Road 96 is one of the few games that caught me truly offguard, not knowing what to expect. The trailers and previews for it looked interesting, and I bought it on day one, while avoiding information or reviews. I was just in the mood for something different. And something different is what I got. Not only that, but it's proven to be a big hit in my family, with my nephew and niece both really liking it, and my teenage cousin being so impressed that he later bought it, beat it three times, and showed it to his friends.
So what makes this game so different?
Basically, it's full of new ideas. It's a Rogue-liteAdventure Game packed with minigames, plot twists, and gameplay elements not normally seen in its genre.
You play as a randomly generated teenager who is on a road trip to escape a very corrupt country, where the police, the citizens, and the government all can't be trusted. You have allies, you have enemies, and you don't always know who's who. And you have an energy meter and money. Money is used to buy food, rides and music, and to bribe people. You don't want to run out of money. It could prove to be fatal.
As an example of this, you could pay a smuggler to help you escape the country. At first things are going well, but then she demands more and more money. If you don't have enough, you're in huge trouble, and you could end up dead.
And if you do, then the story simply continues, with you playing as another randomly generated teenager in another randomly chosen chapter.
Anything can happen. From casting a vote on whether or not a terrorist group should bomb a particular location, to playing Connect Four against a rich kid who's also trying to escape the country, to helping a whiz kid design his video game, you don't know what strange situation you'll end up in next. What's more, you see the results of your actions in later chapters. An arcade might contain an updated version of the video game the kid was developing, or the news will report, often dishonestly, on your actions.
The world is full of atmosphere. Posters for political candidates start plastering more and more walls as Election Day grows nearer, and the polling changes based on your past actions. TV sets play the Sonya Show, the country's popular propaganda outlet. Cars drive past, sometimes blaring political ads. You can overhear conversations in hotel rooms. Everything just brings this road trip to life.
And what's more, everything feels connected. All of the characters in the story connect to other characters, and as you play through more chapters, things get fleshed out as the story all comes together.
Really, there's no other game quite like Road 96. It's not hard to see why so many people find it fascinating, so give it a chance if you can.
VideoGame There's nothing else out there quite like it
Road 96 is one of the few games that caught me truly offguard, not knowing what to expect. The trailers and previews for it looked interesting, and I bought it on day one, while avoiding information or reviews. I was just in the mood for something different. And something different is what I got. Not only that, but it's proven to be a big hit in my family, with my nephew and niece both really liking it, and my teenage cousin being so impressed that he later bought it, beat it three times, and showed it to his friends.
So what makes this game so different?
Basically, it's full of new ideas. It's a Rogue-lite Adventure Game packed with minigames, plot twists, and gameplay elements not normally seen in its genre.
You play as a randomly generated teenager who is on a road trip to escape a very corrupt country, where the police, the citizens, and the government all can't be trusted. You have allies, you have enemies, and you don't always know who's who. And you have an energy meter and money. Money is used to buy food, rides and music, and to bribe people. You don't want to run out of money. It could prove to be fatal.
As an example of this, you could pay a smuggler to help you escape the country. At first things are going well, but then she demands more and more money. If you don't have enough, you're in huge trouble, and you could end up dead.
And if you do, then the story simply continues, with you playing as another randomly generated teenager in another randomly chosen chapter.
Anything can happen. From casting a vote on whether or not a terrorist group should bomb a particular location, to playing Connect Four against a rich kid who's also trying to escape the country, to helping a whiz kid design his video game, you don't know what strange situation you'll end up in next. What's more, you see the results of your actions in later chapters. An arcade might contain an updated version of the video game the kid was developing, or the news will report, often dishonestly, on your actions.
The world is full of atmosphere. Posters for political candidates start plastering more and more walls as Election Day grows nearer, and the polling changes based on your past actions. TV sets play the Sonya Show, the country's popular propaganda outlet. Cars drive past, sometimes blaring political ads. You can overhear conversations in hotel rooms. Everything just brings this road trip to life.
And what's more, everything feels connected. All of the characters in the story connect to other characters, and as you play through more chapters, things get fleshed out as the story all comes together.
Really, there's no other game quite like Road 96. It's not hard to see why so many people find it fascinating, so give it a chance if you can.