Oxenfree

 Xbox One
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 79 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 55 out of 79
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 79
  3. Negative: 9 out of 79

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. GreenMachineG
    Jan 25, 2016
    9
    Oxenfree is one of those games that takes everything I want in a video game and rolls it into a perfect experience. This is one of the greatest experiences I have ever had in a video game, and I am so happy I was able to play it. Oxenfree is the story of Alex, a young girl with a darker past, who goes to Edwards Island to celebrate her junior year of high school with a group of friends.Oxenfree is one of those games that takes everything I want in a video game and rolls it into a perfect experience. This is one of the greatest experiences I have ever had in a video game, and I am so happy I was able to play it. Oxenfree is the story of Alex, a young girl with a darker past, who goes to Edwards Island to celebrate her junior year of high school with a group of friends. Events occur and the adventure that follows is something like I have never been able to take part in. No wonder the creators of The Walking Dead already have the film rights to this game locked up as of a few days ago! A lot of people are calling it a mix of the TV shows Freaks and Geeks and Lost, and I would agree with that very much so, with maybe a little bit of the movies Groundhog Day and Interstellar thrown in! So amazing!

    The art style is beautiful, and very pleasing to the eye. It almost looks like clay-mation, but everything is just drawn so smoothly. Love the look of the game, and the use of color and shadow is really emphasized throughout; very well done!

    The main feature of the game is so cool and unique. You use your radio to do various things, and I love how the tuning slide looks against the background. It doesn't look intrusive or out of place at all! Very unique puzzle cracker, love it!

    The dialogue is to die for. It definitely took me back to high school banter, and had me cracking up over and over again. The game is extremely well written, with perfect pacing, dialogue, and one of the best video game stories of all time!

    My only issue is I encountered a couple of bugs that were a real bummer. Three times while playing I had a bug stop progression of the game, and I would have to go back to the main menu and start the segment I was in the middle of over again. I did, however, notice that this usually only occurred when I was rushing things along and didn't let the other characters get to where they needed to be before I started clicking away. So I only slightly blame the designers for that, and even with the bugs the game was totally worth going through the restarts for.

    This is a game people have to play, I cannot urge that enough.

    9.5/10    … Expand
  2. ll-ll-ll
    Jan 19, 2016
    10
    OK, this is going to sound weird, but I really bonded with this game--in the same way that I bonded with Chrono Trigger when I was a kid. It's just on a whole other level & I think everyone should experience it.
  3. metadubrev2
    Jan 26, 2016
    5
    not so much it's a bad game just a bad value. and not really a game. a graphic novel you watch and passively walk through not solving puzzles, not shooting up anything just watching the story unfold as you walk through a platformer. ok there were some nice tense moments but few and far between with hours of just walking listening to inane dialogue. no replay value. i'd pay $2 maybe $5not so much it's a bad game just a bad value. and not really a game. a graphic novel you watch and passively walk through not solving puzzles, not shooting up anything just watching the story unfold as you walk through a platformer. ok there were some nice tense moments but few and far between with hours of just walking listening to inane dialogue. no replay value. i'd pay $2 maybe $5 dollars in retrospect. my game froze quite often forcing re-starts and once a companion character froze preventing me from completing the quest and forcing a re-start.… Expand
  4. elMORRO
    Jan 15, 2016
    7
    Suprisingly awesome game. Got me really hooked from the openning sequence right till the end, so i finnished the whole game in one sitting. And that haven't happened to me in quite some time.
    Great story and wrtiting, awe inspiring art and music. Game has a nice feel of suspence and urgency to it.
    The only issues i had with it were technical. The load times were weirdly long and your    Suprisingly awesome game. Got me really hooked from the openning sequence right till the end, so i finnished the whole game in one sitting. And that haven't happened to me in quite some time.
    Great story and wrtiting, awe inspiring art and music. Game has a nice feel of suspence and urgency to it.

    The only issues i had with it were technical. The load times were weirdly long and your followers seem to be prone to getting stuck in the environement and stay in it until you leave the area. I had numerous crashes throughout my playthrough (especially a couple of annoying ones right in the middle of the final sequence) .
    Also the achievements seem to be kinda bugged since none of them unlocked upon the completion and most of them were just reset to 0. Wich kinda sucks since i spent time to 100% all of the collectibles.

