Oxenfree II: Lost Signals Review – Lightning Can Strike Twice (PS4)

How do you follow up on a cult classic like Oxenfree that has left players wanting more? This is the question Night School Studio must have asked themselves for quite some time. After releasing Afterparty, I think something gnawed away in the back of their minds, that itch to scratch. To be fair, players themselves who loved the original (myself included) and its success naturally meant we were asking, “when are we getting another one?”

So how do you build on your seminal work and not rehash the expected tropes? Are people going to be happy with more of the same? Night School Studio have the chops to create an evocative setting and scenario which has been familiar but enjoyable to see where it leads. The island is an interesting place to walk through. There are the usual puzzles and gizmos to interact with, and it has an affecting story. Be advised: Play the original. While it is a standalone title, the game greatly benefits you already knowing prior events.

Oxenfree II: Lost Signals was created by Night School Studios and published by Netflix Games. It was released in July 2023 for the PS4/PS5, IOS, Nintendo Switch and Windows.

I’ll try my best to limit spoilers but with my writing style, I would advise caution. Thank you.

If anyone is interested in this series should definitely play the original and here is what Avraham Behar thought of Oxenfree. 

Story: Is. Leave. Possible?

Oxenfree II: Lost Signals takes place 5 years after the original. Riley Poverly has decided to come back to her hometown of Camena Coast. She has been tasked by an environmental group, headed by a lady named Evelyn, to plant transmitters around the island to monitor “anomalous frequencies.” Sounds simple enough. According to Evelyn, there has been unnatural phenomena for months, inexplicable signals which disrupt radio and communication frequencies. So we’re going to find a way to study them and try to fix the problem. You have a partner as well, a man called Jacob.

Upon getting to the top of the middle of the island, Camber Cape, you realise that your mission…..isn’t so simple. Activating the transmitter awakens the void beyond and connects itself to Edwards Island, the island in the distance. NOW Riley and Jacob have a problem. It’s up to the dynamic duo to close this portal as well as deal with “Parentage”, a group of kids who are determined to help to open the portal and free “The Sunken.”

To quote Doctor Who, “wibbly wobbly timey wimey” effects of time and space is always fascinating to me. Anytime confronting The Sunken is an exhilarating experience of the unknown, the uncertainty of what to do, unsure of how events will play out. They are worth the price of admission alone. There is one section within a big building when you must deal with The Sunken and Parentage which is genuinely inventive and an amazing set piece. There are dream sequences, hallucinations, time variations, it’s great stuff. The game also does tie itself to the original in a nice way, so it’s more of the same. I’ve spoiled too much already.

Riley’s journey begins here. it’s going to be quite the trip.

Riley & Jacob

The supernatural elements of this story are a pretext to the underlying facets of human behaviour. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough said about “Parentage.” One naturally is the leader and the rest follow. Having said this, the leader’s motivations are incredibly relatable. However, the primary focus of the journey is Jacob and Riley, where they get to know one another, trust each other and unburden themselves about why they have come back to Camena Coast. They are both in their 30s, possibly now “aimless” in life and they are trying to make sense of it, find new direction. By the end of the story, I found the writing to be excellent in this regard because it is incredibly relatable to life (especially for this reviewer, in his late 30s). Life is hard, and breaking from routine to something aspirational, even satisfactory, equally so.

Riley and Jacob are mentally and physically put through the wringer.

Gameplay: Relaxing Routines

Oxenfree II: Lost Signals is a supernatural walking simulator. You play as Riley, with Jacob in tow, walking through Camena Coast to get through the story. I enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere of getting across the island. To be fair, I would have preferred a faster jogging speed, or when I decided I needed to get to the other side of the island, a form of fast travel. However, I understand why it’s not here as it would break the immersion & atmosphere of being in this particular game world. 

