Is Road 96 a short game?

Game Information

Game Title: Road 96

Platforms:

• PC (Aug 16, 2021)

• Nintendo Switch (Aug 16, 2021)

Trailer:

• Road 96 - Announcement Trailer - Nintendo Switch

Developer: Digixart

Publisher: Digixart

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 80 average - 74% recommended - 19 reviews

Critic Reviews

33bits - Jose Antonio Calvo Ceniceros - Spanish - 80 / 100

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.

Bazimag - Sina Golabzade - Persian - 8 / 10

As someone living in a country with similar situation, some of the story bits personally hit me really hard and I applaud the developers for going all in on a narrative like this. Thankfully, unlike most of the similar games, the gameplay is not just walking and choosing dialogue options and there is some real depth here. The musical choices also help to set the game’s mood in a very interesting way.

COGconnected - Jaz Sagoo - 80 / 100

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.

Checkpoint Gaming - 7 / 10

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.

Chicas Gamers - Pedro Peña - Spanish - Unscored

It is a curious game that will entertain you for a good handful of hours. It is not demanding even in terms of the computer you need, and offers a good opportunity to go little by little shelling and discovering what is behind each character and each event. Without a doubt, Road 96 will delight those who enjoy games for its music, its aesthetics and its history.

GameMAG - Russian - 6 / 10

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.

GameSkinny - Mark Delaney - 7 / 10 stars

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.

GamesBeat - Dean Takahashi - 4 / 5 stars

I like premise of Road 96. It sets you up for endless adventures on the road, where each situation can either get you miles further toward your goal or thrown into the slammer … or worse. While you’re vulnerable, your destiny is in your hands.

God is a Geek - Chris White - 9 / 10

Road 96 tells a poignant story of those trying to escape a corrupt and dangerous country through great gameplay and multiple playthroughs.

IGN - Tristan Ogilvie - 8 / 10

Road 96 is a fascinating and frequently tense adventure that manages to keep its story on track despite the odd bump in the road.

IGN Italy - Davide Mancini - Italian - 8 / 10

Road 96 is a brilliant and clever take on choose-your-own-adventure game. Thanks to its complex, but coherent narrative which works on multiple runs, Digixart succedes in telling the story of pride, revolution and hope through intimate moment and a interesting cast of characters.

IGN Spain - Álex Pareja - Spanish - 9 / 10

Inglés (EE.UU.) Road 96 becomes, thanks to its fine writing and its ability to make you think and reflect, one of the best independent video games of 2021. An excellent journey of encounters with your ideals and, above all, with those of others. Road 96 becomes, thanks to its fine writing and its ability to make you think and reflect, one of the best independent video games of 2021. An excellent journey of encounters with your ideals and, above all, with those of others.

Metro GameCentral - GameCentral - 8 / 10

A beautifully structured, poignant, procedurally generated road movie, that's packed with character and intelligence.

Nintendo Enthusiast - Chirag Pattni - 7 / 10

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.

NintendoWorldReport - Joe Devader - 8 / 10

Whether I was being threatened by Jarod, having deep personal conversations with John, or being made audience to the circus that is Stan and Mitch, I found myself continuing to go back for more over and over with Road 96. If you want a deeply political and sometimes downright scary experience, this is the place to be. Add to that a fantastic soundtrack of both folk style music and electronic synthwave that really hits the '90s vibe, and Road 96 is an experience you will not soon forget.

Noisy Pixel - Ian Goudelock - 8 / 10

The randomizing order of narrative sections mixed with the more traditional choice-based elements of Road 96 made for a compelling experience. Adding in wacky but ultimately human characters really fleshed out the world of Petria and gave some moral dilemmas weight. The occasional mini-games were also enjoyable to break up the dialogue. If you are looking for a narrative adventure that deviates a bit off the normal path, Road 96 is definitely a trip you should consider embarking on.

RPG Fan - Bob Richardson - 82 / 100

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.

Rapid Reviews UK - Squashpickle - 5 / 5 stars

I’m on my first of many road trips in DigixArt’s “procedurally generated road trip” game Road 96. I’m trying to cross the border of the authoritarian country of Petria and I’ve found myself in the passenger seat of a young hacker’s car. His name is Alex and he’s making a new arcade game: “Furious Tanks”. We play a few rounds; I make some suggestions on how to improve the game and we go our separate ways. I run out of fuel and my escape attempt comes to an end.

Shacknews - Donovan Erskine - 8 / 10

Road 96 is an adventure game that’s stuffed with fascinating characters. Everybody has a story, and the game does an excellent job at weaving those stories together in an interesting way. The use of music and the game’s art style also helps to elevate the experience. Road 96 is a bit bogged down by some UI issues and framerate drops, but that didn’t stop me from really enjoying the complete product.

Spaziogames - Italian - 7.7 / 10

Road 96 is an intriguing on-the-go experience with interesting characters and a well crafted sense of adventure.

The Games Machine - Claudio Magistrelli - Italian - 8.3 / 10

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.

Twinfinite - Chris Jecks - 4 / 5

Road 96 is a special title well worth checking out for anyone with an itch for adventure.

Worth Playing - Chris "Atom" DeAngelus - 9 / 10

Road 96 shows that it is possible to do a "roguelike," narrative-focused story and do it well. It's a shockingly engaging and well-written game with likeable characters. It's sometimes funny, sometimes terrifying, and sometimes thought-provoking, but no matter what, it never gets boring. Each setback or revelation made me eager to see the next, and my ending felt like a satisfying resolution to the plot that I'd been building. If there were ever a game that defined, "It's the journey, not the destination," it's Road 96, and if you're a fan of quirky, narrative-driven games, then this is well worth a shot.

cublikefoot - Chase Ferrin - Avoid

Road 96 has some cool ideas and a unique plot setup, but ultimately falls victim to its shallow writing and one-dimensional characters – leaving me disappointed at what could have been.

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