Name is accurate, no oxen here

In its opening scenes, Oxenfree seemed like a clever-but-flawed story-based adventure game.

The clever part is that dialog choices take place in real time, as other characters are engaged in active conversation, and you decide how to contribute to it -- or to not contribute, choosing nothing and staying silent. It makes the characters really feel alive and fun to talk to. The flawed part is that the time limits on these choices are sometimes way too brief, and I felt at times like the game had cheated me out of an option by going too fast (or, other times, cheated another character's story by making me interrupt them).

However, it isn't all that long before the real star of Oxenfree shows up: its supernatural, radio-signals, creepy-shit plot. Dialog choices are still crucial, but they - and the excellent writing and voice acting - support the telling of a chilling, fascinating, and scary story.

It's not a horror game in the Resident Evil sense, at all. There aren't any moments that I would call "jump-scares." But there are events, and spooky noises, and it's all very curious and foreboding and tense. It's like the first half of Stranger Things. Yeah, the good shit.

I would complain that Oxenfree has an occasional problem with backtracking; the map can be a little confusing, and the path you walk re-treads a fair amount of ground. I was really hoping for the game to end just a bit faster than it did.

Consequently, I don't have any interest in playing through it a second time to explore the different possibilities and alternate endings. But the first playthrough was definitely, absolutely worthwhile.

Better than: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors, Until Dawn
Not as good as: well, it's a rough comparison, but Oxenfree's story falls just short of BioShock Infinite's
Also better than: Donnie Darko, and if you liked that, you'll absolutely love this.