Riley goes from point A to point B, planting transmitters, using a walkie talkie to communicate with people. She also uses a radio to solve puzzles, open locks etc and generally save the day. When getting around the island, there are multiple exits from each area and I frequently checked the map with the touch pad. It’s not a dealbreaker. I appreciated that it filled out story progress – Riley marks on the map where to go, there is also a notepad showing your objectives. I enjoyed exploring the island; however, I will point out that connecting all the areas were lengthy loading times which was a shame.

The game is mostly story/conversation orientated. This means that Riley will converse with Jacob and other characters, requiring you to input choices with the face buttons to impact a conversation. You can choose square, triangle and circle as an input, which is on a timer. Certain responses will impact whether people like you or not, and they can change the outcome of a scenario. I have played through the game once, so I am unsure how much your dialogue decisions actually affect the story, but they do affect if characters like/dislike you. 

I enjoyed walking around Camena Coast, scaling walls & descending ropes.

Interactive Drama – Is There Enough?

Oxenfree II: Lost Signals is by and large mostly about conversation, but I appreciated the effort to make the game more interactive. Since the game is set on an island, Riley must climb cliff faces, connect climbing rope, traverse caves. At the same time, you could be talking to someone on the walkie talkie, about to use the frequency radio to unlock boxes or deal with obstacles. There are conversations which continue with people on the radio throughout the game which have consequences; you can affect the lives of people you’ve never met which was cool.

Within the story, you could be stuck inside a tear trying to find a way out or help someone who’s inside. There are frequency patterns to solve, that sort of thing. Trying to find out the correct pattern or way to go was trial and error which was more disappointing than actual frustration, I would have liked guidance. I would have also liked more physical interaction affecting the game world – there is a certain side quest which creates world building but not much else. Having said this, controlling Riley and your interactions were great. I wish there was more but what’s here is good enough.

I enjoyed working out the puzzles and wish there were more of them.

Graphics: Absolutely Beautiful

I’m going to begin by mentioning that the UI text was small. It was noticed by the developers as there is a “Large Text” option. However, this was jarring; it was MASSIVE. I would have preferred a sliding scale, maybe it’s something they can add later. 

Getting that out of the way, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals is a beautiful looking game. The art design was very detailed, and the use of the camera showed off the areas well. It does mean character models are seen further out than necessary, but they are well animated and expressive. The sheer scale of the island is shown off well. Navigating each area for the most part was unobtrusive; the depth of field isn’t something I struggled with which was good. Seeing the insides of buildings showed off the effort in making them look so detailed. Houses have unmade beds, fridges with notes, picture frames, chest of drawers, it looks great.

The scenery was very well done but specifically, the camera pans for the edges of an area to show off the view were incredible. There was an area which connected two parts of the island, showing off the moon, it looked amazing. Art design for time periods, showing what a place use to look like was a cool addition.

Barring the text size issue, the UI itself was great, it’s minimalist in nature. Signposts will appear when you go past. There are button prompts which trigger when you are near. The conversation button prompt style is easy to read. The map you navigate is also easy to read, marking the map with information and showing where you are.

A big highlight of Oxenfree II: Lost Signals is dealing with The Sunken and Night School were very imaginative in having the screen flicker, shimmer, turn off, it’s disorientating and great to witness.  

One of the prettiest locations in a stunning looking game.

Sound & Music: Very Immersive

The voice acting was great across the board – however I will point that Riley was higher in the mix. It was noticeable but not jarring. Depending on where you are, the audio mix itself was great. Inside buildings or caves, the rain outside is muted and voices are amplified, sometimes echoing off the walls. Conversations were very good, they even continued through and after loading screens. Sound itself was great, it’s minimalist but effects like footsteps, scrabbling up ledges, running water, birds in the background, walking over bridges was very well done.

I loved the soundtrack. Its created by Scntfc and it’s a synth based extravaganza. It’s at times soothing, it’s unnerving, it’s always great to listen to, I loved it. It suits the surreal surroundings of your environment. And when it came to the story events, it elevates the scenes dramatically. They say that music can be another character in a story and this definitely fits the bill.

Oxenfree II: Lost Signals was played and reviewed on PS4.