Road 96 Reviews
It might be a stretch to call it a piece of work on par with that of some of the most-acclaimed film directors of the modern age, but Road 96 is an incredible adventure game that succeeds thanks to a strong narrative, a superb cast of characters, one of the year's best soundtracks and its unique procedurally-generated approach that might see you coming back after the initial eight hours or so, just to see what could possibly be on any other routes.
ROAD 96 is so much more than an indie point-and-click. It's a solid recommendation despite its obvious limits. This small world created by Yoan Fanise and DigixArt, suggests that there is still a lot to see from the Indie scene. What else can I say about this game? Perhaps whoever has lived it will understand, because for me ROAD 96 is Jeremy by Pearl Jam; Something in the Way by Nirvana; Nutshell by Alice in Chains; Firestarter by The Prodigy and 1979 by The Smashing Pumpkins, all at the same time and made into video game form.
Review in Spanish | 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.
A road movie told in multiple border crossings and a narrative game to remember.
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.
Overall Road 96 really surprised me, as I'm getting older, purely story driven games don't grab my interest as easily.
If your country is a burden to you, like ours is to us, playing Road 96 might lighten the load by reminding you that, there are always people who can make a difference.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
A solid FPP adventure in political-fiction climates, although you have to reckon with the shortcomings (even for a Switch) in the visual sphere. After all, it is worth delving into it because each game brings new experiences.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Road 96 is a high-quality and problematic work that I recommend you to experience! why? Road 96 in its opening two-thirds is so great and exemplary that with characters, stories, unpredictable events, challenges of endurance management for travel, managing different ways to reach your destination (using a bus, stealing a car, using a taxi, walking and more) and managing the challenges that may determine your life or death, you arrange a sweet experience of "a road trip".
Review in Persian | Read full review
Road 96 is an engaging and timely adventure, but the title's poor performance on the Nintendo Switch makes it a rougher go than it should be.
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 delivers unique and interesting stories with each randomly generated story it creates.
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.
This political road trip is rendered an exciting and entertaining time by its cast and the deliberately piecemeal nature of its storytelling, rather than the story itself.
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.
Making your way from point A to point B with a lot of personal exploration along the way.