Review: Oxenfree II: Lost Signals

destructoid.com:

There are points in life that can feel outside of time. Maybe you’re leaving one big era of your life behind and moving to the next, or maybe a big decision is causing you to escape, flee, and reassess. It’s time enough for the ghosts of the past to catch up to you. And it’s those fears and doubts that Night School Studio plays on again with Oxenfree II: Lost Signals.

Night School’s follow-up to the 2016 adventure game Oxenfree will feel very familiar. Though it follows an older lead, it deals with many of the same threats. Even its geography will feel familiar, as rather than exploring Edwards Island, you’re running around the mainland town of Camena.

For all its familiarity, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals still pulls off some twists, frights, and touching moments. It might not be as big of a surprise the second time around, but Oxenfree II does feel like a worthwhile return for fans of the first.

Oxenfree II: Lost Signals (PC [reviewed], Switch, PS4/PS5, iOS, Android)Developer: Night School StudioPublisher: NetflixReleased: July 12, 2023MSRP: $19.99

Riley Poverly, the lead of Oxenfree II: Lost Signals, is a bit different from Oxenfree‘s Alex. While the latter was dealing with high school, coming-of-age woes, Riley is older. She’s returning to her hometown of Camena to deal with her own issues, after spending a good chunk of her life away. Some of this is freeform and left up to the player to dictate, as they choose how much of Riley’s backstory they tell other characters. It’s an interesting bit of tension, in whether you want to learn more by trusting someone else. Or maybe lying feels more fitting to how you play Riley.

Regardless, there are a lot of opportunities to make these choices. Oxenfree II: Lost Signals is a