    Great game, but i'd avoid playing it on Xbox, for now.
    Pc 9/10    … Expand
  5. WickedxDevice
    Sep 19, 2017
    8
    This was an enjoyable game! Before you consider purchasing this title, just know that it is a story-telling game; there isn't a *ton* of interaction in it, but definitely enough to keep you entertained the whole time. I'll begin with the bad: Some of the other reviews have mentioned experiencing several glitches throughout the game where their followers would get "stuck" in places,This was an enjoyable game! Before you consider purchasing this title, just know that it is a story-telling game; there isn't a *ton* of interaction in it, but definitely enough to keep you entertained the whole time. I'll begin with the bad: Some of the other reviews have mentioned experiencing several glitches throughout the game where their followers would get "stuck" in places, forcing a restart. I have experienced this as well, but only once. I found that if you actually wait for your followers to finish their animations, then you shouldn't have any problems. The second thing is that the beginning may seem slow for some (it did for me). This does *not* mean the beginning is bad, by all means - but the more you play, the better it gets! The last thing that I would consider somewhat negative is the ending. Without spoiling anything, the ending is definitely... interesting, and perhaps confusing to some. It wasn't the worst I've seen in a story, but it sure did leave me wanting more and feeling somewhat incomplete inside (sounds cheesy, right?).

    Now for the good. It's a story game, right? How's the story? The story was awesome! I didn't know what to expect going in, but despite the slow beginning, it still managed to hook me from the very first scene, and kept me guessing during my entire playthrough. Whenever I would take a break from the game to do some "adulting", I would just sit there and wonder what was going to happen next. The gameplay is great as well, and fitting for the type of game. Throughout the story, it gives you 2-3 dialogue options in its many, many conversations, allowing you to choose what option you think is best. If also offers several chances to make your decision between two (and sometimes more) "major" choices, which will determine the way your story will unfold, and while the general plot is the same in the big picture, the devil is in the details. The decisions you make will determine what type of ending the story gets. I saved the best for last: the voice acting. It is brilliant in this game! The young men and women that played the voice of the game's characters made the entire story so convincing, believable, and smooth. I actually had goosebumps during some of the scenes near the end! Between the voice acting, the solid plot, and the ability to make my own decisions really made me grow somewhat attached to its characters.

    All in all, the game is great. I got it for free during Xbox's "Games With Gold" in September, but I would definitely tell someone to pay the $20 for the game if they asked. I will most definitely buy more games from Night School Studio if I ever see them in the future.    … Expand
  6. 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.
  7. jthegamer96
    Sep 26, 2017
    5
    Oxen Free has potential to be an interesting game, but it completely missed the mark for me.

    First there's the dialogue options in the game. The problem with Oxenfree's dialogue system is that it often would interrupt whatever conversation to interject with your point. Which isn't always bad, but I would prefer it if i could buffer my input until after a person stops talking, so that if    Oxen Free has potential to be an interesting game, but it completely missed the mark for me.

    First there's the dialogue options in the game. The problem with Oxenfree's dialogue system is that it often would interrupt whatever conversation to interject with your point. Which isn't always bad, but I would prefer it if i could buffer my input until after a person stops talking, so that if i wanted to keep listening to the conversation i could, or just move right along with whatever the new topic is. Too many times, i found myself accidentally interrupting other characters because I found the option i want, but pressed it too early or waited until the dialogue timer ran out and missing a point entirely

    Then there's the pacing. In comparison to the map, it's so slow. With the long loading times for the xone version, added with the fact that everything is spread out an in-game mile apart, and the "running speed" is quite slow it makes it annoying to explore and travel around, even with the map (which was not super intuitive to use) and makes me want to not go off the required path as much as i should.

    Third, there's the convoluted story. It feels like the game is trying to tell you at least five different stories at once. The problem is that each of the stories are not well developed and most of them are irrelevant to what is happening within the game. The main story was not told well, and there are certain sections in the game that made it quite clear.

