Road 96 Reviews
Deeply emotive, intimately crafted and bursting with freedom, Road 96 takes interactive storytelling to a whole new frontier and provides players with a timely reminder that developer Digixart is one of the most underappreciated studios in the industry today.
Developed by a small team of about fifteen people, Road 96 is a narrative and artistic success. The title charms from the first moments with its mesmerizing atmosphere, its exotic environments and especially its characters as colorful as the game. Relying on procedural storytelling was a risky bet, but brilliantly taken up thanks to a mastered, funny and touching writing, carried by interactive gameplay and intelligent mechanics.
Review in French | Read full review
Road 96 is a brave step forward in the world of narrative-driven video games. The snippet style structure superbly interweaves the diverse cast of characters creating an incredible journey through an authoritarian world. Although there are performance issues, this is an experience like no other and a must for fans of story-based games.
Road 96 is a game that fall short of its promises. Branching storylines all have the same outcomes, and subplots of many characters are to predictable, even if a little funny.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Road 96 is a nice revelation. The slow start gives the wrong impression of a game similar to many recent narrative adventures: well written, but without that peculiar something that can make it shine. Instead, its formula based on the repetition of the paths and on the procedurality of the encounters proved to be a great strength in the long run, capable of adding depth to the game and distinguishing it from its (valid) predecessors. More than this, it's the perfect game for summertime: a good song on the radio, the long road ahead of us, sunglasses on and a future where plenty of choices await.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Road 96 takes us to a country ruled by a totalitarian dictator. While you run looking for a better life, you will try to change Petria's fate with your decisions. A title that is definetely worth playing.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Road 96 is a difficult experience to frame, and perhaps lacks the emotional impact of Valiant Hearts or the artistic delicacy of 11-11 Memories Retold. However, some ideas remain worthy of being discovered, such as the courage to give the role of the protagonists to a small number of co-stars and the messing up of their stories along the lines of Pulp Fiction.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Road 96 offers a non-Manichean adventure on the roads, looking for a brighter future on the other side of the border. Despite some uneven mini-games and some brutal cuts in its narration, the game still offers some interesting cast and landscapes, carried by a strong soundtrack with delightful 90's vibes. Too bad this Switch port suffers from such a big downgrade once grabbed on the go.
Review in French | Read full review
Road 96 offers a non-Manichean adventure on the roads, looking for a brighter future on the other side of the border. Despite some uneven mini-games and some brutal cuts in its narration, the game still offers some interesting cast and landscapes, carried by a strong soundtrack with delightful 90's vibes.
Review in French | Read full review
Road 96 is a road trip that doesn't feel as procedural as it makes itself out to be, which is a compliment to its unpredictability and strong writing. Player dialogue decisions and actions shape the outcome of the teenage protagonists attempting to flee to the border and the wonderful characters you'll meet along the way. Varied and fun scenarios keep the game feeling fresh and engaging from one scene to the next. However, on Nintendo Switch myriad technical problems hold the game back from reaching the full potential that its fantastic premise and characters create. It's a journey worth taking, but unless you're willing to put up with its shortcomings, it's one that I'd recommend you play elsewhere.
Road 96 is a special title well worth checking out for anyone with an itch for adventure.
Road 96 is a politically charged piece of interactive art. Its themes of opposing fascism are depressingly relevant and conveyed through charming and funny characters. While the voice acting leaves a lot to be desired, this is a trip well worth taking over and over.
Strong themes and good writing can't save the game from itself. Procedural-generation ruins what would otherwise be a great narrative adventure.
Clocking in one whole run of about six episodes took me seven hours. After dabbling in New Game+ for a little bit to complete my relationship bars and discover all of the collectibles, I expect to invest another seven hours. Road 96 offers a unique style and storytelling that the gaming industry desperately needs right now. I worry that this one will float under many people’s radar as it’s by no means an edge-of-your-seat story with larger-than-life actors. This is a chill game with cozy vibes mixed with a little bit of social unrest to shake things up a bit. Conflict! At any rate, if you have the need for this sort of title in your life, Road 96 scratches the itch well.
Road 96 is an emotional character-driven game that is unfortunately marred by heavy-handed attempts to evoke real-world politics. It is still very much an enjoyable experience with fun mini-games, a beautiful visual style and soundtrack, along with the interesting mechanic of having to make the trip to the border multiple times. It’s upsetting that the game loses itself when it tries to tackle politics when it really should have focused more on the relationships between the characters and their journeys on the road. Despite this, it was still great fun to play the whole way through.
Though the presentation could have used one more coat of paint, it doesn't prevent the game's core from shining brightly. Posing difficult and meaningful questions, Road 96 makes the player feel like every decision made has its consequences. And with such a vibrant and sympathetic cast of characters, you will want to ensure all of them get the ending they deserve. This is a story with heart, passion, and is a game for the dreamers who wish for a better tomorrow.
Making your way from point A to point B with a lot of personal exploration along the way.
Overall Road 96 really surprised me, as I'm getting older, purely story driven games don't grab my interest as easily.
Road 96 is a procedural narrative adventure that stretches across different protagonists and several miles. Travel through Petria’s corrupted landscape and make decisions that will determine your freedom and survival, and the fate of your country.