izigame.me

I always love to see narrative games playing with the formula a little. This genre, if it can be called one, really has come a long way from its walking sim roots. Not throwing any shades at games like Dear Esther, Gone Home or Firewatch, but I truly feel that games like What Remains of Edith Finch show how much potential these kinds of games have when they are allowed to explore interesting gameplay ideas instead of focusing purely on the narrative.
Road 96 is one of those more experimental games as it combines the well-established narrative game framework with a roguelike twist and a procedurally generated sequence of events. When I first learned that this game made use of procedural content, I was rather skeptic. I couldn’t fathom a narrative game telling a gripping story with the help of such techniques. Luckily, my fears were unfounded as this game is really clever in how it uses procedurally generated content (PCG) to progress the plot. Instead of following a linear story, this game consists of little vignettes that are played in a seemingly random order. I say seemingly as Road 96 does a have a plot with a dramatic arc and a chronological sequence of events. However, the way you experience the plot feels truly unique as the game factors in your actions and decisions when calculating which sequence to play next. It is tailored by how you play in a sense that certain key moments will happen regardless of your actions but with the caveat that you do determine how to get there and also impact how these scenes play out. I think the game combines PCG and player-driven decisions quite elegantly and doesn’t sacrifice a captivating narrative in the process. It still is all about the story.
The game is set in the fictional state of Petria, a country run by a fascist and corrupt government with your typical average despot Tyrak at the helm. Democracy is but a façade in the state of Petria with mock “elections” running every ten years, free speech basically being non-existent, disobedient teenagers being sent to work camps and even a paramilitary youth organization, the Tyrak Youth - sounds familiar, doesn’t it? To flee this country and pursue happiness elsewhere, you play as one of many faceless teenagers making their way to the northern border trying to cross into a better life. Along the road, you meet a bunch of colorful characters, each dealing with their own struggles in this autocratic society. The game does a great job in making the characters feel lively and relatable. The voice acting is superb in most cases and there are subtle notes like a change in posture or eyes getting red when people are talking about emotionally heavy topics. The writing is pretty on-point too even though it does stumble into cliché territory every now and then. Tonally, there is a wide range of emotional responses this game is going for. There are genuinely funny scenes, some even to the extent of being comically silly. There are quiet scenes that allow for moments of reflection and melancholy. There’s drama and action and occasionally, there is a scene with tension so high, you really feel like everything is on the line and your decision can impact the state of the world itself. Sometimes, just saying the wrong words to the wrong character can end your run right there and then.
But no worries, this being a roguelike, there is always another chance at reaching the eponymous Road 96. You start each run with a random teen who’s been lost for a couple of days or weeks with random amounts of energy left and money in their pockets. These are the two main resources you have to keep track of during your road trip. It can really make a difference whether you start your journey with 10$ to your name and a full health bar or as a broke kid barely holding onto life, especially in the beginning of the game. As you advance the story, abilities and upgrades are unlocked that stay with you in future runs giving you a feeling of constant progression. In all honesty, if you pay attention to your surroundings and don’t waste money on useless crap, the game is fairly easy. You won’t run into situations where you just run out of resources leaving you starving on the road. But that’s ok. I didn’t go into this expecting a challenging survival-like experience and neither should you.
What I did get is an interesting and for the most part well-written narrative game that has great vibes, reminiscent of Life is Strange both thematically and aesthetically. Washed out colors, pastel tones, low-poly visuals… some genuinely beautiful scenery that could be taken straight out of Firewatch. The music complements this by delivering some absolute bangers by artist like The Toxic Avenger or more somber tones from the likes of Kalax. The music can be eerily atmospheric in one scene while hitting you with an electronic rhythmic dance track in the next. They really did a marvelous job here and I always felt a rush of excitement when I found a tape with some dope new music in-game.
Sadly, on a technical level, this game has issues. There is a weird lighting bug that causes various light sources to flicker occasionally. It’s not consistent but when it occurs, it really disturbs the immersion of a scene. On top of that, there are some glitches like object and character pop-ins or, for lack of a better phrase, nonsensical scene compositions. Like, there was that one time, a phone booth was rendered mid-air above a cliff at the edge of the road and one character just casually walked there on the air to make a call. This is probably due to the game’s procedural nature where certain scenes playing out in certain locations under certain circumstances just doesn’t work out causing these weird glitches. I can excuse this considering that this game was made by a small indie team with a lot of ambition which I respect. What I can’t excuse though is the audio mixing. I’m sorry but they really effed this up. I had to fiddle with the settings a lot to get a somewhat bearable audio balance but even then, it was anything but perfect. The weirdest thing was that voices were louder when I moved the camera away from the characters who were speaking. Like, looking straight at them muffled the sound but turning myself around made them sound louder and clearer. That is all the more stupid since you really want to pay attention to these characters when they’re talking. I already mentioned changes in their demeanor, animations, posture and so on. You miss all of that and it feels super awkward to look the other way when a character you care about is pouring their heart out.
Despite these issues, I would still recommend getting this game, especially for fans of narrative games that are open for a more non-linear and open experience than most games of the genre provide. The game has heart and, even though it’s anything but subtle in its political messaging, it has good values and stands by them. It doesn’t care to pander to a pseudo-centrist crowd with wishy-washy political commentary that can be interpreted in all kinds of ways but often fails to say anything meaningful at all. It wears its colors strong and proud and I respect the devs a whole lot for that alone. Personally, I feel like Road 96 falls a little short narrative-wise as it is quite predictable and not all of the character-driven stories are equally fascinating and well-written. Still, there are some genuinely well-composed scenes and memorable moments that will stay with me for a while and I am sure that, should you embark on your own journey, they will stick with you as well.