Road 96 - Steam Game

Quite a unique game with a vast amount of experiences with different characters. I've never played a game where your choices significantly matter in the story(s) especially where it becomes political choices. Your choices do matter, whether that be negative or positive, you will face consequences with your actions. Which I find quite unique. I highly recommend, especially the deep emotions you gather from interacting with the characters.

Road 96 is a very unique game, and while it has its problems, it's a road trip I'd take again. While it touts itself as a story-driven game, this is fundamentally incorrect- the overall plot about the election and the protests is very weak; Instead, Route 96 is a character-driven game involving the intersecting lives of several NPCs, with your playable character(s) weaving those narratives together. Each of the NPCs is very finally crafted, and it made the smaller stakes of each person's life- for example, would Alex make up with his adopted mom?- feel much more important than the overarching question of who would win the election/what's the fate of the country/etc. Unfortunately, the game tries a bit too hard to tie every NPC's personal story into the weaker main plot, which feels contrived and makes the ending of the game have less impact. But Road 96 is hardly the first game to make this mistake, and the stories experienced along the way more than make up for it. The choice system could use a little polishing, as well. In most situations you are given three options that essentially break down to: protest and support violent change, vote and support non-violent change, or do nothing. While I understand that the developers were trying to make a political statement I feel they were remiss in not adding an option to side with the current administration- even if it always led to a bad ending. It goes against the themes of their own game: If your main character's goal is freedom from oppression, pigeonholing the player into what is essentially only one choice is a very odd storytelling decision. I say one choice because both 'protest' and 'vote' mean the same thing in the game: both want change, just using different methods. Ultimately, there is very little affected in the actual game, only the ending. As for the third choice, which is often framed as prioritizing oneself or one's own survival or simply a rejection of the entire system; Philosophically, is there any difference between not making a choice and siding with one or the other faction? By standing for nothing, are you simply prioritizing your own survival or are you actively making a choice to oppose both factions? The game can't seem to decide, and it made the third option feel phoned in, as if the developers added it because they felt they needed a third option that wasn't always "I don't know" or "I don't want to get involved." All of this culminates in making your choices feel like they...

Really cute game with alot of depth. You gotta play it at least 7ish times to get the whole story, but the ending is good enough to warrent it

Firstly, Road 96 is a game that heavily leans into political themes, and unfortunately, it does so in a way that feels incredibly biased. The game's narrative is centered around a dystopian version of a fictional country called Petria, and it presents a very one-sided view of the political situation in this world. The game is clearly trying to make a statement about certain real-world political issues, but it does so in a way that feels heavy-handed and lacking in nuance. Additionally, the gameplay in Road 96 is often frustrating and tedious. The game is essentially a choose-your-own-adventure style story, where the player is tasked with making choices that will ultimately determine the outcome of the game. Overall, Road 96 is a game that tries too hard to make a political statement, and in doing so, it fails to deliver an enjoyable gaming experience. The game's strong bias towards certain political viewpoints can be off-putting to some players, and the frustrating gameplay only adds to the disappointment.

I bought this because it looked interesting and I like choose-your-own adventure style games. This one has been fun so far. I look forward to continuing it and seeing what unfolds. The soundtrack is also really good.

Awesome game with a lot of re-play value. I had a blast even though I didn't fully understand the concept until I was more than half way through.

I played through the Life Is Stranger 1,2 and BTS at the beginning of covid...and it was my obsession. Ever since, I've been trying to scratch itch and while it's not better than LIS, Road 96 another win in my opinion. Great story telling. It's a bit on the nose with some things, but hey...what isn't now days. This one is for me.

I thoroughly enjoyed playing through the chapters and learning more about the unique characters. Definitely worth a playthrough!