Road 96 Reviews
I really enjoyed my time in Petria, the characters had me interested in their stories and journeys. Being broken into 6 episodes makes perfect sense.
Don't let the rather simplistic visuals fool you: Road 96 is a beautiful adventure full of surprises. The initial premise of taking young people out of a country in full turmoil becomes a narrative full of interesting characters and, who knows, a profound change in the government and its population. After many choices and dialogues, observing the results of the complete journey is a unique satisfaction. If you enjoy games with a good story, this is a must-have for your library.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
I was really happy to hear that Road 96 was coming to console. I loved playing it on the Switch and while playing again for this review, I fell in love with the game all over again. I recalled certain choices I had made in the past and went with another option so that I could experience all-new moments, and this had me hooked again. Road 96 is a great game and one I will urge people to try out. You will not be disappointed.
Road 96 has a great story supported by a cast of interesting and likable characters and anchored by satisfying mini-games. The procedural nature of this game promises that each playthrough will be unique.
Road 96 is an enjoyable narrative journey that makes the most of your first run to the best of its presentation. While it may not win over gamers of certain political mindsets, its strengths are more derived from how it made a narrative game entertaining enough that doesn't forget that it's a video game first. I'm always looking for creative ways to tell a story and these vignettes that chronicle a country's turning point through the eyes of its disillusioned youth are what inspire me to continue perusing interactive media as it pushes the boundaries as a storytelling medium. Long story short, Road 96 is certainly a journey worth taking.
I simply had to know everything about each each character and wanted to see just how different the endings were. I can attest that in each of my playthroughs, no run was ever the same. With so many games being essentially carbon copies of one another, a game like Road 96 is a remarkably refreshing surprise. Don’t let it escape your notice, it’s well worth your time.
Road 96 is a magical game that speaks to the player in a very personal way. Through the narrative and mechanics, we will feel completely immersed in this complex and deep world.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
While many of your actions are said to have an impact on the game, in practice, that impact is fairly minimal. It all comes together in an ending that also feels far too convenient, not seriously reckoning with much of the themes the Road 96 brings up. In the end, it feels like Road 96 doesn’t have nearly as much to say about these topics as it thinks it does. It sticks the landing when it comes to its individual characters, but much less so regarding the overarching plot. Still, those character stories are engaging, the mini-games you’re thrown into are consistently fun, and Road 96 looks and sounds great. It all makes for a trip that’s worth taking, as long as you know what to expect.
Road 96 is an excellent storytelling adventure, earning the nickname 'adventure' better than others in its field. Various playable situations, monitor the parameters of the protagonist, make decisions with frank consequences, improve with each new attempt and keep traveling to find the desired freedom.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Apart from being an excellent first-person adventure, Road 96 is an overwhelming experience and an emotional dive into the '90s, with their music and style. As you stand on the side of the road, fantasizing about a better future, you'll wish that journey never ends.
Review in Italian | Read full review
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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 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.