    Tier 2
    + The background art is gorgeous, the special effects are awesome, never a dull visual moment in the whole game
    + The soundtrack is pretty spectacular for setting the atmosphere, I only wish there were more of it
    + The characters are very well-acted and have some very good dialog, and the options given lead to notably different conversational paths
    ? The dialog system was unique and interesting, but has some issues with the "interruption" mechanic, which feels a little stilted and often makes it feel like I'm blocking myself from hearing the other characters if I want my own character to be involved in the conversation or to interact with the environment
    ? Generally good collectibles/exploration system, but finding the hidden signal stones frustrated me as they blend into the background art sometimes; finding the letters with the radio is a lot easier, though they're scattered pretty far and wide when there's not any other reason to explore left, which is annoying
    - I really like the mythology and ideas behind the story, but I really wish they had done more with it; it felt like it had a lot more potential than what was explored
    - It wasn't entirely clear what ultimate consequences some major choices could have throughout the game or by the end; I liked the choices overall, but compared to other adventure games, the results of my actions were sometimes fairly surprising (both a pro and a con)    … Expand
  6. Ardwinna
    Oct 13, 2016
    10
    Oxenfree is the second game I've purchased from Steam, and despite my Mac being a little too slow for it, I loved this game!! Yes, it's short, but it has a really great story, great dialogue, the characters are great and the soundtrack is amazing. I even love the painterly background.

    If you get to play this game, don't play it once and then stop. Play it again right away. The    Oxenfree is the second game I've purchased from Steam, and despite my Mac being a little too slow for it, I loved this game!! Yes, it's short, but it has a really great story, great dialogue, the characters are great and the soundtrack is amazing. I even love the painterly background.

    If you get to play this game, don't play it once and then stop. Play it again right away. The supernatural stuff you saw during your first playthrough "bleed through" to your second "timeline" and the story goes deeper still. Not to mention that you can get multiple endings based on your play style. ;) Those hidden trophies are there for a reason.

    I just love this game so much despite the massive bugs I got, but I'm a full time video game tester, and I attribute most of these bugs to my mac just being too slow. I don't generally game on my mac so it's forgiven. Give this game a try, it's a diamond in the rough.    … Expand
  7. Dough15
    Jan 17, 2016
    8
    Oxenfree will take you and five well-written teenagers to a beautifully and artistically-realized island, filled with synthwaves beats while giving a great spin to the ghost-story genre, in a short and to the point interactive narrative. If you can get past some of the technical hiccups, this game is a must.
  8. pnutboy
    Jan 16, 2016
    9
    I really love Oxenfree. I had no idea what to expect going in, after just buying it without really thinking. What a pleasant surprise. If you are remotely interested in adventure games or mystery stories I'd recommend you give Oxenfree a try. The 1980's teen Goonies-esque vibe works really well and sets up a legitimately creepy atmosphere. The conversations flow incredibly well and theI really love Oxenfree. I had no idea what to expect going in, after just buying it without really thinking. What a pleasant surprise. If you are remotely interested in adventure games or mystery stories I'd recommend you give Oxenfree a try. The 1980's teen Goonies-esque vibe works really well and sets up a legitimately creepy atmosphere. The conversations flow incredibly well and the dialog is clever and well-written. I found myself genuinely interested in these five teenagers and their stories. It reminded me of Life is Strange in some parts, and I think that's a very good thing. The visual style is absolutely gorgeous and the soundtrack is phenomenal, and both help establish the excellent atmosphere that hooked me into this game. The story intrigued me from start to finish and even if it doesn't all completely make sense in the end, I thought it did a great job of keeping me guessing throughout. It takes some really interesting turns, and there's a insanely cool mechanic integrated into the game that's revealed towards the end that I obviously won't spoil, but enhanced my experience that much more. However, I can recognize that the game does have flaws. The pacing is inconsistent, especially towards the end. Some parts dragged and other important moments felt a little glossed over. I did notice an unusual framerate issue a few times and the game crashed on me once, during an important moment. Still, these flaws didn't hurt my experience with the game. Oxenfree is one of the most surprising and intriguing games I've played in quite some time, and I really hope it gets the attention it deserves.… Expand
  9. rodericrinehart
    Jan 21, 2017
    9
    I was very pleasantly surprised playing this game. It was just fun to play from start to finish, at about 7 hours. A perfect length with almost no padding or busy-work or anything that distracted from the game.