    Finally, there's no real gameplay. You have a radio, you look for signals when the game prompts you to, and you move on to the next section. The rest is simply walking from point A to point B with a whole bunch of dialogue that is poorly paced. Either the dialouge ended too early and there was a decent amount of silent walking, or i would get to the end of a section and the person was still talking. I also encountered a glitch where one character got stuck, and the game could not progress, so i had to reset the section

    Overall it has potential to be an interesting game, but if you're looking for a story based game that is actually executed well, I would recommend playing one of the Telltale games. Oxen free is not worth your time. If it was paced better, some optimization of the dialogue systems took place and the developers tried to expand deeply on a few stories, rather than try and tell 5 different stories at once, then the game could have been interesting as a Tell-tale substitute. Currently the game play isn't interesting enough to warrant proper multiple playthroughs to completely understand everything    … Expand
  8. tpenguin
    Jan 19, 2016
    10
    Oxenfree was a wild ride, I took a bit of a leap of faith and pre-ordered this game based on a 10 minute video of gameplay IGN had posted prior to its release. I seldom pre-order games because of fear of buyer's regret however this game in the preview appeared to be predicated around being an adventure game with a sci-fi/horror story to it

    The art work was fresh and the premise of    Oxenfree was a wild ride, I took a bit of a leap of faith and pre-ordered this game based on a 10 minute video of gameplay IGN had posted prior to its release. I seldom pre-order games because of fear of buyer's regret however this game in the preview appeared to be predicated around being an adventure game with a sci-fi/horror story to it

    The art work was fresh and the premise of building a game largely built on dialogue without cutscenes intrigued me to advocate a gaming company for doing something original. I played the game with my wife spectating, about 30 minutes into the game my wife questioned why I bought this game and said she was extremely bored. Uncharacteristically she changed her mind, by the time I was finishing the game she was captivated by the story.

    This is a game where the characters felt relateable, the dialogue was fluid and realistic. The subject matter between the characters and their antagonist was interesting. There were several moments throughout the game the hair on my neck were raised from the suspense of what was happening. The game had that 'it' factor to it where you wanted to complete the next objective to expose another piece of the story. The story itself while compelling was also calculated in how it was revealed, you won't have a full understanding of what happened until the final scene.

    There are easter eggs to find throughout the game in addition to the fact there are numerous endings. My first play through my choices reflected that of only 10% of the gamers who had made it through the end as reported by the metrics in the closing screens. I am going to return to this game and play it differently making different choices to see what happens. It's rare I play adventure games twice, for context I love many of the telltale games but almost have never replayed any of them to see what would happen if I made different choices, this game was interesting enough for me to want to know.

    My first play through took 7 hours, I will likely burn another 7 on my second play through. I give this game extremely high marks because the dialog, voice acting, music, art work and replay-ability were outstanding, it's also a good value at 20$ given the length of the game and is something that was original to me in terms of how it played.

    Side note: If you have a good surround sound system I recommend hooking it up while playing this game, also play it at night and preferably in the dark to get more immersed in Edward's Island.    … Expand
  9. dlameira
    Feb 9, 2016
    9
    This game surprised me, both as a gamer fan of classic adventures such as my book lover side as no other game. It's one incredible example how game could be more than guns and jumps. Awesome dialogues, made me google history facts about an specific plot in the game. I have to admit that I'm a little concerned thinking if I'll be able to find other game like this soon.
  10. Broyax
    Apr 5, 2018
    0
    L'étron indé du jour est un "jeu" d'aventure en 2D et 16 couleurs avec des ados débiles (pléonasme, me souffle-t-on dans l'oreille) qui ne la ferment jamais... on dirait un jeu écrit par Woodywoodpecker Allen l'intello binoclard pleurnichard toujours en état de colique verbale. Sauf que là ils sont plusieurs à jacasser et raconter de la merde. Ah mais comme dans les films de Woody le blêmeL'étron indé du jour est un "jeu" d'aventure en 2D et 16 couleurs avec des ados débiles (pléonasme, me souffle-t-on dans l'oreille) qui ne la ferment jamais... on dirait un jeu écrit par Woodywoodpecker Allen l'intello binoclard pleurnichard toujours en état de colique verbale. Sauf que là ils sont plusieurs à jacasser et raconter de la merde. Ah mais comme dans les films de Woody le blême en fait, me dit-on en coulisses... il est vrai qu'ils sont toujours plusieurs en crise de caquetage épileptique.

