Riley and Jacob are exceptionally expressive during conversations, using their hands to aid dialogue and help make their mood a lot clearer to the player. Characters and environments look a lot more fleshed out and animations have been massively expanded upon. Looking at the visuals, there’s undoubtedly been a significant improvement here over the original game. Overall, though, there’s nothing here that’ll have you pulling your hair out most of the puzzles are there to serve the story, and nothing more. Some of the more interesting puzzles see you tuning your radio to alter a visible signal on the screen to match a certain shape. These can be as simple as working your way around a blockage in the environment or finding a key to a locked door. Speaking of objectives, the game throws a number of puzzles at you at various points in the story. Overall, though, despite the more open-ended nature of Oxenfree II’s exploration, its handy map feature (which is updated with useful notes as you complete certain story beats) and straightforward objectives mean that you’ll rarely find yourself at a loose end. There are still moments when walking through the environment can feel a tad monotonous, particularly during those rare occasions when you might have taken a wrong turn. That's not to say the pacing has been totally perfected, mind. It makes the story flow a lot better than the original. There are almost no moments where you feel obligated to check in with certain characters because, well, there are really only two for the most part. Cutting down on the overall number of cast members allows for some exceptional character exploration as Riley and Jacob make their way around Camena. The story would suffer if it weren’t for the wonderful voice acting, and it’s arguably even better than it was in the first game. Naturally, these folks tend to be a bit hostile towards Riley and Jacob’s meddling, but their own motives become much clearer as you approach the final conclusion needless to say, nothing is quite as it might seem in the world of Oxenfree II, and it’s all the better for it. This time, the central mystery focuses on a cult group known as ‘Parentage’, and you’ll be bumping into a number of its members over the course of the story. Yes, Oxenfree II loses none of the mystery from the first game and even adds a few new ones into the mix, as you'd expect. You can tune it to various stations - some showcasing local musical talent and others repeating ominous words and phrases, as you do - or, you can use it to tear portals in spacetime. The radio, on the other hand, works very much the same way as it did in the original. There’s even a local radio host that you can contact once you’ve listened to their show enough. What’s great is that you can whip out your walkie-talkie at any point and get some advice or guidance from your contacts - within reason, of course. The former can be used to contact your boss, Evelyn, along with various other characters you come in contact with as you progress through the story. Indeed, much like the first game, you’ll have a walkie-talkie in your possession along with a small, portable radio. All Speech Subtitled (Or No Speech In Game).Their connection reminded us of the relationship between Henry and Delilah from Campo Santo’s Firewatch, but the similarities don’t end there. Both she and Jacob are considerably older than the cast of characters found in the first game, and their interactions with one another feel a bit more mature, albeit with the occasional colourful joke thrown in for good measure. Riley’s past (and, in some ways, her future) is explored significantly as you make your way through the game, and it makes for a fascinating glimpse into her character and personality.
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