DigixArt’s latest game, Road 96 is out now on PC via Steam and on Nintendo Switch.
The developer formed by former devs behind Valiant Hearts is taking its latest story game in a new direction: procedural.
Road 96 see you play as one of the many people trying to escape flee a regime by crossing over the border of the fictional country of Petria.
During this road trip/hitchhiking journey, anything can happen, and how you interact with the strangers and folks along the trip (which includes celebs, cops, robbers and fellow hitchhikers) will influence what you see throughout the journey.
Road 96 was featured in the past Steam Next Fest, the demo was one of the five most downloaded over 700 other demos on offer.
Based on the demo alone, it’s an impressive take on a choose-your-adventure story game solely by the fact that you may encounter totally different scenes each time you start a new road trip. That’s the procedural bit- instead of randomising tilesets of the map which is what procedural tech is used in games, it randomises how your story beats will play out.
So a bit different than your Telltale and Quantic Dream games where the same scene will appear each playthrough (but slightly altered based on your choices).
“This crazy idea of making a procedural narrative game, with no creative limits for the whole studio is finally coming to players’ hands,” said Yoan Fanise, CEO and Creative Director at DigixArt. “I am excited and equally scared to discover their reactions, and moreover the comparisons of their playthroughs. Some will have 6 episodes, some 14, some may die, some may never do it.“
The various story vignettes are inspired by road trip movies from directors like Tarantino, The Coen Brothers and Bong Joon-ho. The soundtrack also featured licensed songs from various artists including Cocoon, The Toxic Avenger, Robert Parker, Kalax, SURVIVE, Daniel Gadd and Volkor X.
Also, expect to see a few HP computers within the world. Apparently, the game is part of OMEN Presents, an initiative from HP’s OMEN gaming brand to support “visionary developers”.
Road 96 is out now on PC (Steam) for RM49.96 and also on Nintendo Switch.