    On peut participer à la con-versation... ou pas, car quoi qu'il arrive, ils continuent de l'ouvrir même si on ne répond pas : ils sont en pilote automatique, ces cons. Puis, il se passe quelque chose dans cette sorte de base désaffectée qui tourne au paranormal de pacotille tandis qu'on fait joujou avec la radio FM et que le triangle des Bermudes apparaît au plafond.

    Oui, dit comme ça, ce n'est pas très clair mais quand après une heure de jeu, vous aurez attrapé la migraine, vous comprendrez éventuellement. Ou pas. Parce qu'il faudrait persévérer pour connaître le fin mot de l'histoire et regarder les **** persos idiots se déplacer comme des limaces sur les "tableaux" 2D-16 couleurs dont les temps de chargement sont quand même éloquents (on croit rêver...).

    Au bout, je suppose d'une heure trente, je n'ai qu'un débile avec moi mais je crois que je suis bloqué, car aucun rond n'apparaît nulle part -les ronds signes d'interactivité possible- ce qui signifie que j'aurais dû faire blabla avec l'un des persos mongolos auparavant ou juste avant ou à un point précis ou alors retourner à l'autre bout de la carte, ce qui devrait prendre des plombes en temps subjectif.

    Précisons que toute cette merde est en anglais, y compris les sous-titres optionnels. Cf la migraine.    … Expand
  11. MrTusks
    Sep 25, 2017
    10
    Oxenfree is a stellar role-playing/psychological horror game that you will want to replay as soon as you finish it. The art is pretty good, but it's the voice acting and sound mixing that will stick in your mind for a long, long time. My only knock is that some of the dialogue options don't quite predict what Alex will say or how she says it, which can kinda take you out of it from aOxenfree is a stellar role-playing/psychological horror game that you will want to replay as soon as you finish it. The art is pretty good, but it's the voice acting and sound mixing that will stick in your mind for a long, long time. My only knock is that some of the dialogue options don't quite predict what Alex will say or how she says it, which can kinda take you out of it from a role-playing perspective, but the story drives forward so effectively that you don't have to linger on a mistake for long.

    There's no fighting, no inventory, and no equipment save for a handheld radio. Just you and your friends on a mysterious island full of secrets that you may or may not discover...this time.    … Expand
  12. Magma17
    May 1, 2018
    9
    O Oxenfree possui uma única mecânica de gameplay,que se trata de usar seu radio. Mas Oxenfree é um ótimo exemplo de como os videogames podem contar histórias - e usa um dos sistema de conversa objetivamente mais realista já criado.Os personagens e a conversa nunca param para você - permitindo que você não se canse de explorar já que você esta sempre atento ao jogo,mas se você quiser podeO Oxenfree possui uma única mecânica de gameplay,que se trata de usar seu radio. Mas Oxenfree é um ótimo exemplo de como os videogames podem contar histórias - e usa um dos sistema de conversa objetivamente mais realista já criado.Os personagens e a conversa nunca param para você - permitindo que você não se canse de explorar já que você esta sempre atento ao jogo,mas se você quiser pode manter o seu silêncio e focar inteiramente no "Jogo".Existe uma mecânica da narrativa bem interessante,que se trata de guiar seus amigos adicionados na Live para ajuda-los a fazer as escolhas certas(Ou não),Mas não funciona muito bem,pois as escolhas só tem um peso maior no final do jogo,Oxenfree é muito mais aberto do que qualquer outro jogo similar (Life is Strange,Gone Home,The Walking Dead)é muito interessante explorar,principalmente na segunda playthrough,onde já sabemos onde ir.Todos julgam jogos assim como "Walking Simulator" no sentido pejorativo,com objetivo de diminuir o game,mas desta vez eu escolheria outro termo "Talk Simulator" faz muito mais sentido.
    Os elementos de horror tornam o Oxenfree tenso sem realmente ter qualquer horror que seja diretamente assustador,algo que é muito bem executado.    … Expand
  13. TheGameIsALie
    Nov 19, 2018
    8
    Oxenfree é um jogo onde as escolhas do jogador importam muito, e esse fato misturado a uma atmosfera incrível e uma narrativa melhor ainda criam uma recordação muito boa para os que jogaram. Infelizmente tem alguns erros, como a posição da câmera e a velocidade do jogador, mas toda essa experiência pode fazer você esquecê-los.
  14. SenorKoquonfaes
    Nov 14, 2019
    10
    Hands down, I absolutely love this game.

