As Brenda Brathwaite points out in Challenges for Game Designers “whenever a player is allowed to exercise choice in a game and that choice affects the outcome of the game, then designers are creating meaning. If a player knows a choice will not impact their gameplay or if the “correct” choice is evident, that choice is less compelling than one with an air of uncertainty around it. He claims, “the choice situations that are perceived as interesting in a structural sense provide only incomplete information…there are conflicting arguments for and against each choice that might have probabilities, but no certainties attached to them” (Domsch 115). In this chapter, Domsch also discusses the different types of choices games often present, and why only certain ones tend to be compelling. Choice-based narratives also tend to have player choices build on one another-so a misstep here and there may not completely change the course of the narrative. If a player makes a choice about dialogue-as is often the case in Oxenfree-that appears to have no immediate effect, it feels less impactful than one that has obvious consequences right away (although, this does not mean the choice will not have far-reaching effects later in the game). ![]() All of these questions and factors make up the anatomy of a player choice, and are often determiners in whether or not a choice is significant, especially that concerning the result of the choice. He also adds his own question: “What information does the player have about the effect of her choices?” (Domsch 113). Through analysis taken from Salen and Zimmerman, he poses five questions relating to choices in games: Later in this post, I will address how the choices presented in Oxenfree lead the titular characters past their initial stereotyped presentations, creating well-rounded and fully developed characters this is essential especially for the female characters, considering the historical tendency of representations of women in video games to be disappointingly flat and one-dimensional.īut first, choice: what exactly, in a video game, makes player choices significant? Or rather, what makes players believe their choices are significant, and does it matter if they really are or are not? In Narrating Futures: Storyplaying, Agency and Narrative in Video Games Sebastion Domsch focuses on choice and its relationship to narrative in the chapter “Choice and Narrative in Video Games”. Not only that, but the choices the player makes through Alex significantly influence the not-so-final outcome of the game. While you play as Alex, the choices you make through her interactions with the other characters shape who she is as a character, or rather who the player believes she is. There is no combat, no puzzle-solving, and the storyline is relatively linear Oxenfree is all about choices. Similar to other recent indie hits such as Gone Home, Dear Esther, and Firewatch, Oxenfree is a highly-stylized piece of interactive fiction experienced through the perspective of a young woman in this case, Alex. ![]() Released in 2015, Oxenfree is a narrative driven, interactive storytelling experience created by independent developer Night School Studios. Unshockingly the sequel will also be on Netflix, as well as Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, PC, and mobile.The Importance of Choice and Strong Narrative in Oxenfree It's been a while since then, as Oxenfree 2 was delayed from a 2021 release to this year to add more localized languages and make the game "truly special." During that time, developer Night School Studio was acquired by Netflix, and Oxenfree brought to Netflix Games. We actually saw quite a bit of Oxenfree 2 back in 2021 in our hands-on preview, and were optimistic about its expanded potential and sense of choice. The new trailer shown today for Oxenfree 2 shows off some new elements, such as a strange tilting house, weird supernatural beings, and a new walkie-talkie system to help the characters communicate. While Riley wasn't part of Oxenfree's story, an update to the game in 2021 ties the two together, so we're likely to see plenty of references or even meet some of the original group of teens, now young adults. Riley is an environmental researcher who returns to Camena after noticing strange radio transmissions, five years after the events of Oxenfree. Oxenfree 2 follows a character who didn't appear in the original Oxenfree, Riley.
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