Road 96: Mile 0 Review (c0sm1c)
A passable but disappointing title that falls short of the brilliance of the original game.
Many characters from the original game are either completely missing, only briefly mentioned, or show up for short, pointless cameos. If you were looking for any meaningful backstories or character developments outside of Zoe, you'll be disappointed. It doesn't contribute much to the story, with the exception of introducing Kaito who has no relevance to the original game anyways.
For the most part, this game stays true for the Road 96 core gameplay with a heavy focus on narrative over action. That said, there is a new reoccurring feature to the gameplay that sticks out like a sore thumb: the skating sequences. Visually neat, but mechanically shallow, uninteresting, and slows the game down when all I want is to progress the story. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the fact you have 10 whopping skating sequences to go through.
The nail on the coffin is the god-awful fight scene at the end of the game. What were the developers thinking? It completely destroys the tension of what is the single most tense part of the game with the most overly-dramatic, cheesy Street-Fighter fighting sequence. I know Road 96 isn't shy of trying to get some laughs from the audience, but this instance was so poorly timed and detracts so heavily from what is supposed to be a serious moment.
Overall, if you're looking for some more Road 96 content, then this is probably for you. The story is decent, the art style is there, the music is still great. But if you're wondering if this is a "must-buy" for Road 96 fans, it most definitely is not. It falls short on so many aspects while introducing nothing new to the original formula. Buy it if you really want, but know that you aren't missing much if you skip it.