    I'm not really a huge fan of 2D or "2.5D" style, side-scrolling games, but this game did a lot to change my mind towards appreciating this particular style of game. The art direction is fantastic. It does a fine job of striking a balance between dark and eerie as well as cartoony and stylized. Characters that are illustrated to look as if they    Hands down, I absolutely love this game.

    I'm not really a huge fan of 2D or "2.5D" style, side-scrolling games, but this game did a lot to change my mind towards appreciating this particular style of game.

    The art direction is fantastic. It does a fine job of striking a balance between dark and eerie as well as cartoony and stylized. Characters that are illustrated to look as if they belong in a Saturday morning kids cartoon (in reference to the in-game "photos") in contrast with a dark, creepy and uneasy environment just seems to work so well, at least for me. The texturing and lighting in this game does a great job of giving the environment some depth of field, even though it's a "2.5D" game and it really adds to the creepy atmosphere of the game.

    The story is equal parts awesome and creepy. The occult and supernatural elements are well done (the tuning your radio bits were a nice touch), it made me wish the game went even deeper with these themes. The twist at the end of the story has a nice, subtle impact, enough for an "Oh poop..." moment.

    Gameplay is rather minimal and there is a lot of walking, with no real sprint function but I was able to overlook that since the story was so well done. I imagine there is some replay value, given the multiple dialogue options and there is a "New Game Plus" option which offers another dialogue option and a different ending. Although past that, I suspect you'll be playing through more-or-less the same scenarios.

    The teen drama stuff didn't really bother me that much. I didn't feel that it was overdone or that the game put too much of an emphasis on it. I mean, the characters ARE teenagers, so I guess that sort of stuff is to be expected. The characters still come across as likeable, despite the teen drama element.

    The music is phenomenal, no complaints there.

    Overall, Oxenfree is a fantastic game that gets a total recommendation from me!    … Expand
  15. TurnOffTheTV
    Dec 22, 2019
    8
    I have so much cardiac attacks...The graphics are AWESOME,NICE GRAPHICS,the Jumpscares...
  16. ewenr
    Jun 30, 2020
    5
    Not for me.. The story plot made no sense and I couldn't fathom out what the hell was going on half the time.
  17. WeatherCactus95
    Jun 26, 2020
    8
    Lo que le falta para el 10 es lo que todos exigen la seleccion a otro idioma y no solo ingles
  18. jjalleruzzo
    Aug 30, 2020
    10
    Incredibly unique game that blends elements of horror, mystery, and coming of age into one wonderful story. I was so enthralled I couldn't stop playing until I reached the end of the plot. Not so much of a challenging game, but it's very much a narrative driven experience. Absolutely worth picking up for fans of sci-fi-horror, and indie games.

Awards & Rankings

62
#62 Best Xbox One Game of 2016
56
#56 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 29 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 29
  3. Negative: 1 out of 29
  1. IBTimes UK
    Apr 2, 2016
    60
    In Oxenfree, Night School Studios has used simple mechanics to great effect establishing and building on its small cast of characters, and keeping players engaged with its creepy tale of paranormal dread. It's a shame then that it doesn't quite stick the landing, seeming to rush to its conclusion without offering a sufficient pay-off. A small number of minor (dialogue for the wrong character playing) and major (two complete crashes) glitches also hold it back. It's undoubtedly a stylish and unique game however, that we hope does its part to usher in a wave of games that take a similar approach to storytelling.
    Read full review
  2. Games Master UK
    Mar 19, 2016
    78
    Look past lame puzzles and short run time, and you'll find five great characters to chat to. [March 2016, p.71]
  3. Edge Magazine
    Mar 7, 2016
    60
    Its pacing is hindered by slow movement speed, and nuance is lost as the incidents increase in frequency and topics of conversation shift from the social to the situational. [March 2016, p.120]
See all critic reviews »