Oxenfree

Old-school graphic adventure without puzzles. The player is just asked to walk across areas, select dialogue options, and tune a radio to a certain frequency. I was honestly turned off by the dull teenage drama premise, but things start to get interesting after the game morphs into a supernatural thriller. Even though it never truly steps into horror territory, it definitely has its unsettling moments. It was also interesting how even the dialogue options you haven't selected still teach you something about each character.

The plot might not offer anything new, but its presentation was surprisingly mesmerizing. The game goes for an overall 80s vintage art direction, with an eerie synthwave soundtrack and bidimensional watercolor-inspired drawings. The supernatural elements are conveyed by graphic glitches, static noise, sudden hallucinations, and gameplay loops that disorient the player. Even though I was waiting for an edgier finale and more gameplay elements, it works well as an interactive graphic novel.