The journey is always not about the destination, it’s about the experience getting there that’s the one that you sometimes remember fondly.
It could be anything between that one time you drive across the country to the tunes of the 90s or even those moments of clarity during the late nights as you speak with a friend about life, the universe, or even anything really.
Road 96 really did capture the essence of a road trip adventure with the premise of setting during a time of political turmoil, as the game’s country of Petra gets ready for an election and the youth rebels are setting off to flee the country, something that’s actually quite close to home during this period as well.
So, let’s dive right in, shall we?
Presentation
The storyline for Road 96 is a mixture of adventures set during 1996 as you hitchhike your way to the border of Petra. It is quite a basic plot, really but it is a neatly done story-based roguelike that lets you pick choices that matter in multiple playthroughs. Kinda like those old choose-your-own-adventure books that were popular during the 90s.
Perhaps it’s more like an advanced version of Telltale’s Walking Dead or Life Is Strange with the emphasis on replayability and story choices being available after the first few run-throughs. It even mixes up how you’ll meet certain characters at times too.
You might meet the hacker kid, Alex at a Diner or help the soft-hearted trucker, John, as you evade a robbery. Its randomizations of story beats make it enjoyable to experience it as you’ll never know what happens during the first playthrough.
The music is pretty much the heart and ears of the game. It blends songs from genres like Folk, pop, electronica and fits the theming of a chapter or character, making it a more immersive listening during the play session. And when the music peaks as you are about to reach the goal, it’s the most absorbing thing to play and listen to, and I applaud the developers for that.
Gameplay
As mentioned before, the game is about you as a teen, trying to run away from the country towards its border. Its characters you meet at any point during a level transition are randomized and not only that, you have to take care of your energy meter or you’ll be sent home if the bar reaches zero. So while you’re enjoying the storyline, try to find food or a resting place to regenerate your energy to continue on.
And like point-and-click games, you can also get items that can help you along the way and even towards the end as these items will stick to you, the player, right until the game’s final chapters.
Though my only complaint is that some choices are quite arbitrary during the start of the playthroughs that it feels un-related towards the end. Which in the long scheme of things, feels like a good allegory of real life.
In general, its story isn’t about learning something new for your player character, but rather to you as you meet the characters again and again, this time with new information and items, kinda like meeting friends after a long time away and I like that, in a sort of time-loop way.
Content
You are looking at 5 to 11 hours of plaything with this game as you lead up towards the game’s final chapters, hitchhiking and interacting as you complete the runs. I didn’t get towards the full 100% completion of the characters’ interaction at the end but I did get to see all of the cast and even the final leg at the Border, which itself is its own can of worms.
It’s rather short when compared to its other contemporaries like Telltale’s or Deck 9’s efforts but I feel Digixart has done quite well with this endeavour.
Personal Enjoyment
I haven’t had this much enjoyment of playing a story-based game since the first season of both The Walking Dead and Life Is Strange (hence why it has many mentions within the review) and Road 96 definitely does scratch that itches rather well. It had captured my interest during the Steam Next Fest Demo and it didn’t disappoint me at all when I finally played the full game.
Its first-person perspective helps with the immersion of talking with its cast of characters that you will soon be able to like over time, and I respect the lengths of the developers to make meeting them randomized and even giving small hints at their connections within their dialogue and environment.
I’m just disappointed it’s only releasing for PC and the Nintendo Switch so far right now because this game can be something more with players from other platforms joining in this interesting journey.
Conclusion
Road 96 is the road-tripping game that I hope people get to play. Its story beats are just sublime and its randomization of your journey towards the endgame makes it highly replayable and fans of narrative-driven games would get a kick out of this one.
Played on PC, Review copy provided by Publisher.
Road 96
The road-tripping game that I hope people get to play. Its story beats are just sublime and its randomization of your journey towards the endgame makes it highly replayable and fans of narrative-driven games would get a kick out of this one.
- Presentation 9
- Gameplay 8.5
- Personal Enjoyment 9.5
- Content 9