Oxenfree II: Lost Signals is a supernatural mystery and horror game created by Night School Studio and published by Netflix Games. The game was available on Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows on July 12, 2023. It is a follow-up to Oxenfree (2016) and takes place five years after the original game's events.
Gameplay
Oxenfree II: Lost Signals is a story-based adventure game. The game plays similarly to Oxenfree, but it includes new characters, game features, and locations. Players guide Riley, a person in their 30s, who goes back to her hometown of Camena for work. Players can move through the game world using a touchscreen or game controller.
Plot
Oxenfree II’s story is separate from its first game, but knowing the first game helps understand the events in Oxenfree II. Five years after the first game, Riley returns to her hometown of Camena Coast to help study unusual radio signals by building radio transmitters along the coast. After Riley and her coworker, Jacob, set up the first transmitter, a portal between different worlds opens above nearby Edwards Island. Riley and Jacob begin experiencing strange visions and time loops. Jacob explains that an old woman named Maggie Adler, who once studied the island’s anomalies, had knowledge about the portal. Using this information, Riley and Jacob plan to build three more transmitters at the highest points on Camena Coast to cancel the signal and close the portal.
While setting up the transmitters, Riley and Jacob meet three teenagers—Olivia, Charlie, and Violet—who are trying to strengthen the portal using old military radio equipment. The teenagers are connected to a group called "Parentage," a cult linked to Edwards Island that encourages Olivia to help open the portal. When Riley confronts Olivia, Olivia explains that beings from the portal promised she could see her deceased parents again if she helped them. During the confrontation, Olivia is possessed by Alex, the main character from the first game. Alex reveals that Olivia and her friends were trapped by the original portal when they visited the island and now want to escape.
After the transmitters are activated, the portal seems to close. However, Alex—possessing Jacob—tells Riley that the portal had been partially open for some time, allowing a group of World War II submarine crew members, called "the Sunken," to communicate with Olivia. The Sunken want to escape the portal no matter what, putting Camena Coast in danger. Alex tells Riley that Olivia is heading to Edwards Island’s communications tower to reopen the portal and that Riley must stop her.
Riley and Jacob steal a boat from Camena Harbor and travel to Edwards Island. There, they confront Olivia, who is opening the portal above the communications tower. Both Riley and Alex try to convince Olivia to stop, but Olivia is then possessed by the Sunken, who also possess Riley. Riley experiences strange visions in different worlds and sees a future version of her son, Rex, who is currently unborn. Rex encourages Riley to believe in herself and escape the Sunken’s control. Riley returns to reality and stops Olivia from completing the portal.
After the Sunken are defeated, Riley, Jacob, Olivia, and Alex gather near the portal. Alex explains that one person must enter the portal to adjust it from the inside, possibly trapping them and the Sunken forever but saving the others. The player can choose whether Riley, Jacob, or Olivia enters the portal, which changes the story’s ending. Regardless of the choice, the portal closes, saving Camena Coast. Alex and her friends are no longer trapped, and Alex sends a box as a gift to Riley (to her son Rex or her father, depending on the ending). The box contains notes and messages that reflect the player’s choices during the story.
Development
Night School Studio released the adventure game Oxenfree as their first title in 2016. They later released Afterparty in 2019 and Next Stop Nowhere, an Apple Arcade-exclusive game, in 2020. Studio director Sean Krankel said the team had an "ah-ha moment" when they decided to return to the setting of Oxenfree, this time telling the story from the perspective of an adult instead of teenagers. Because of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and wanting more stability, Night School Studio was bought by Netflix in 2021. This was Netflix’s first game studio acquisition.
Oxenfree II: Lost Signals was announced during the Nintendo Indie World Showcase in 2021. Night School Studio originally planned to release Oxenfree II: Lost Signals in 2021, but they delayed the game to 2022 and then to 2023. In April 2023, the studio announced that Oxenfree II: Lost Signals would release for Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows on July 12. The mobile version of the game is only available to people with a Netflix subscription.
At launch, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals includes support for 32 languages in its interface and subtitles. The developers said this benefit was made possible by support from Netflix.
Reception
Oxenfree II: Lost Signals received "mostly positive" reviews, according to Metacritic. Polygon praised how the game connected to its first game, stating it is good for fans of the original but can be enjoyed without playing the first Oxenfree. Rock Paper Shotgun noted that the story was adapted for older players, but the choices made by the player had little effect on the main story, unlike the first game. Kotaku appreciated the writing and how the characters interacted, using the main characters Jacob and Riley as an example. The Verge described the game as creating a spooky and mysterious atmosphere, with visuals and sounds that become increasingly unsettling as the story progresses.