| Oxenfree | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Night School Studio |
| Publisher(s) | Night School Studio[a] |
| Director(s) |
|
| Designer(s) |
|
| Programmer(s) | Bryant Cannon |
| Artist(s) | Heather Gross |
| Writer(s) | Adam Hines |
| Composer(s) | Andrew Rohrmann |
| Engine | Unity |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | January 15, 2016
|
| Genre(s) | Graphic adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Oxenfree is a graphic adventure game developed and published by Night School Studio. It was released for OS X, Windows, and Xbox One in January 2016. PlayStation 4 and Linux versions were released later in 2016, followed by iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch versions in 2017. In Oxenfree, players assume the role of the teenage girl Alex on a weekend trip to a local island. After seemingly supernatural events occur, Alex and her friends must unravel the secrets of the island.
The game is Night School Studio's debut. Influenced by classic teen films and coming-of-age shows, the developers wanted to create a story-driven game without cutscenes, allowing players to roam the environment freely. Oxenfree's visual presentation marries dark, organic, and analog elements with bright, geometric, and digital ones. Musician scntfc composed the game's soundtrack, which features digital music production techniques alongside the use of vintage analog tape recorders and receivers.
Oxenfree's release was accompanied by development documentaries, an alternate reality game, and a collector's edition, and was met with generally positive reviews, with critics praising the presentation and characters, although some of them were left wanting more. The game was nominated for multiple awards including "Best Narrative" at The Game Awards 2016 and "Outstanding Achievement in Story" at the 20th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards. A sequel, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals, was released on July 12, 2023. A television series adaptation is also in development.
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