“It used to be a military base. Well, it used to be a ranching thing, then it was turned into an army thing, then it became a bird thing, and a museum or whatever.” Now, Edward’s Island seems like five teenagers’ final resting place. Oxenfree is an enthralling video game with an engaging storyline developed and published by Nightschool Studio and classified as both a supernatural mystery adventure game and a coming-of-age game. Oxenfree, rated T for Teen, was released on multiple major platforms throughout 2016.
    

This paranormal thriller follows the main character Alex (voiced by Erin Yvette), her new stepbrother Jonas, Alex’s best friend Ren, her late brother Michael’s ex-girlfriend Clarissa, and Clarissa’s best friend Nona. These teens came onto the island looking for a good time with the rest of their graduating class, but after finding out they’re the only ones there, they all have one goal: to get off of the island alive. Throughout, the player makes choices that affect Alex’s relationship with the other teens, as well as their relationships with each other. Oxenfree is not too challenging, but there are some points where players may get stuck.
    

The game is played from a 2.5-dimensional point of view, basically meaning that the game looks 3D, but isn’t. Gamers play as Alex, and most choices are made through selecting one of three (or four, if the player chooses to remain silent) dialogue options. In addition, the element of the radios throughout Oxenfree act as the paranormal drive to the storyline. The radio frequencies are what begin the adventure, opening up a connection to the ghosts haunting the island after Alex tunes into three frequencies by a cave. Other important elements are the music and the scenery. The music plays in the background and does a great job of reinforcing the feelings the creators intended by including small parts that sound like radio dials, thus strengthening that subplot. Oxenfree’s exceptional electronica soundtrack was developed by Andrew Rohrmann (known as his alias “scntfc”). The impeccable scenery is filled with various color schemes. The controls of the game vary by platform, but players receive a console-specific tutorial in-game as they encounter different obstacles.
    

The game has been popular with players since its initial release in January 2016. It has won the award for Excellence in Visual Art at the Independent Games Festival. Oxenfree has been rated a 9/10 on Steam, an 8.2/10 on IGN, and a 10/10 from CGMagazine. According to CGMagazine on Nightschool Studio’s website, “Oxenfree takes the best parts of supernatural 1980’s teenage horror films and combines it with believable characters, beautiful set pieces, and a haunting VHS synth-pop soundtrack to create a masterpiece.” The game has also been rated an 8/10 by GameSpot, stating that “It doesn't ask you any big questions, and certainly isn't easy in relenting its answers; Oxenfree just is what it is, a big little game about the all-too-human inability to let go of what hurts us.” Both reviews give an accurate perspective of what the game’s strong points are.
    

In an interview with comicbook, Nightschool Studio’s co-founder and CCO Sean Krankel states his and Hines’s inspiration for the game. He said, “So we were like, ‘Let's make it feel not necessarily like horror, but like a kind of attempt at a supernatural story.’ So we took a lot of inspiration from how the original Poltergeist kind of treated that, where it was not blood and guts and jump scares...and it gives you that Spielberg, butterfly in the stomach kind of feeling, and a sense of wonder.” They were very successful with this– Oxenfree gave off a creepy and haunting vibe while still interesting players in it. It began development almost instantly since Nightschool Studio started up and was finished months afterwards.
    

Along with the game, the developers have launched extra items concerning it. With the release of the PS4 version came the update of the downloadable content (DLC), which included an extended ending to the game. In addition, the developers created an Oxenfree collector’s edition element. This was a cooler, which contained a copy of a map of Edward’s Island, among other items. Lastly, there was word of a mini-series describing the creation of the game. Before the game was made available, four episodes were released by Skybound, especially concerning voice acting, mechanics, art, and the storyline.
    

Oxenfree, overall, is a phenomenal masterpiece complete with a thorough, driven storyline. It grabs players’ attention with its fascinating aspects and makes the typical four hours of gameplay feel like far less. Moreover, the characters are dynamic and unique. They have great designs and brilliant personalities, which perfectly tie in with the game’s plot and act as one reason of many to enjoy it.