2025-04-30 12:19:28

I had heard a lot of good things about Road 96 and, after seeing it stay at 'Overwhelmingly Positive' reviews for a while, I decided to pick it up. I was really excited to start playing, but unfortunately I was very disappointed. It seemed like they were going for a telltale-style game with multiple different character/storylines, but completely missed the mark. The main theme is an interesting one, but it completely lacks in what makes choice-based games great.

- The dialogue is very cliche, cringey, and unrealistic (which for a political choice-based game is very important).
- The same handful of character models are repeated over and over again just with different hair styles/colour and clothes, which can quickly remove immersion from the game
- The animation of the character's is awful, especially when talking. It is so distracting.
- The choices and decisions you make don't really change much at all except for maybe 1 or 2 main ones within any given storyline. You can be either horrible or lovely to a character, and they will treat you the same no matter what. It really does not matter what choices you make.
- There are reoccuring characters within different storylines that you interact with, and I found that they were consistent between storylines. For example, [spoiler]in my first playthrough I met a character named Zoe. While she greeted you, it was made clear that she prefers travelling alone and that she doesn't want to travel with you, no matter how you try and convince her (trailer-park chapter). However, in my next storyline, Zoe instantly wants to travel with you, and becomes you're best friend playing connect four with you (hitchhiking with strangers chapter). These were the only times I had met Zoe, and back-to-back she goes from being apprehensive and not wanting to travel with other teenagers, to then going and instantly befriending this random other teenager and wanting to travel with them to the boarder! It was so jarring and contradictory. This hitchhiking chapter was made clear that it was set [i]after[/i] the trailer-park chapter. So I don't know what's happened in that small time frame for her to completely change her attitude towards travelling, but it was very distracting and made me lose any immersion I had in the game.[/spoiler]

Don't get me wrong, there were things in this game that were interesting and fun (like the minigames, and the addition of money and how you choose to spend it to alter the storyline), but these features were completely overshadowed by the bad points I just listed. All of the points above I would easily look past if this game wasn't a politcal, very story-driven, choice based, telltale wannabe game, where the elements listed above are crucial to the game. This game doesn't have many other features to depend upon. What this game depends upon are interesting and unique characters that the player should grow attachment to along with choices that make an impact, which this game doesn't hit the mark at all. It's hard to become attached to characters or a story when character models are repeated constantly, have absolutely awful animations and dialogue, and are inconsistent with their choices and personalities.

I wanted to like this game, but it was just too bad of an experience to continue playing. Maybe it's just me, but I wanted to at least write these points down as I feel like I'm the only one talking about this.

2025-04-26 07:14:30

Really great game! The story and characters are really well done and you can make a lot of choices that impact your playthrough and its ending. There’s so much to discover and mess around with that you probably won’t get bored for a second. The soundtrack and graphic style are pretty nice too. Wish there were more games like this. 9/10

2025-04-25 19:05:48

Love this game! The soundtrack is perfect for the Americana style, the different choices give a varied game every time you play and it's a cathartic chill out from current events.

2025-04-25 03:33:29

---{Graphics}---
☐ Paint.exe
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ Bad
☐ Average
☑ Decent
☐ Good
☐ Beautiful
☐ You forget what reality is

---{Gameplay}---
☐ Just don‘t
☐ Starring at walls is better
☐ Meh
☑ It‘s just gameplay
☐ Good
☐ Very good

---{Audio}---
☐ Ear rape
☐ Bad
☐ Average
☐ Good
☑ Very good
☐ Eargasm

---{Audience}---
☐ Kids
☐ Teens
☑ Adults
☐ Human

---{PC Requirements}---
☑ Check if you can run paint
☐ Potato
☐ Decent
☐ High Tech
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer

---{Difficulty}---
☐ Just press ‚A‘
☑ Easy
☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Difficult
☐ Significant brain usage
☐ Dark Souls

---{Grind}---
☐ Nothing to grind
☐ Only if you care about leaderboards/ranks/achievements
☑ Isn't necessary to progress
☐ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You‘ll need a second live for grinding

---{Story}---
☐ Story?
☐ Text or Audio floating around
☐ Bad
☑ Average
☐ Good
☐ Lovely
☐ It will replace your life

---{Game Time}---
☐ Long enough for a cup of tea
☐ Short
☑ Average
☐ Long
☐ To infinity and beyond

---{Price}---
☐ You could also just burn your money
☐ Not recommended
☐ If you have some spare money left
☑ Wait for discounts
☐ Worth the price
☐ It’s free!

---{Bugs}---
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ Can get annoying
☑ Minor bugs
☐ Never heard of

---{ ? / 10 }---
☐ 1
☐ 2
☐ 3
☐ 4
☐ 5
☐ 6
☑ 7
☐ 8
☐ 9
☐ 10

2025-04-21 18:34:16

I liked it, even though in the end I feel a bit mixed.

Didn’t know anything before playing, which was great, was very pleasantly surprised, even though I expected less story-driven game and more road trip simulator. It is more like a Telltale game which I did not mind.

First half of the game I was hooked, felt genuine emotions towards characters and story. Really liked the gameplay loop and overall concept. Then in the second half I felt like the game overstated its welcome. Plot points, gameplay and interaction started to get repetitive and I just coasted to the end, not caring that much anymore. But, I must mention that the music is amazing!

Also, I hate Jarod and do not understand the sympathy for a serial killer, but people are strange, so go figure...

2025-04-15 02:39:59

its like fire watch, but political. I love fire watch, so i love this.

