Alexandra[2] (30 March[5]), better known as Alex, is the main protagonist of Oxenfree and a secondary character in Oxenfree II: Lost Signals.
She is the player-controlled character. With her dialogue options in-game, players can shape her personality and her relationships with Clarissa, Ren, Nona, and Jonas, and the presence or absence of her brother, Michael.
Biography[]
Alex lives in the town of Camena Coast, with her family. She grew up very close to her brother Michael and childhood friend Ren, as well as Clarissa, Michael's girlfriend at the time.
She was once arrested for grand theft auto as she and her friend Ashley borrowed a car without permission to go to a concert, much to Michael's reprimanding afterward.[6]
One year prior to the beginning of Oxenfree, Alex, Michael, and Clarissa took a trip to Edwards Island together so they could all spend the day out together. Michael claimed he intended to teach Alex how to swim at the pool the following week, though it is unknown if those plans were followed up.
Before Michael graduated, he asked for Alex's blessing to leave town for college and live on his own with Clarissa. Alex wanted them to hang out one last time before he left, so they both went swimming at Horn Lake. This ultimately led to Michael drowning as Alex watched from the wayside, unable to help due to her poor or total lack of swimming skills. Clarissa clearly states multiple times that she holds Alex entirely accountable for Michael's death, and states in addition that the town of Camena looks at Alex as if she has a "red letter tattooed on her forehead" because of that.
After Michael dies, it is implied that Alex grows more rebellious (possibly acting out in grief), choosing to skip a school placement aptitude test so that she could bring an amplifier to Ren's barnyard concert in Salem. Ren states that he managed to pass the test while overdosing on a large amount of cough syrup. That, in comparison, Alex would have been able to do excellent on it.
Before Michael's death, Alex's parents were prone to fighting, and, eventually, following Michael's death, their marriage fell apart and ended with their divorce. Alex's mother remarried, which brought her new stepbrother, Jonas, into Alex's life.[7]
Appearance[]
Alex and Michael by the wishing well.
Alex has brown skin, reddish-brown eyes, and teal-dyed hair tied into a high ponytail. Before the game's events, she is shown to have auburn hair. It is implied in-game that she dyed her hair after her brother Michael's death but there is one existing Polaroid photo of Michael and Alex in which she already has her teal hair.
She wears a blue raglan shirt, light wash skinny jeans ripped at the knees and rolled up at the bottom, a loosely wrapped string choker around her neck, and work boots. She also wears an oversized red hunting jacket that once belonged to Michael.[8]
In memory sequences, Alex has her natural auburn hair and wears a blue striped shirt with a blue button-up denim jacket, jeans, and white sneakers, as well as Michael's red jacket.
Personality[]
Alex is a bright, rebellious teenager. Her general disposition is witty and sarcastic, but player choices can determine whether or not she is more negative or positive towards other characters. Alex has a fondness for history, as she holds much knowledge and tends to explain "fun facts" about various aspects of the island.
Relationships[]
- Michael
Michael is Alex's older brother, with whom she has always had a close "best friend" bond. The red jacket that Alex wears is a hand-me-down from Michael. Regardless of player choices, he will listen to her opinion in all situations. During certain memory sequences in the game, Alex can convince Michael to stay in town and thus "resurrect" him later in the timeline and can influence whether or not he and Clarissa remain a couple or break up.
- Jonas
At the beginning of Oxenfree, it is stated that Alex and Jonas had just met each other for the first time, as Jonas had moved in earlier that day. Because of this, Alex is somewhat wary of Jonas at first.
Depending on the choices made by the player, Alex and Jonas can become closer and see each other truly as brother and sister, or remain distant. In addition, during certain memory sequences in the game, Alex can convince Michael to stay in town and thus "resurrect" him later in the timeline, negating the stepsibling relationship with Jonas (as Alex's parents would have never divorced), but still have the option to bond with Jonas as a friend or "other-brother". When playing a round of "Marry, Screw, Kill" during the game of Truth or Slap, Jonas is exempt as he is "technically family" to Alex.
