Oxenfree
4 documents in the library are about Oxenfree, from writers such as Extra Credits, Game Developers Conference and GameDiscoverCo, the newest from 2023. Each has a summary and key insights with the page they come from.
Oxenfree is a single-player graphic adventure game played from a 2.5D perspective, with the player controlling a teenager named Alex. Its central mechanic is a "walk and talk" system, where dialogue appears as speech bubbles and the player chooses responses in real time while still moving and exploring, shaping relationships with the other characters. Puzzles are solved largely by tuning a handheld radio to specific frequencies or adjusting tape recorders. The game has no fail state, and the player's choices lead to one of several possible endings. It was followed by a sequel, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals.
- Released
- Jan 14, 2016
- Developer
- Night School Studio
- Genres
- Role-playing (RPG), Adventure, Indie
- Platforms
- PlayStation 4, Linux, Android, PC (Microsoft Windows), iOS, Mac, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
- Links
- Wikipedia
Game data from IGDB.com
Documents about Oxenfree
Our Industry News (03/07/23 - 09/07/23)
The publication serves as a concise weekly briefing on recent developments within the gaming sector, covering legal disputes, platform announcements, and new releases.
- Epic Games secured a partial legal victory against Apple, winning the right to include external store links in apps, though Apple continues to ban Fortnite over security concerns.
- Microsoft claims that Sony plans to release both a PlayStation 5 Slim and a handheld gaming device before the end of 2023.
- Valve is reportedly banning AI-generated content from the Steam platform, according to claims from a developer.
Which Games Got Most Steam Hyped for the Rest of 2023?
Anticipation for the remainder of 2023 on Steam is dominated by a mix of high-budget sequels and viral multiplayer titles.
- Starfield, Payday 3, and Party Animals are the most anticipated upcoming Steam releases for the remainder of 2023, based on a proprietary Hype score derived from over 16,000 unreleased titles.
- Sea of Stars and Payday 3 are demonstrating the highest wishlist velocity, indicating stronger pre-launch momentum than games relying solely on follower counts.
- Market trends show a divergence where AAA action titles like Lies of P and Lords of the Fallen are positioned for PC and console crossover, while simulation and roguelite games like Cities: Skylines II and Endless Dungeon remain PC-centric.
Building Game Mechanics to Elevate Narrative in Oxenfree
The development of Oxenfree centers on the philosophy that narrative should function as the primary driver of gameplay rather than a secondary element siloed from mechanical systems.
- Night School Studio treated dialogue as a core gameplay mechanic by requiring players to initiate every conversation, ensuring that Alex only speaks when the player chooses to trigger an interaction.
- To maintain narrative flow without traditional cutscenes, the developers implemented a system where NPCs can dynamically resume interrupted conversations or acknowledge when a player cuts them off, utilizing hundreds of specific lines to bridge dialogue gaps.
- The design team prioritized a 'Leanback' experience by positioning dialogue bubbles directly over characters, allowing players to focus on the action without moving their eyes to read subtitles at the screen edges.
Games You Might Not Have Tried - ep 9 - Find New Games - Extra Credits
The ninth installment of the Games You Might Not Have Tried series serves as a curated recommendation list for players seeking unique, unconventional, or overlooked titles that deviate from standard AAA industry offerings.
- Video games offer significant potential for experimental design and genre-blending that is frequently overlooked in mainstream AAA development.
- Games like Duskers demonstrate that innovative interfaces, such as command-line controls, can create unique mechanical novelty even without high-budget technical polish.
- Titles such as Stellaris prioritize player agency and sci-fi roleplay over rigid adherence to traditional 4X strategy mechanics.