    The artists had a vision, and delivered it graphically, musically, and through the dialogue. The soundtrack was great - right there with Bastion, Fez, FTL, and many other    I was very pleasantly surprised playing this game. It was just fun to play from start to finish, at about 7 hours. A perfect length with almost no padding or busy-work or anything that distracted from the game.

    The artists had a vision, and delivered it graphically, musically, and through the dialogue. The soundtrack was great - right there with Bastion, Fez, FTL, and many other memorable ones.

    A really great sci-fi, supernatural, suspenseful, psychological thriller, Basically an episode of The Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, or Black Mirror.    … Expand
  10. Young_Nacho
    Feb 23, 2017
    9
    Oxenfree is a fantastic game that I would definitely recommend picking up if you are interested. The plot and themes are solid, but the meaningful character interactions and fantastic dialogue system help push the game to a new level… Minor flaws aside. After my 5 hour journey was complete, It felt like everything had been a real adventure, and one that I’m happy I was able to have.
  11. agurczuk
    Jun 15, 2017
    9
    A narrative experience with great eerie story and not much gameplay.

    I absolutely loved it. The game has a great story about young teenagers going to an island for a party. They bring a radio with them that's able to pick up strange transmissions throughout the island. And just by mistake with the radio they're opening a rift to the ghost realm. And now they have until dawn to figure    A narrative experience with great eerie story and not much gameplay.

    I absolutely loved it. The game has a great story about young teenagers going to an island for a party. They bring a radio with them that's able to pick up strange transmissions throughout the island. And just by mistake with the radio they're opening a rift to the ghost realm. And now they have until dawn to figure out what's going on.

    First thing to note about this game is amazing soundtrack and superb voice acting. The visuals are pretty decent but it's the audio layer that makes this game.

    The main mechanic of Oxenfree is the dialogs. As the game revolves around the characters interacting with each other you get limited time to select a dialog option - if you don't decide the characters continue talking as if you decided not to talk. The writing is pretty clever and feel natural and your choices do matter in the end. Depending on them a game can end up one way or another - and that does not mean necessarily difference between good and bad - just different.

    Apart from that although you control directly the main character you have little choice. You know basically where you need to go - and though you can take different paths - it does not really matter. So your only job is to get from one place to another and trigger another dialog sequence. It's cool that you can still move while in dialog but it doesn't do anything. The other in game puzzles are so simple it's hard to call them puzzles. It's just a matter of tuning the radio in the right spot. Everything other is pretty obvious.

    I feel there are some hidden stuff in the game - things I didn't really bother to look for but the whole story is quite interesting and details placed here and there make it feel even better.

