Recent reviews by Swing456

I will 100% this game one day, and I shall proudly display it on my profile.

This game is very good. This concludes my review.

I don't really see the majority of reviewers here detailing the actual problems with this game and its story. And so therefore, I made an in depth critique video on it.

Spoilers abound, obviously.

https://youtu.be/VvDj3x2lZeM

Never before have I held such hatred for a game.

10/10 would recommend to friends and family.

If you read nothing else of my review other than this paragraph, I just want to get this out there. Play this game. This game is so good. The story is amazing. The characters are amazing. The art style is amazing. The general feeling you get playing this game is amazing. Play this game. Let us proceed.

This game touches upon a lot of topics and genres that I absolutely love. Namely supernatural suspense, different dimensions and realities and other things I can't really touch upon for storyline reasons. So with that backing it up, I'm already going to adore it. It captured me very early on, which is a very difficult thing for a character driven game to do. But the characters proved to be very interesting and well fleshed out from their introduction. Alex and Jonas' dialogue throughout the game does fantastically at building those characters and humanizing them. I definitely finished the game feeling as though I knew all these people involved, and I wanted the best for all of them. As much as it pains me to say, even Clarissa... And to put it very lightly, I did not like Clarissa. At all.

That being said, the game is a Telltale style story, so the protagonist, Alex, really shapes into whatever character you chose to build her into. This comes into play a lot more than one would think. The story isn't the most original but it certainly keeps you engaged throughout. On top of this, the game has an amazing soundtrack which really does express the dark and eerie feelings that the five teenagers must have been feeling during the progression of the story.

The art style and animation is also incredibly beautiful. The scenery looks like a mixture of pastel and computer animation, which is simply gorgeous.

Finally, the one thing I really wish I could talk about, but at the same time know that I can't, is the ending. Provided, you can get several different outcomes depending on your choices, but as per the norm with most choices matter type games, one or two constants remain. I could write endlessly on what the ending means, but for the sake of those who want to play it and see for themselves, I obviously cannot. All I can really say about it, is that I know Night School Studio is working on a sequel to Oxenfree, and I am so incredibly excited to see what they do with it.

I'm pretty sure there is also a Stephan King reference at one point. It's hidden. You have to look for it. But it got a chuckle out of me.

I was actually pleasantly surprised with this game. The puzzles make you think and sometimes are a bit difficult, but not to the extent that it becomes irritating. There are no cheap jump scares which I was also quite a fan of, and the game maintains a certain ominous and creepy vibe throughout, as you progress through the levels.
While there are no jump scares, per say, you still have to deal with things following or chasing you while you attempt to figure out puzzles, which can be a bit annoying until you figure things out, but overall doesn't take away from the experience of the game. That being said, my favorite part is trying to find my way through a claustrophobic labyrinth while being perused by the creatures within.
Overall, you can easily get 3-4 hours of entertainment out of this game for less than a dollar. In my opinion, that is very much worth supporting these devs. I hope to see more from them at some point.

This is a beautifully crafted piece of art from beginning to end. It's very clear that a lot of effort and passion went into the construction of this game, and though it's gameplay mechanics are simple, they do not fail to immerse you in the world.
Although the story is incredibly short and can be finished in an afternoon, there aren't any particularly slow parts that stand out to me or any parts that I felt I wanted to get through quickly due to tedium or noninterest. I easily spent a good forty minutes in the first open field, sprinting through and reviving trees and collecting the acorns they dropped. I do wish the story was a bit longer, however, as I feel I only scratched the surface of this world.
All and all I would recommend this game to anyone who has a free few hours to play something with a surprisingly in depth story, despite being told almost exclusively through audio logs, and an exceptionally deep lore set in a beautiful setting of industrial revolution against nature. I look forward to future games by Blue Isle Studios .