Don’t you just love it when a game pushes the boundaries and even makes you question: What makes a game, a game?
I know I love it when innovative titles hit the market, but there’s one that eluded my grasp and my radar until recently when I was bored and digging through the free library of games on Playstation Plus. Developed by Digixart and published by Deep Silver, Road 96 was released all the way back in 2021. To be fair, I was probably too worried about the world falling apart back then to actually notice this game.
But there it was, a road trip simulator, by the sounds of things, sitting among plenty of other worthy titles in the library. Let’s boot it up, I thought. How bad can it be, I thought. A road trip does sound nice!
Now, I was expecting some Route 66 road-trip simulator. I don’t know if I was addled in the mind at the time or what, but this definitely isn’t a casual road-tripping simulator. The first thing I managed to do was get myself arrested for admitting to a cop that I was “trying to cross” – cross what? (I thought.)
I’d obviously missed the memo somewhere along the line, but in this game, you’re a teen trying to escape an oppressive regime by illegally crossing the border. So it’s really more of an illegal immigrant simulator. Instead of the other country’s border patrol trying to keep you out, however, you have to deal with your own country’s border patrol keeping you in. You’re also at risk of being sent to the pits if you get caught.
I don’t know if you’ve read any of Brandon Sanderson’s work, but it sounds like we could go to these pits, discover our magic, and come back way stronger than before.
Okay, I digress. There’s no magic in this game. In fact, as a game, it’s pretty bad. As a story, it’s excellent. If you do decide to give this one a whirl, be prepared for a mixed bag. Allow me to explain.
The Gameplay could be so much better
Walking and looking around in this game just feels so strange. It’s so slow and cumbersome. You can’t jump, though you can sprint (thankfully). It feels more like a point-and-click adventure as you move through this world, but what a world this is — but I’ll get into that a bit more when the time comes.
Overall, you’ll need to make decisions that can impact your chances of survival during your trips. You’ll embark on multiple trips per playthrough, and after the elections, you’ll be able to do it all again.
Yes, elections. This game does touch on politics, and it certainly feels like there’s some agenda there. The main antagonist is called Tyrak — I know of another politician whose name starts with a T that people love to hate.
I don’t want politics in my games. It’s not the place for it, so I did my very best to ignore any rhetoric and instead focus on the actual game.
Wait, where was I? Oh, the gameplay feels bad, man. Not the best experience, but there’s so much more to this game.
The good: story, characters, environment
Despite having pretty basic graphics, this game can be beautiful at times. The art style is rather charming, and each of the characters you’ll meet on your journey feels unique and different. Sure, most of them are way over the top, more like something out of an ’80s movie than anything you’ll see in modern times, but I quite liked the cast.
The story is one of change, and that’s pretty cool. We could all use a positive change to the way the world currently works, so that’s something I can get behind. Unless, of course, you decide to support Tyrak (which is an option in-game). Then I guess your story will be about maintaining the Status Quo.
But if you choose to either become a supporter of the other candidate or an outright rebel who would rather see an open civil war than free and fair elections, then it’s a story of change. It’s all a question of how you’ll try to bring about that change.
The story is gripping for this reason, and even though it can be painfully boring at times, you’ll feel compelled to sit through this one. In some ways, it feels more like watching an interactive movie.
Then there are the moments. In between all this strife that this country is going through, you’ll find beautiful moments of peace and beauty that feel like they need to be cherished, safeguarded, even. Remembered fondly as you put the game down and go about your daily business. These changes of pace add to the storytelling in a big way, since most modern games seem perfectly happy to rush you through a half-baked, adrenaline-backed storyline with more plot holes than a kindergarten play.
Enough ranting, is Road 96 even worth playing?
Well, if you’ve ever dreamed of being an illegal immigrant trying to escape an oppressive regime and find your freedom, then this is the perfect game for you. I’m kidding again, of course.
In short, yes. This game is something else. It’s one of those games you come across that makes you question what a game even is. Like, what defines a game? The team at Digixart took the typical game formula, chucked that right out the nearest window, and settled in to create whatever the hell they wanted, and it’s beautiful. I love this game.
It’s something so wildly different that it sparks in me (and even, perhaps, in you) the old dream of becoming a game developer and just making something people will enjoy and remember. It’s really that good (and that bad) of a game. You almost get that feeling that if this pretty rough-around-the-edges game could be so enjoyable, maybe your 2d pixel-art adventure game has a shot, too.
Just be warned, the storytellers behind Road 96 are a smart bunch. This isn’t quite a creative masterpiece, but it’s a game I’ll remember because of the story, because of the characters. 9/10 I would recommend at least one playthrough of this — quite frankly — odd title.
You can play Road 96 free for the moment if you have an active PlayStation Plus Extra subscription. It’s around $20 on Steam, but I’m not sure it’s worth all of that. I might wait for a discount if I were looking to buy the game. Is it worth (for example) $10? Absolutely.