Oxenfree

I'm not an adventure game fan. A huge part of why I'm not into the genre is thanks to David Cage (creator of the awful Heavy Rain, Indigo Prophecy and other titles that leave a bad taste in your mouth). But there still amazing games in the genre. Games like Grim Fandango, Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, and Fire Watch.

Oxenfree starts when Alex and her group of friends and new step-brother as they arrive by ferry to an island for a weekend party. Soon after, you will get to know the characters through really well-written dialogue. The story starts as a teen drama but in no time goes into a weird horror direction. You venture into a cave and weird shit starts to happen that I won't spoil.

Gameplay relies mostly on exploration and dialogue. Oxenfree use dialogue, unlike most adventure games. Conversations play within the gameplay so you won't be interrupted during your exploration or puzzle solving with a cutscene. It's a better system than the usual cutscene conversation as it won't take the controls out of the player, but It also adds a bit of pressure since most conversations have choices with a time limit.

Puzzles in the game are solved using your radio. You change your radio's frequency using the analog stick till you find the right one. It will usually open a door, or let communicate with someone, etc. The mechanic is simple and adds to the general theme. The mechanic adds a bit of interactivity to the game but it's not enough for me, especially since I prefer gameplay heavy games. 

One of the best aspects of the game is the atmosphere. The art, soundtrack and writing work in a near perfect unison to deliver a Lovecraftian-like feel.

Atmosphere

Dialogue and dialogue mechanic

Characters

Narrative lack depth

In closing, the game felt two steps away from greatness. I wished the developers explored the narrative a bit more and embraced the Lovecraftian feel further. But with its excellent writing, great characters, and game-play direction, I can easily recommend the game, and I can't wait to see more games out of this studio.