Oxenfree (Steam, Xbox One, PS4)
If you liked Life is Strange, you’ll like this. A 2.5D adventure game following a bunch of teenagers unearthing the mysteries of an abandoned island, Oxenfree is big on style, soundtrack and the simple humanity of its characters. It’s sadly rare to find games with
It’s sadly rare to find games with genuinely good writing, but Oxenfree never devolves into ‘yer typical video game fare of exposition filled information dumps and cardboard characterization. With frequent nods to Spielberg and John Hughes, the storybook style quickly envelopes you as you slowlu unravel a series of mysterious radio transmissions and eerie ruins.
Also, to my personal delight, you can choose to complete this (ordinarily dialogue filled) game without your character ever saying a word, the NPCs growing increasingly frustrated and weirded out by your unexplained silence (thus unlocking the ‘Strong, Silent Type’ achievement).