Video: Building game mechanics to elevate narrative in Oxenfree

When indie dev studio Night School set out to create their debut game Oxenfree, they had one goal in mind: merge storytelling and mechanics as closely as possible.

For Oxenfree, the “why” turned out to be the player defining the game protagonist’s story, and the “what” was a set of mechanics built to make interacting with the story feel novel and, more importantly, personal to the player.

It was a good talk, and if you missed out on it the first time you can now go back and watch it (completely free!) on the official GDC YouTube channel.