2025-04-09 04:39:00

Good game, I felt it even more, because same s*it is happening right now in Serbia... 8/10

2025-04-07 00:49:35

The Game is such a Vibe. 10/10
It's got an Interesting Story with cool Unique characters, who all have a lot of charm and exciting how their storys unfold
Music is on Spot with the game tone when it has to be, epic music in an intense moment and super chill moments to just enjoy the Vibe.
The game is very Streamlined with the story, it gives you the options what you want to explore first and focus on, but most times you should'nt miss that much and can catch up with other people

Play it, you won't regret it.

2025-04-06 03:30:54

Road 96? More Like Road to Nowhere

Oh, Road 96? If you’re looking for a deep, narrative-driven game with meaningful choices, then this is definitely not it. The game tries so hard to be profound with its random, branching paths and supposed “life-changing decisions,” but all you get is a broken down, repetitive mess of poorly executed storylines. Instead of a gripping journey, it’s just a series of random events stitched together with no real heart or substance.

🚗 **Gameplay? More Like Road to Frustration **

Let me guess—this is supposed to be a road trip game, right? Wrong. What you’re actually doing in Road 96 is running, walking, or hitchhiking across the same stretch of road over and over, doing repetitive tasks that barely change with each new run. Every choice you make doesn’t actually matter—it’s just a loop of “pick up item, avoid guard, chat with a random NPC,” rinse and repeat. The game’s randomness is not exciting; it’s just tedious. You’ll spend hours wandering from one encounter to another, hoping for something exciting to happen, only to be slapped with more dull conversations and pointless encounters that barely move the story forward. If I wanted a dull walking simulator with no direction, I’d go for an actual road trip.

🗣️ **Characters? More Like Flat, Annoying NPCs **

The characters in Road 96 are about as one-dimensional as they come. You’ll meet random NPCs who are supposed to “impact” your journey, but all they do is drone on about their generic backstories that you don’t care about. Everyone’s either a revolutionary, a cop, or a conspiracy theorist with a bad haircut, and it’s as if the game thinks these clichés are enough to make them interesting. They’re not. You’ll find yourself skipping dialogue or tuning them out, because none of the characters feel real or engaging. At the end of the day, you’re just checking off boxes of interactions instead of connecting with anyone.

💔 **Choices? More Like Pointless Decisions That Lead Nowhere **

Oh, and don’t get me started on the “choices.” The game hypes up these so-called life-altering decisions you get to make, but in reality, they’re just illusions. Whether you choose to give a character some money or steal it, or whether you side with one faction over another, the game doesn’t really change—you’ll get a few lines of different dialogue, but the story moves forward in the same way. It’s like a magic trick where you’re told to pick a card, but in the end, all the cards are the same. Don’t be fooled by the illusion of choice—nothing you do in this game matters.

🎮 **Mechanics? More Like Clunky and Frustrating **

The mechanics in Road 96 are a mess. It feels like the game was trying to juggle too many things at once and ended up failing at all of them. The controls are awkward and imprecise, whether you’re driving, hitchhiking, or trying to sneak past guards. The driving mechanic is an absolute disaster—good luck trying to steer a car that feels like it’s made out of jello. The fact that you have to constantly worry about your stamina, money, and health adds an unnecessary layer of frustration to an already tedious experience. You’re constantly micro-managing all these irrelevant details instead of actually enjoying the story or the journey.

🎭 **Story? More Like A Boring Road Trip With No Destination **

Now, let's talk about the story, because that’s supposed to be the highlight of a game like this, right? Well, don’t get too excited. The narrative is fragmented, disjointed, and filled with characters and events that don’t add up to anything substantial. You’re supposed to feel like you’re part of something bigger, like you’re fighting for freedom or escaping an oppressive regime, but honestly, I felt more like I was just checking off boring boxes in an aimless road trip. The plot is repetitive and vague—each “new” section just feels like a copy of the last one. The story is there, but it’s so poorly executed and thin that it fails to create any real emotional investment. If this is supposed to be a “story-driven” game, then it missed the mark completely.

💤 **Pacing? More Like Endless Wandering **

The pacing in Road 96 is downright painful. For a game that’s supposed to be about the excitement of a cross-country adventure, it’s shockingly slow. There’s no real sense of urgency or excitement—just long stretches of walking, driving, and repeating tasks. Every new area feels like a chore to explore, and there’s no real payoff for your efforts. Instead of feeling like you're progressing, you feel like you're stuck in a never-ending loop, stuck in traffic with no way to get off the road.

💀 Conclusion: Road 96 Is A Road to Nowhere

In conclusion, Road 96 is the epitome of wasted potential. It promises a thrilling journey, but what it delivers is a dull, repetitive slog of pointless choices and forgettable characters. The mechanics are clunky, the story goes nowhere, and the entire experience feels like a bad road trip that you’re trying to escape from. If you’re looking for a narrative-driven adventure, look somewhere else. This game will leave you wondering how a road trip could possibly be this boring.

⭐ Rating: 4/10

(One point for the potential of the idea—it could have been an interesting experience. One point for the art style—it has a nice visual flair. Two points for multiplayer—because playing with friends might make it slightly less boring. Everything else? A never-ending journey to disappointment.)

2025-04-05 10:10:51

This game is so multifaceted. It is a drama, a comedy, a cuteness, a tense thriller, a crime and an action. A charge of good and sad mood is guaranteed. Great music. Lots of funny mini-games. The player's choice affects the progress of the plot, the fate of the main characters and their relationships with other characters.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3458248799