Road 96 Reviews

Road 96 is ranked in the 71st percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
5 / 10.0
Aug 16, 2021

Strong themes and good writing can't save the game from itself. Procedural-generation ruins what would otherwise be a great narrative adventure.

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Gameblog
Thomas Pillon
Top Critic
5 / 10
Aug 17, 2021

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

6 / 10.0
Sep 9, 2021

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

6 / 10
Aug 17, 2021

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

GameMAG
Top Critic
6 / 10
Aug 16, 2021

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

6 / 10
Apr 19, 2022

Road 96's memorable character moments are overshadowed by a central narrative that requires you suspend your disbelief far too often.

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65 / 100
Aug 16, 2021

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.

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3.5 / 5.0
Apr 14, 2022

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.

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7 / 10
Aug 20, 2021

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.

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Cubed3
Athanasios
Top Critic
7 / 10
Oct 21, 2021

Toothless as political commentary, and with its, supposedly, big focus on choice being almost non-existent, it would be alright to assume that this isn't a big recommendation - and yet it is. Digixart's anti-fascist indie might not be as good it thinks when it comes to politics, and the choose-your-own-adventure layer under it all is paper-thin at best, but simply as an experience, as a road trip across a beautiful land, filled with interesting (to say the least) characters, yes, this is one of the best indies that have been released this past month, warts and all. Its replay value is, unfortunately, very low, but do yourself a favour, and try it out when you get the chance. Road 96 is a flawed but undoubtedly memorable journey.

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70 / 100
Sep 2, 2021

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.

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7 / 10 stars
Aug 11, 2021

Road 96 wears its political commentary like a badge of honor, and while its themes aren't always elegantly explored, it remains an interesting and unpredictable experience.

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7 / 10
Aug 16, 2021

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.

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7 / 10.0
Apr 14, 2022

Adventure game lovers will have a good time with Road 96, though. The cast is a lot of fun, and it has enough twists and turns to make for an entertaining play. It’s definitely unique, and I hope that DigixArt continues experimenting with the genre.

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7 / 10.0
Aug 16, 2021

Thankfully, Road 96‘s mesmerizing landscapes, unique characters and chilled soundtrack will allow players to kick back and enjoy some really good storytelling in a world that feels strangely familiar to many.

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7 / 10.0
Aug 16, 2021

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.

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7 / 10
Apr 17, 2022

A small amount of texture pop-in aside, a very strong visual style makes Road 96 a delight to look at. Striking character art enunciates facial features, while environments and background vistas look beautiful. With a great soundtrack to boot, the game has an incredibly strong style. When the characters you meet along the way are just as striking in their conversations and political and social beliefs, Road 96 succeeds at weaving multiple tales through the lives of teens that just want to get the hell out.

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7.5 / 10.0
Sep 2, 2021

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

7.5 / 10.0
Aug 27, 2021

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

7.5 / 10.0
Aug 17, 2021

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