    Overall it's just an interactive story with dialogs choices that make a difference but do not matter in the grand scheme of the story. With a great atmosphere - that reminded me for some reason of the "Stranger Things". Loved the experience and the story.    … Expand
  12. Roke_
    Mar 23, 2017
    9
    The story is fantastic and I've never thought a 2D plat former could have me on the edge of my seat and scared at the same time. It was fantastic as most characters had purpose the only thing is Nona felt like she didn't need to be there as the story wouldn't of changed much. The music throughout the whole game is amazing and really makes the game a completely different experience as oneThe story is fantastic and I've never thought a 2D plat former could have me on the edge of my seat and scared at the same time. It was fantastic as most characters had purpose the only thing is Nona felt like she didn't need to be there as the story wouldn't of changed much. The music throughout the whole game is amazing and really makes the game a completely different experience as one time you could feel happy and not worried and then complete tone switch also the ending is very good as it does rap up with things also with a kinda telltale ending showing the choices you made. The only thing is the *continue timeline* at the end could have more reason to play as it is very repetitive as not enough changes are made to keep the player playing. But overall fantastic game and is worth buying even the price is a little high for the time span it offers.… Expand
  13. miecz
    May 11, 2017
    9
    A super natural adventure game with an innovative dialogue system. Great atmosphere, multiple endings and interesting characters. Nice adaptation of a "teenage horror movie" but with deep story and dense atmosphere replacing gore and blood. If you like indie games - go grab it.
  14. Kunray
    Mar 21, 2019
    10
    I liked listening to these bits of radio here and there, very atmospheric. this game will sure leave you with an experience you will not forget for a long time.
  15. Kosta
    Jul 29, 2016
    10
    Прекрасная игра: механика повествования через радио, сценарная драма и механика диалога - идеальные компоненты для уникальной в своём жанре игре.
  16. theponcho
    Apr 5, 2016
    10
    Best dialog system and conversations feels very real, art and music are awesome. It's the kind of game some people, like me, will find awesome, while if you are more into Fifa and COD kind of games, you probably will hate. Oh, and if you liked this, i think you might like Life is Strange too.
  17. FadingHope
    Jan 16, 2017
    10
    This is basically a perfect game as long as your focus is on the narrative rather than gun fights and mindless slaughter.
    I loved all the characters, they did feel like real people and voice-acting is just spectacular, especially from the lead. The same goes for sound quality in general, especially when "solving the triangles" (you will know what I mean when you get there).
    Graphically,    This is basically a perfect game as long as your focus is on the narrative rather than gun fights and mindless slaughter.
    I loved all the characters, they did feel like real people and voice-acting is just spectacular, especially from the lead. The same goes for sound quality in general, especially when "solving the triangles" (you will know what I mean when you get there).
    Graphically, it's a simple enough game, but there really is charm to those washed out 2D backgrounds, as well as to the characters.
    All in all, it should be an instant buy for anyone interested in a profound story with multiple endings, loads of dialogue and wonderfully portrayed characters.    … Expand
  18. Xzenor
    Mar 4, 2020
    9
    I love this game. The storytelling is amazing and the story itself too. the graphical style is fine. not really amazing but not annoying either (thank god, NO pixel-art). It works for the game. Audio is fine. The voice acting is spot on and felt really convincing. The music was fine for the game but I don't need a soundtrack for it.

    There's one annoying bug with the controller vibration    I love this game. The storytelling is amazing and the story itself too. the graphical style is fine. not really amazing but not annoying either (thank god, NO pixel-art). It works for the game. Audio is fine. The voice acting is spot on and felt really convincing. The music was fine for the game but I don't need a soundtrack for it.

    There's one annoying bug with the controller vibration though. My Xbox One controller would just vibrate 80% of the time. Very tiresome for the hands. I found out I could fix that temporarily by just disconnecting and reconnecting the controller (yes, pull out the usb cable. I play wired), or pressing the Xbox button to open the steam menu, and again to close it.    … Expand
  19. kezzyhko
    Aug 5, 2020
    10
    ‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍
  20. XTRMNTR2K
    Dec 23, 2017
    10
    An engrossing, unforgettable experience

    Even though I really enjoy a good adventure and love a well-told story, this game for some reason remained almost completely under my gaming radar until a few days ago. Sure, I've heard the title, but that was it. When I started playing this game I practically knew nothing about the gameplay or story, and my expectations weren't all that big. To    An engrossing, unforgettable experience

    Even though I really enjoy a good adventure and love a well-told story, this game for some reason remained almost completely under my gaming radar until a few days ago. Sure, I've heard the title, but that was it. When I started playing this game I practically knew nothing about the gameplay or story, and my expectations weren't all that big. To say I was in for a massive surprise would still be an understatement.

    Oxenfree tells its story in just the right way; there is a lot of dialogue - all of it superbly voiced - and even the letters you can find scattered around the island are (while not narrated) commented on by the main character. The overall tone of the game is one of mystery and discovery, which is perfectly strengthened by its amazing soundtrack. Retaining such a relatively positive atmosphere is quite a feat given some of the darker themes in this game.

    As for the characters you could argue that they are a bit on the clichéd side, but for me that didn't get in the way of enjoying their bits of banter. In fact, I grew to like and care about them, something that very few games managed in recent history.

