[Preview] Arms-on with Oxenfree II: Misplaced Alerts

It’s straightforward to neglect, trying again, simply how modern Oxenfree felt when it launched in 2016. Loads of video games as much as that time had experimented with branching narratives and dialogue, however few had managed to weave conversations collectively in such an natural, convincing manner. What began as a slow-burn teen drama shortly developed right into a tense supernatural thriller, and the alternatives the participant makes for protagonist Alex might have a dramatic influence on the ending of the sport. After getting hands-on with Oxenfree II: Misplaced Alerts at Summer time Sport Fest, I’m assured that Evening College Studio is aware of precisely what the followers are on the lookout for from this sequel, and I can’t wait to play extra of it.

If I’m being trustworthy, it didn’t take a lot to promote me on Oxenfree II – whereas I haven’t performed its predecessor in years, that recreation left me with so many unanswered questions on its unusual phenomena and overarching world which have lingered within the depths of my mind ever since. The excellent news is that, in line with studio director Sean Krankel, Oxenfree II will in truth handle a few of these mysteries, whereas additionally diving deeper into issues that had been solely glimpsed at within the first recreation. The mysterious gates return, after all – and this time, there’s a cult named Parentage on the heart of all of it – however there’s additionally an growth of the time-travel parts that had been beforehand launched. Time Tears are actually a key component of fixing puzzles in Oxenfree II, with narrative beats transporting Riley between eras as she investigates the brand new city of Camena.

Whereas my demo with Oxenfree II was temporary and didn’t reveal an excessive amount of of the story, I already love protagonist Riley and her to-the-point however caring nature. Riley is a really completely different particular person than Oxenfree 1’s Alex – an environmental researcher in her thirties working for a corporation that investigates unusual electromagnetic waves – so the vibe of her interactions is much less teen-angsty than earlier than. She’s a little bit bit harder, and her dialogue choices appear to vary between apathetic and open-book, and the way a lot you select to open her as much as her colleagues and the residents of the island will have an effect on their affinity in the direction of her as the sport progresses.

Whereas a lot of that is acquainted, a brand new component of the dialogue system is which you can keep radio contact with a number of folks as you discover. It’s potential to talk with companions who you may have met no matter the place you’re and what you’re doing – and on high of that, there might be instances when a number of story beats is perhaps taking place on the identical time, and the order wherein gamers select to deal with them will have an effect on how later story beats play out. Whereas my demo guided me alongside a good path, I’ve been assured that the sport opens up considerably after the introduction, and that there are a lot of characters and story beats that may very well be fully missed with out cautious exploration.

The city of Camena seems considerably greater and denser than that of Edwards Island in Oxenfree 1. I solely noticed a small portion of it, however the terrain appears extra different than ever, and I get the sense that gamers who need to see all the pieces might want to make some extent to stray off the crushed path in lots of areas. The sense of scale is especially obvious when the digital camera zooms out, revealing the towering bushes and looming mountains within the distance. There are additionally extra exploration mechanics at play. Whereas I didn’t get to see it in motion myself, in some unspecified time in the future, Riley will get hold of climbing gear that can let her climb terrain in new methods. The hand-painted artwork route returns, nevertheless it feels considerably extra detailed than earlier than, with extra depth to the areas and a better sense of interconnectivity between areas. The 3D character fashions are additionally considerably extra detailed – whereas it’s prone to get misplaced when taking part in on a smaller display screen, I observed a frankly surprising variety of one-off animations throughout my demo, and it actually emphasizes the personalities of the characters nicely past what the primary recreation completed.

From the outset, the scope of the story and the brand new methods gamers can have interaction with it in a tangible manner are giving me numerous confidence that that is going to be a a lot grander story than Oxenfree 1. I’m excited to dive again into the wet world of ghosts, radio waves and time-traveling portals when Oxenfree II: Misplaced Alerts launches on Swap on July 12.