Road 96: You will not forget this roadtrip so quickly!

Do you still remember this Choose Your Own Adventure books from the 80s and 90s? Imagine the whole thing in video game form and you have about the concept of Road 96: You are experiencing a personal story whose exit alone is determined with your decisions! Instead of driving on the island of the 1000 or even the moon, however, in the Indie Adventure, however, in the Fictional Land Petria, which is crossed by political tensions.

According to a terrorist attack, President Tyrak was quasi to the chosen dictator and controlled the people with an iron hand. The border now adorns a huge concrete wall, citizens in forced labor camps, all media were equally switched and distribute only all the fine propaganda. In short: no nice place.

Country Roads

That s why you have also set your head to return Petria as quickly as possible. For this, you go to an adventurous roadtrip with your nameless teenager protagonists, at the end (at least ideally) is a successful escape. This is not easy, your way into freedom is generated by procedural. That is, you will encounter you and again randomly selected obstacles such as policemen, resistance fighters or crazy taxi drivers with hostages in the trunk. It is most commonly lacking money and energy. These are the two central resources in the game that decide on success and failure. With your hard-saved dollars you will make bus tickets, food and drink or just a call at mutti, so that does not worry. On the other hand, energy consumes its journey with every section covered. More, sometimes less - depending on how you cross the country. If you walk through the desert, that s even more exhausting than the route tramping in the sidecar of a motorcycle. Get the energy out, your trip is over. It can also be just as well that you will be snapped or even killed.

Everything you do has impact on the outcome of the story. If you send a poster poster, you can further radicalize the people and lead to the revolution. Source: PC Games A final game over is not. You just start with a newly created character, tries your luck on another random route and learn more about Petria and its inhabitants. Thus, there are such elections soon, which decide on the further future of the country and their result can be actively shaped! Each action has an impact on the game world. Whether you are now a poster of President Tyrak or talking to him in conversation for his counter-candidate Florres: Everything influences the outcome of the story - which is always clear with a little subtle note on the upper right screen edge. This makes the narrative of Road 96 (Buy Now 47.99 €) incredibly exciting and interactive, especially since the developers have managed to implement the politically charged setting very well. The adventure is sometimes really serious and does not stop even from gloomy scenes. There are also people in a bathtub fully acidified or defose defenseless teens from the border patrol. That s hard Tobak.

Freedom and truth

On the other hand, the journey through Petria can also be beautiful. This is above all about the many kind characters that you meet there. With every new character, on every new roadtrip you get to know this better and understands the context of history: What hides trucker John in his followers in front of the police? Who has it on the news speaker Sonya, and why? This opens up piece by piece. However, you will not get the complete view directly at the first playthrough. Finally, the construction of Road 96 is still randomly based. Some situations, settings and figures you get to see at the second attempt.

This hunt for missing puzzle pieces does not only bring a variety to the action, it also keeps the motivation high and ensures properly playback. In the New Game Plus you can combine the last open ends of history and even put on your previously collected benefits. Some NPCs have not only to tell you exciting things, they also give you helpful things on the way. Computer genius Alex is about a hacking tool, from the thief duo Stan and Mitch you get a Dietrich, which you can then use in the future with any new player character. While this ensures a few small logic problems: How did my protagonist suddenly an item that his predecessor has taken over the border? Overall, the tools and skills give the title again something necessary depth. The gameplay in Road 96 is rather shallow. The focus is clearly in the numerous dialogues, which are always interrupted by mini-games. Source: PC Games

More walking simulator as adventure

Otherwise, the gameplay is more thin. Playfully, Road 96 is best compare with the first season of Telltale s The Walking Dead: You can walk through the different scenes and interact with people and objects in the area. However, the focus is clearly on the detailed dialogues in which you have different answer options to choose from. Only occasionally scatter a few minigames for loosening. For example, you will play a round air hockey or try you in the guitar-hero style on a trombone. But that s at most a nice gimmick and not really worth talking.

The dialogues in Road 96 are only completely set in English in English. The German subtitles are unfortunately not always very saddlefest. Source: PC Games Also about the graphic can be argued. Road 96 is more minimalist, which happens in a coherent comic look. But there are always annoying problems: the frame rate falls off, characters glitches through the area, animations are unexplainable and textures. There would have been a little more in it. In addition, partly incorrect subtitles come, which is somewhat unhappy in view of the exclusively in English setting a little unhappy, and a fairly imprecise control, in which your figure continues two steps, although you have longited the analog stick long ago. These little blemishes then pull the overall impression then something.

The opposite is the successful setting, the unique game concept and the atmospheric staging. Especially the soundtrack is really outstanding. That s why I would definitely recommend Road 96. The extraordinary roadtrip, all criticism, despite, a very special gaming experience and definitely one of the indie highlights of this gaming summer that you should not miss. So please access the PC or the switch, the title has already been available for just under 20 euros since the 16th of August.

My opinion

From David Benke editor david.benke@computec.de

An emotional road trip with a strong political message

Road 96 has surprised me when I play. I had expected that one experienced here only a big road trip, which you can always repeat again. That instead, overarching history is told about the course of several smaller game runs, but works even better for me! This is also because the developers keep a sent at the bar: the politically charged setting makes a looked forward to the end, the characters are so charming that you want to get to know them better and the procedural game structure with small permanent upgrades opens up and again interesting new ways. Oh yes, and the soundtrack is bomb! Home Call by The Toxic Avenger, which also runs in the Reveal trailer, is immigrated directly to my personal playlist. The occasional problems are annoying, I admit that, but no absolute game fun brakes. There are at most deductions in the B-Note.

See all 8 pictures in the gallery

At the beginning of each new roadtrip you can choose from three teenagers whose energy, cash supply and startscenario varies. [Source: PC Games]

From David Benke editor 05.09.2021 at 09:06