Oxenfree II: Lost Signals Review (Praefervidus)
THE GOOD:
Much smoother and more optimized than previous titles, imo
Soundtrack is fire and just like the first game's
Visuals are stunning as always, maybe even more than the first game
A technical achievement in comparison to the last one. They've added some effects in this game which I don't think were possible in the last game's engine.
Some of the puzzles are cooler. Instead of winding a machine to break the loops, you're tuning four different dials.
Dialog is still characteristically good, as this studio is known for. It flows especially well in this game.
If you're desperate for more of the first game, this is worth playing
THE BAD:
Story initially feels compelling, but progressively gets less interesting as the game moves on.
Less characters to interact with. Most of your time is spent talking to people you will either never meet, or meet very briefly. Characters are barely more than 1 dimensional. This is sad considering how complex the characters of the first game were.
Dynamics between characters are simpler. There is some nuance, but the character's relationships in this game can't hold a candle to the very deep interactions between the ones of the last game.
The first game felt ominous and scary. I was never scared or even worried at any point in this game.
The first game had some scavenger hunty aspects, but this game doesn't. There aren't any mushrooms for you to tune your radio to like the first game. The notes you pick up to read are easy to find and their contents were uninteresting, imo.
THE UGLY:
Story is more linear than the first and lacks satisfying endings, even the best ending is pretty mild. Previous titles either offered multiple "good" choices that were difficult to pick between or forced you to pick the lesser of two evils. This is what motivates you to play multiple times to see the various outcomes. This game on the other hand is simple, just don't be a jerk to children and you pretty much are set to get "the good ending".
While there is a historical component to this game, it pales in comparison to the last. There is virtually no benefit to paying attention to any factoids you hear. This is very disappointing, because I loved how much the first game rewarded you for remembering the island's history and punished you for being a whimsical child that didn't care for it.
Your decisions really don't matter as much and the game tends to encourage you to make safe decisions rather than bold ones. Additionally, bad decisions only really affect characters you don't meet. Ultimately the only choice that matters is the last one, but it a very easy choice.
The story of this game assumes you failed to get the good ending of the last game. I did not like this approach. In efforts to make this game weave into the story of the last one, they leave glaring plot holes which cannot be explained except by dismissing it as "ooh noo, wibbly wobbly timey wimey! Don't think too much about it." One instance I'm talking about is that this game says it happens five years after the first, but there is one prominent event which seems to contradict this.
I did not at all like the way the epilogue shows you what type of ending you achieved. I much preferred the photos at the ending of the first game, which would've been easier for them to make than what they actually did. It's just a box of knickknacks that I don't care for or feel rewarded by and it doesn't make a ton of sense why Alex is the one giving this box to Rex. Normally I wouldn't judge too much for this, but it just feels so unnatural, especially for a game that prioritizes a realistic/human feel to its dialog.
OVERALL:
I made a lot of critiques in this review, but not because I hated it. It's more because I genuinely love this studio and only want the best for their future titles. They've done so well in the past that I've come to have high expectations from them. I regularly recommend their games to my friends and have high hopes for their future work. I'm not at all surprised that Netflix saw their potential.
With this game, I see a stark improvement in its engine, visual effects, and stability - but at a cost to the quality of its story.
(7/10) :: Definitely worth playing, but not a "must" play like the first game was. Personally, I liked Afterparty more than this game. It just feels like a lot more thought and soul were put into the first Oxenfree and Afterparty games than into this one. I'd love to see what new ideas/stories this studio comes up with in the future.