    So far I've played through this game two full times over the course of 11 hours, with maybe one or two more playthroughs at a later time (to get the remaining three achievements). During my first run of the game I played exclusively using keyboard and mouse, and didn't find much of a fault with the controls. That being said, for the second playthrough I switched to gamepad and found the overall flow of the game a little better (especially since you can usually run instead of walk easily using the analog stick, whereas you need to keep your movement key pressed for several seconds using a keyboard).

    Conclusion: If you are fine with relatively basic gameplay, but like having meaningful choices and an interesting, well-told story, this is for you. Besides, the gameplay is still more complex than that of Telltale games, so there's that. Oxenfree is definitely one of the most enjoyable and captivating games I've played all year.    … Expand
  21. traskular
    Mar 27, 2018
    10
    Thought it was going to be another "Firewatch" waste of time. Slow start, but wow, what a finish. Do yourself a favor and play this. I've been playing games for 30 years, and this holds the intellectual merits of a great game.
  22. TwoEars
    Sep 25, 2018
    9
    The real main character of this game is the dialogue system which is quite interesting; there's a time limit to most responses, staying silent is nearly always a viable (often good) option and your responses can also interrupt people. It makes it practically impossible to always say the right thing at the right time, and if you do say something you don't know what you might have missed outThe real main character of this game is the dialogue system which is quite interesting; there's a time limit to most responses, staying silent is nearly always a viable (often good) option and your responses can also interrupt people. It makes it practically impossible to always say the right thing at the right time, and if you do say something you don't know what you might have missed out on in a different dialogue tree.

    This dialogue system is bound to leave a lot of perfectionists and completionists extremely frustrated, but on the other hand it makes it one of the most realistic dialogue system I've encountered in a game. In the real world you can't always come up with the right answer on the spot, not everything requires an answer and some things are better left unsaid.

    If you go in with the mindset that you're going to beat the game and "100% it" you may have a not so enjoyable time of it. For the best experience it's probably best to go with the flow and pretend that you're a semi-confused teenager who stepped into an episode of the x-files. I think the game works better if you don't try to make too much sense of it all, don't try to solve every last riddle, don't try to be friends with everyone and definitely don't act like you're the main protagonist or the focal point of the story.

    Other than that the graphics, audio and animations are nice but while the story is decent enough to keep us interested I think perhaps more could have been done with the overall mystery towards the end of the game. I felt like more connections could have been formed between different locations which would have tied the mystery plot somewhat tighter. As it is everything is left on a sort of vague note, this thing is here and that thing is there but it doesn't really fit together too well as a whole. Random things happen at random locations because the story needs a "magic time event" to occur.

    I tend to favor stories that present a solid mystery but also present solid explanations towards the end and if you're looking for definitive answers this might not be the game for you. I feel like many game designers these days wrap everything in 3 layers of mystery and when it's time to untie the knot they don't really know how so they give a deus ex machina pseudo science explanation mixed with a bit of emotion and exit left like they've got it all figured out.

    And, sure.. vagueness is great for mystery but it doesn't tend to give the player much in the way of low or high notes and sometimes it can be good to get a feeling of closure and progress too. Like, is this thing happening now real, should I care about this, is this actually sad or are you just pulling my leg again? Is someone actually dying this time or is this another mock execution? Vagueness is interesting but I'd like to offer the counterargument that sometimes brilliant stories are brilliantly explained and then the plot twists are razor sharp.

    For a universe to be believable it's important for that universe to establish clear boundaries, too much vagueness and metaphysics and everything ends up in a big quantum tangle of being a story both told and not told. In a universe where everything is vague nothing really matters and there is no point in caring about anything or anyone. Maybe it was all just a reflection of a dream of a past life in a parallel universe lost between space and none of us are really here and yada yada.

