Oxenfree II
Jan. 24th, 2024 04:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rynlingI don't think I've ever had the experience of playing a game in which my primary concern is: None of this is OSHA certified.
The plot of the first Oxenfree game makes a sort of sense, as it's about teenagers having a beach party on a haunted island after the evening ferry leaves. Of course the teenagers do stupid teenager things while motivated by stupid teenager friendship drama. And of course the teenagers have the energy to jog up and down the island all night, because they're teenagers.
Meanwhile, Oxenfree II is about two grown-ass adults being paid to set up radio transmitters on a haunted island, and I don't understand why they both don't just say "I'm going to wait by the truck until morning" the second weird shit starts happening. Granted, one of them is a bit of a manchild, but the main player-character seems to be a normal person. She may be at a difficult point in her life, but there's no reason for her to be so committed to a job that's trying to kill her. Why doesn't she just say "not tonight motherfuckers" and leave?
I'll post a full review later, maybe, but I wanted to try to explain why it's been so difficult for me to get behind the plot and characters of Oxenfree II even though I loved the first game.
I'm having the same problem with the PS5 game The Quarry, which I got on sale for $17 over the holidays. Like Oxenfree II, The Quarry asks you to make choices about how to respond to the story, and my gut response is always: I simply would not be in this situation. I would leave immediately. I am looking at the smartphone in this child's hand with my own eyes. Is this a universe in which 911 does not exist.
TLDR: I'm just here to have a good time, please for the love of fuck don't make me work so hard to suspend disbelief.
The plot of the first Oxenfree game makes a sort of sense, as it's about teenagers having a beach party on a haunted island after the evening ferry leaves. Of course the teenagers do stupid teenager things while motivated by stupid teenager friendship drama. And of course the teenagers have the energy to jog up and down the island all night, because they're teenagers.
Meanwhile, Oxenfree II is about two grown-ass adults being paid to set up radio transmitters on a haunted island, and I don't understand why they both don't just say "I'm going to wait by the truck until morning" the second weird shit starts happening. Granted, one of them is a bit of a manchild, but the main player-character seems to be a normal person. She may be at a difficult point in her life, but there's no reason for her to be so committed to a job that's trying to kill her. Why doesn't she just say "not tonight motherfuckers" and leave?
I'll post a full review later, maybe, but I wanted to try to explain why it's been so difficult for me to get behind the plot and characters of Oxenfree II even though I loved the first game.
I'm having the same problem with the PS5 game The Quarry, which I got on sale for $17 over the holidays. Like Oxenfree II, The Quarry asks you to make choices about how to respond to the story, and my gut response is always: I simply would not be in this situation. I would leave immediately. I am looking at the smartphone in this child's hand with my own eyes. Is this a universe in which 911 does not exist.
TLDR: I'm just here to have a good time, please for the love of fuck don't make me work so hard to suspend disbelief.
no subject
Date: 2024-01-24 10:27 pm (UTC)Have a good time with The Quarry! I'm sorry that all the characters are constantly making terrible choices, no matter how good a guiding hand you attempt to provide.
no subject
Date: 2024-01-25 01:47 pm (UTC)I think the problem may be that I'm not super into the trope of "Hollywood teenagers" (or older characters who still behave like Hollywood teenagers). I understand that style of character writing is supposed to have a retro 1990s vibe, but it just doesn't work for me.
In The Quarry, I wish I could play as the poor cop from the prologue who has clearly seen some shit but has to pretend, with as much dignity as possible, that the woods aren't full of ghosts and werewolves. I bet that guy has a lot going on, and I'm way more interested in his story than whatever relationship drama is going on between the teenagers. Like, I assume the cop has to sedate the girl from the prologue to make sure she's not infected, right? That's the sort of decision I want to be asked to make!