Nintendo Switch gamers will already know all about this game, and Road 96 has now officially been released on PlayStation and Xbox, so strap in and get ready for a completely immersive and interactive gaming experience. Road 96 uses a procedurally generated narrative about several teens who are wanting to cross the border of a fictional country – Petria.
Now, this isn’t the first title to use procedurally generated mechanics – although slightly different, think about Blaseball and Wildermyth for example. That being said, the promise of shifting and randomizing a story like in Road 96 was seen as being incredibly ambitious and undeniably unique upon its release. When it dropped on Nintendo Switch last August, it was listed as one of the Switch’s best-selling indie games of 2021, it was even considered to be fairly unknown still, seemingly flying under the radar. But if you stray off the track occasionally you do encounter adventure like no other.
This is the third title from French company DigixArt, after the puzzle game Valiant Hearts: The Great War and the WW1 adventure game 11-11: Memories Retold, and each game is vastly different from the previous one. The announcement trailer represents just how vibrant Road 96 really is, which is enhanced by its cartoon-like aesthetic.
You might be thinking that this is a fun little game that you can relax and enjoy, with a quaint light-hearted narrative and an optimistic tone. Well, you couldn’t be more wrong because right at the heart of this game is a bubbling tension that is fuelled by politics and personal angst. You will need to explore vast wildernesses, flushing forests, whilst also interacting with questionable and untrustworthy NPCs.
Now, the trailer does warn you that every decision could be costly, but it could also pave your destiny out right in front of you. Take a look at the trailer before you get those hitchhiker thumbs out, and see what is truly in store for you.