    Overall it's probably an 8 score adventure game but I'm going to give it a 9 just for the originality and execution of the dialogue system which is innovative and works well.    … Expand
  23. whave
    Dec 17, 2017
    10
    a most pleasant surprise. i don't really play walking simulators, but this one got my attention - did not regret! i just had to play through the whole game in one sitting, they really succeeded in capturing the oldie coming of age movies' moods, however cliche this might sound. and the 2nd NewGame+ playthrough had enough new stuff in the story IF you just wanted more of the same thing,a most pleasant surprise. i don't really play walking simulators, but this one got my attention - did not regret! i just had to play through the whole game in one sitting, they really succeeded in capturing the oldie coming of age movies' moods, however cliche this might sound. and the 2nd NewGame+ playthrough had enough new stuff in the story IF you just wanted more of the same thing, which I did. great music, organic dialogues (with maybe a few exceptions), OK mistery and if you're a sucker for old radios and number stations... this got it all.… Expand
  24. richbags12
    Feb 4, 2018
    8
    Visually stunning with beautiful, in-depth characters. The soundtrack is haunting and the story telling is fantastic. Oxenfree tells a story that you will not find anywhere else. The writer's must be incredibly creative, I'll give them that. I can guarantee you'll be thinking about this game long after it's finished.
  25. miccael
    May 27, 2019
    8
    I am big fan of such games. Love the artstyle, music is ok, dialogue is good but sometimes too much.
    Ending is a bit confusing and abrupt, i.e. the climax does not pay off. But, has some replay value, which is tight! It's not "horror", it's psychological horror. Dont be afraid to play at night

    Very enjoyable and I would recommend at full price.
  26. brwnie
    May 3, 2019
    9
    Oxenfree is one of the best adventure games I've played in a while. Art style is likable and in tone with the overall teen atmosphere, characters are well written, dialogue is really interesting, the soundtrack is a masterpiece, and the story is so great you can't wait to see what will happen next but at the same time you want it to drag for a couple more hours just so you can get immersedOxenfree is one of the best adventure games I've played in a while. Art style is likable and in tone with the overall teen atmosphere, characters are well written, dialogue is really interesting, the soundtrack is a masterpiece, and the story is so great you can't wait to see what will happen next but at the same time you want it to drag for a couple more hours just so you can get immersed in its well crafted world.… Expand
  27. FrostyFeet97
    Sep 13, 2018
    9
    Oxenfree is the kind of that will not let you exit your game. Story and characters are awesome and the graphics are charming. Definitely worth the price and your time.
  28. Bengatore
    May 22, 2018
    10
    I have played hundreds of games over my lifetime. Some of them made me emotional, some of them stayed with me long after I finished playing them, and some of them I deeply enjoyed. However, Oxenfree is one of only four games I have played that I not only enjoyed, but loved.
  29. toxyk
    Jun 27, 2018
    8
    Un juego con 0 jugabilidad centrado por completo en la historia con varios finales. Tiene una historia muy original y atipica, me ha gustado mucho, pero se me ha hecho muy corto, y con un final un poco brusco
  30. muibty
    Aug 12, 2018
    9
    Great design, great music and an amazing story.
    The biggest con is all the walking
    But there's so much to this game that you can discover. There's multiple ending so the game also has a replayability aspect to it as well.
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Awards & Rankings

74
#74 Best PC Game of 2016
49
#49 Most Discussed PC Game of 2016
91
#91 Most Shared PC Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 49 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 41 out of 49
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 49
  3. Negative: 0 out of 49
  1. DarkZero
    Nov 15, 2016
    70
    Oxenfree is a curious and fairly short game. The wonderful voice acting and characters, the interesting themes and the beautiful backdrops are sometimes let down by poor design choices. Ultimately, for fans of story, of which I am one, it is worth playing. But if you have to get your kicks from involved gameplay, perhaps this is not the one for you.
    Read full review
  2. Quarter to Three
    May 29, 2016
    100
    Oxenfree is well written, immaculately acted, and superbly paced. And the most important thing is a conversation system that brings to life lived-in characters actually talking to each other instead of struggling to emerge from a turn-based dialogue game. Oxenfree is the Robert Altman of videogames.
    Read full review
  3. games(TM)
    Apr 14, 2016
    60
    Intriguing game held back by a faltering script. [Issue#172, p.92]
    Read full review
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