Oxenfree II: Lost Signals review – leisurely island adventure charms again

Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4/5, PC; Netflix/Night School Studio, Omega Force
With simple visuals and calm, naturalistic dialogue, this is a slow, chin-stroking experience that prioritises story over flashy stunts

Riley is fed up. Dropped off at a bus stop after dark, she finds herself standing alone in an eerily quiet town. With her new colleagues nowhere in sight, she surveys the quaint seaside square, muttering a curse under her breath. It turns out, no matter how long you're gone, home is always exactly how you left it.

It's not just our pixel-art protagonist that's struck by a sense of deja vu. Despite the last seven years serving up the triple threat of global pandemic, looming climate catastrophe and impending AI apocalypse, Oxenfree II's simplistic visuals transport me right back to the simpler days of 2016.