00:00 Oxenfree 2 is a disappointing sequel that takes the flawed gem of a first game and rubs
00:09 out almost everything that made it shine. A reasonable plot and neat audiovisual effects
00:14 find themselves submerged under ponderous navigation, flat characters and overly regimented
00:19 dialogue. The game has a strong audiovisual identity and some interesting plot turns and
00:24 links to the original, but the dialogue systems are less natural than the first game, they're
00:29 slow navigation and too much backtracking. The main characters are really dull and the
00:34 paranormal elements are too familiar. So while the original Oxenfree was a little rough and
00:39 experimental, an abundance of energy always carried it along. In part, that was down to
00:43 the draw of its spooky island mystery, yet even more it was thanks to the zingy chatter
00:48 of its teenage cast, rambling, bickering and speaking over one another. With just enough
00:53 room for your dialogue choices to weave into the flow. When it worked, conversations felt
00:57 organic, when it didn't it felt lively regardless and suggested a potential for improvement
01:02 in future games. Oxenfree 2 lost signals thus always sounded like an exciting prospect,
01:08 surely the time to really deliver on that potential. And with that in mind, I can only
01:12 conclude that the final result is a real disappointment. Sure, much of the eroticism of Oxenfree's
01:17 dialogue system has been ironed out in this sequel, but in the process, so has nearly
01:21 everything that made it pleasing in the first place, not least that vibrant energy. By the
01:26 end of Oxenfree 2, I admit I was left a little curious about different outcomes that may
01:31 have occurred had I made alternate choices throughout, but then the thought of playing
01:35 it again to find out those choices is not one I want to undertake. Overall, Oxenfree
01:39 2 Lost Signals is a disappointing sequel. We give it 2 stars out of 5.
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