Road 96 Reviews
It is a curious game that will entertain you for a good handful of hours. It is not demanding even in terms of the computer you need, and offers a good opportunity to go little by little shelling and discovering what is behind each character and each event. Without a doubt, Road 96 will delight those who enjoy games for its music, its aesthetics and its history.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
As someone living in a country with similar situation, some of the story bits personally hit me really hard and I applaud the developers for going all in on a narrative like this. Thankfully, unlike most of the similar games, the gameplay is not just walking and choosing dialogue options and there is some real depth here. The musical choices also help to set the game’s mood in a very interesting way.
Review in Persian | Read full review
The randomizing order of narrative sections mixed with the more traditional choice-based elements of Road 96 made for a compelling experience. Adding in wacky but ultimately human characters really fleshed out the world of Petria and gave some moral dilemmas weight. The occasional mini-games were also enjoyable to break up the dialogue. If you are looking for a narrative adventure that deviates a bit off the normal path, Road 96 is definitely a trip you should consider embarking on.
I’m on my first of many road trips in DigixArt’s “procedurally generated road trip” game Road 96. I’m trying to cross the border of the authoritarian country of Petria and I’ve found myself in the passenger seat of a young hacker’s car. His name is Alex and he’s making a new arcade game: “Furious Tanks”. We play a few rounds; I make some suggestions on how to improve the game and we go our separate ways. I run out of fuel and my escape attempt comes to an end.
Road 96 will keep you busy on your journey to the border thanks to engaging gameplay, interesting characters, and brilliant writing. If you like choose your own adventures, then this is right up your alley.
The journey to Road 96 is filled with bumps, detours, and tedium. Players looking to complete the game’s presented objective of leaving Petria will find Road 96 an extremely short and inconclusive experience.
For those who like a good adventure game or a visual novel more focused on narrative than gameplay, Road 96 not only delivers a rich and very unique experience, but also surprises and innovates in some aspects. The feeling of traveling, experiencing all that life has to offer, is masterfully achieved until the end. Subsequent runs can reveal some problems, such as the repetition of locations and narrative points, but it is well worth playing the story with an open heart at least once.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Road 96 is a glorious achievement in game creation. Once I got to know the characters and played two runs of this game I was hooked until the end. It’s a game that I thought about when I wasn’t playing it and it didn’t take me long at all to pick up the soundtrack on Steam, which was playing in the background of the creation of this review. A rogue-lite game with an emphasis on story choices and narrative feels like something that shouldn’t work but it does. Road 96 is truly something very special and gets my highest recommendation. This is one road trip not to be forgotten.
Road 96 is a great experience from start to finish that will please anyone looking for a good story, some interesting characters or just enjoy a long road trip.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Road 96 started off a bit rocky for me but quickly became one of the best games I’ve played all year. It’s absolutely on my top 10 games list for 2021, and, given enough time with it, I’m sure it’ll be yours as well. The Switch is a fine home for this politically-charged narrative, and if you have a desire to overthrow corrupt systems or just cross the border for a better life, chances are you’ll feel the same way too. If you want to get lost in a dystopian world, then do everything in your power to leave it, hitchhike your way to Road 96.
Road 96 is an atmospheric experiment in procedural storytelling that is successful more often than not. A dynamite retrowave soundtrack and some interesting characters don’t quite excuse a story that lacks a cohesive framework and too many minigames.
Road 96 is a game about rebellion, the road and most of all, people; even if the politics feel too childish to be helpful at times, it’s a conversation starter and a well-meaning one.
In spite of a few issues, I enjoyed my time with Road 96 and its attempt to deal with a serious and delicate subject. I do think that the game's mechanics could've been more substantial to the story. Meaning the game did not live up to its full potential.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Road 96 is a great deal of fun, and is incredibly charming. I came into it cautiously optimistic about the premise, and I have found myself delighted by its character, heart, and the way it depicts people and places with such love and attentiveness to detail. I don’t know whether it’s the next big thing in narrative games, but it delivers on most of its promises and offers an experience that truly feels unique among its peers. Plus, it’s a good old fashioned adventure of the kind that frankly I didn’t realize I’d been hankering for. It’s not a perfect game, but it’s a darn good one, and as with all good stories, the journey of playing Road 96 really is the best part.
Road 96 is flawed yet fascinating. It takes aim at U.S. politics in a way I’ve seen few games tackle, if any. While it’s far from subtle in its approach, the game is sure to generate some valuable conversations among players—and that deserves praise. The game also impresses with its novel storytelling structure, brisk pacing, and smart use of supporting characters. There are issues. The game’s procedural nature is undercut by a “look, don’t touch” design philosophy. Narrative drives the game forward, and gameplay almost always takes a backseat. The game offers little in the way of difficulty, and the voice acting is so bad, the game would have been better off without voiced lines at all. And yet, Road 96 is so much more than the sum of its parts. It’s not going to appease all kinds of players, and it certainly won’t win over those it looks to critique, but those who give it a chance will surely warm up to its charm. Road 96 is a worthy trip, potholes and all.
From beginning to end, I found myself waiting for the moment where Road 96's wheels fell off — it never came. With its ambitious randomized engine and political storyline, they had more than a few opportunities to fumble the concept. Instead, Digixart provided an interesting and human experience that we'd recommend to all fans of story-driven releases.
It’s sadly prescient of the world we actually live in, and maybe that’s why Road 96’s message of survival and perseverance make the impact it does, at least the first time around.
Intelligent games like Road 96 are few and far between, and even more so when they provide you with such a quality experience that keeps you coming back for more. And each time, it keeps delivering more and more exciting and deeply emotional moments that you won’t want spoiled in any way. This is easily one of my favorite games that I’ve played this year and I’m looking forward to seeing what Digixart will come up with next. No pressure, guys.
Delivered in a classy graphical style, with a banging soundtrack and more accessibility options than is normally the case for a game of this type, I found playing it to be a great use of my time and was very impressed with it upon game completion. Road 96 is fun to play, a challenge, and also makes you question your political beliefs. Play this game, help others and always vote against fascism.