Set five years after the events of the first installment, Night School Studios’ Oxenfree II: Lost Signals introduces players to environmental researcher Riley Poverly, who returns to her hometown of Camena to investigate strange radio frequencies affecting electrical equipment there. With the help of her childhood friend Jacob, Riley must face off against Parentage, a sort of cult, and place transmitters to disrupt the rifts they are trying to open to allow supernatural monstrosities into the world.
Gameplay in Oxenfree II: Lost Signals primarily consists of choices, with some platforming thanks to the new rappelling gear mechanic that allows Riley to climb over mountains and cliffs. Players will also engage in puzzles with multiple possible solutions, take different routes to reach their destinations, and experience a little bit of time travel in this coming-of-age supernatural mystery.
Like the original Oxenfree, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals features a robust dialogue system in which every choice matters. Players will experience multiple branching paths where nearly every decision leads to a new outcome. Rather than several static endings, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals can end in a variety of ways based strictly on their choices during the story. Riley can build rapport with her companion, Jacob, and with other characters that she meets either via walkie-talkies or in reality. Actions like leaving Jacob behind or refusing to engage him in conversation, for example, can lead to a more negative relationship, as characters will remember Riley’s choices later.
The most striking thing about Oxenfree II: Lost Signals is just how disarming the setting is. The coastal town of Camena is gorgeous, with beautiful vistas and massive mountains and cliffs that appear hand-painted and dwarf the protagonists. The camera stays far away from the characters, putting the setting on full display and adding to the atmosphere. Scientific provides the audio and soundtrack that starts warm and inviting and slowly becomes unsettling as the story progresses.
In a preview for Oxenfree II: Lost Signals, developers demonstrated a segment of gameplay in which Riley and Jacob cross a treacherous stretch of cliffs and find themselves in a cave where they must solve a puzzle to access an old elevator. During this segment, Jacob tries to converse with Riley about their time in high school, which it is clear Riley would rather forget. The player as Riley will choose how to respond to Jacob’s prodding, which allows fans to get to know Riley’s worldview a little better. They will then need to decide whether to make a dangerous leap across a gap in the cliffside or take the longer path around to the cave. Each decision changes the narrative and Riley’s relationship with those around her, leading to further player agency and replayability.
Oxenfree II: Lost Signals looks to expand upon the original indie hit and offer players new experiences and features through which they are more fully in control of the story and path. Based on the preview, the game’s deep narrative options make it appear player choices will matter. Given a typical complaint about most RPGs is the lack of agency, or branching dialogue paths that always lead to the same outcome, Oxenfree II could very well revolutionize the way players experience choice-based gameplay. The graphics and score of Oxenfree II: Lost Signals are already stunning and immediately create the thrilling atmosphere intended by lulling the player into a false sense of security and catching them off-guard. While there is still little information available about the overall narrative and some of the finer mechanics, if it is anything like the first installment, it’s best if players know as little about Oxenfree II: Lost Signals as possible before diving in when the game launches in 2022.
Oxenfree II: Lost Signals launches in 2022 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