- Ren
Ren is Alex's childhood best friend. They often playfully banter and tease each other about old stories they know about each other. When playing a round of "Marry, Screw, Kill" during the game of Truth or Slap, Alex can choose to marry Ren as they are already friends so there would be no "surprises" (by which he is pleased as he would be a "stay-at-home husband"), sleep with him because knowing each other would make it less weird (to which he responds with "I knew those bass lessons would come in handy."), or kill him if left with no other options (which causes Ren to complain and jokingly declare the situation misandry).
Ren is generally accepting of Alex's choices in-game, and will usually confide in her first. Ren will look to Alex for help talking to Nona and will either go out with Nona or stay friends depending on Alex's choices.
- Nona
Alex and Nona do not know each other very well. Nona is not in school very often as she is prone to skipping, so they never have the chance to interact before the night on the island, but Nona is aware of who Alex is because they have shared classes. When playing a round of "Marry, Screw, Kill" during the game of Truth or Slap, Alex can choose to say she would marry Nona as she likes the quiet types, sleep with her because she seems "present and giving", or kill her if left with no other options (and depending on the dialogue option, Nona may comment "I'd probably kill me too."). Alex can persuade Nona's decision to reach out to Ren or not.
- Clarissa
Clarissa attempted to reach out to Alex when she and Michael were dating, understanding that Michael thought very highly of Alex and not wanting to make things weird for her. However, after Michael's death, their relationship became strained, with both having resentments towards each other fueled mainly by their grief. Alex tends to think of herself as "the annoying little sister" that she always had to climb in a window to get around about Clarissa when she and Michael were together.
When playing a round of "Marry, Screw, Kill" during the game of Truth or Slap, Alex can say she would marry Clarissa just to spite her (or because Alex is sarcastically delighted to be able to hear her "biting wit" every day, or just because Clarissa is tall and would be able to reach the top shelf), sleep with her because she is "obviously" attractive (to which Jonas responds by asking if Clarissa believes that, and Clarissa answers confidently with "No, I believe her. I mean, look at me."), or kill her if left with no other options (by which Clarissa is unsurprised). Player choices can determine whether or not Alex and Clarissa's relationship can be (somewhat) repaired.
Endings[]
Depending on the sum of choices made by the player, the game can end in multiple ways that affect Alex's relationships with her friends.
In dealing with the ghosts, she can either give up Clarissa's life in exchange for her own or instead close the portal with the radio. It is implied that the ghosts will have taken Alex; however, the ending sequence is the same, meaning that Alex is and has been in a "loop". As a third option, Alex can also attempt to convince the ghosts via in-game knowledge from Maggie Adler's letters to let her and her friends go.
The final choice made in the game is determining whether or not Alex stays in town for college or decides to leave later in the timeline. Regardless, this does not affect the game or the other characters. This choice is the only mandatory dialogue choice (the dialogue choices will not fade away) and will not affect the "The Strong, Silent Type" achievement.
Trivia[]
- Alex is voiced by Erin Yvette, who also provided voice talent in games such as The Wolf Among Us, Tales from the Borderlands, and The Walking Dead: Season One, among others.
- According to her birthdate, she is an Aries.
- Alex did not know how to swim a week before Michael's death and it is possible he was teaching her at Horn Lake where he ultimately drowns and dies.
- Clarissa pushed Alex into a pool in sixth grade.
Gallery[]
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(Flashback)
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References[]
- ↑ OXENFREE | Part 1: The Story on YouTube
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Alex controlling Olivia: Yeah. Alex. Named after my Great Grandmother, Alexandra.
- ↑ ALEX: I mean, knowing Uncle Peter, he was probably three sheets to the wind.
- ↑ ALEX: My really good friend, Amanda, who's moving away forever? That Amanda?
- ↑ Night School Studio post on Twitter
- ↑ ALEX:
Huh? I didn’t screw up, how was I supposed to know her mom was gonna call in the car stolen? I thought she had permission. [...]
MICHAEL: I cannot believe I had to pick you up from the police station because of grand theft auto, I mean, that is too funny. - ↑ ALEX:
Things are… bad, actually. Mom and dad aren’t great, and I’m a hair trigger away from spinning off this planet, and--
MICHAEL: Hey--hey, look. First of all, mom and dad are... mom and dad. They fight a lot, but they’re whatever. Everything always blows over. It’s gonna be fine. You’re too young--we’re too young to worry about martial discord. - ↑ MICHAEL: You know, I never noticed, that’s a good looking jacket. I should ask for it back.