Players can initiate conversations with characters who aren’t nearby, leading to different stories, and they can also call you.

Night School Studios’ Oxenfree changed how many players interacted with dialogue. In addition to branching choices, it lets you interrupt characters at specific points or say nothing at all, which also impacts the narrative. Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals features the same mechanics when it launches next week but expands on them further with the new Walkie-Talkie.

As detailed in a new developer diary, you can speak with characters who aren’t in the same vicinity and have conversations that branch off in different ways. They can also call you, and it’s up to you to respond or ignore them completely. It all contributes to the overarching story, and if it’s anything like the first game, different endings could await.

Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals is set five years later, with Riley Poverly returning to her hometown in Camena to investigate an electromagnetic phenomenon. It’s available on July 12th for PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, PC and mobile devices via Netflix. Another developer diary is still coming, so stay tuned for more details before release.