Road 96 🛣️

its like firewatch slightly, i also recommend firewatch

Recommended – 3.5/5 Even though I got the bad ending, I truly enjoyed Road 96. The story is simple—you make choices, meet people, and see where the road takes you—but I found myself genuinely attached to all of the characters. The dialogue was simple—not too serious, not trying too hard... well, a little bit cringy to be honest, LOL—but it somehow worked and felt fitting for the game’s tone. This game doesn’t try to prove anything big—it leans into simplicity, and that’s what makes it so captivating. The graphics are minimalistic but beautiful, and the scenery throughout the journey is honestly awesome. I did come across some issues—black screens, the game freezing in the middle of scenes, and a few crashes here and there. Annoying, yes, but forgivable considering how much I enjoyed the overall experience. All in all, Road 96 is a unique, heartfelt road trip that’s definitely worth taking. I’ll be back to try for a better ending someday.

A truly insightful and inspiring game. I wish I could forget it and start over from scratch. It covers three months of the summer of 1996 in a made-up authoritarian regime that has grown stronger after the radical opposition was accused of a terrorist attack. Now it's a broken society headed by an irreplaceable president, and the next election is approaching in a tense atmosphere. Out of habit, fear, and repression, the current president is expected to win. Yet a minority still holds out hope for the protest candidate, while some are preparing to rally against the government, and the most radical ones are making bombs. During that melting summer, teenagers are fleeing the country, preferring to try their luck on Road 96, illegally crossing the closed border, rather than grow up in such hopeless surroundings. You don't know their reasons, but can only try to help them survive along the way, switching to a new ward after the previous one has succeeded... or failed in any way. In this desperate road movie, you're destined to meet new people, make decisions you'll regret, unravel the intertwined stories of core characters, and ultimately confront a future for the state forged by your choices. Most of the road events are random, so each playthrough will be different. Oh, one more thing... there is a KILLER on the road. At the same time, it's not too serious. You're free to enjoy road trips, wonderful music, humorous scenes with interesting characters, and some light arcade-style encounters — no need to overthink it if you don't want to. Just savor the summer vibes, or go further, if that's your intention. Because there are also a bunch of serious questions posed: Is every social action political, like the quote "everything is political" from another game suggests? What is the value of one’s life compared to the "greater good"? And you can dig deeper and deeper. It’s not the ending that matters; the whole thing feels more like a meditative observation of your own reflections along the path.

The relaxing feeling that you are on the road on a journey, compounding with the thoughts of danger that can be so near, its such a masterpiece! Love the musics too. GO STANNNNN AND MITCHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

AMAZING GAME! I can't stop playing it! It's so beautiful in almost every way! Props to the devs!

I would have never thought that I'd like this game this much. Let me start off with the looks: this indie, cartoony setting was perfect for the road trip vibe, don't think I could imagine the game in any other way. The whole plot was very gripping and I liked the fact that you are handed control of different teens during the story, you get to see a whole different road trip within the same playthrough. Talking about playthrough, the devs hit the sweetspot in my opinion with the duration of the story. I also loved that you are introduced to a small handful of characters from whom you get to know more and more with each part of the road trip and towards the end you begin to understand what exactly is going on and why, what are the motives of these people and their complete backgrounds. To say the least, they did a wonderful job with the storytelling. In this game you are mostly in conversation with people and the whole action is driven by what you choose to say in these situations and what path you select. Now, I don't have insight on how much these choices determine your playthrough, but there are about 6 dillemas which can greatly change the whole story. Regardless of the impact, I also enjoyed these convos, didn't find them dull or anything, but I believe the significant choices do have a sizeable impact. As of writing this review I've only done one playthrough, but I can see how the next time the whole story could go a different way, and that's the charm in this game, every time it's a bit different. This game is truly a hidden gem. I didn't even really understand what it is about while I was browing in the store, I just put it on my wishlist. But let me just say that it was a lot more than I'd expected. I always wait for games to go on a discount, but even at full price, I would say this is worth it. Strongly recommend!

Absolutely beautiful game, both in terms of its art and writing. I saw gameplay of this one a couple years back, and the art style reminded me a bit of Firewatch, so I went in thinking it'd be a similar experience. And while it was a very emotional journey, it was much more choice-based and political than I was expecting. I'm not usually super huge into politics taking this much of the forefront in the media I consume. However, the world building and characters' storylines are crafted so well, it's very hard not to get immersed. You would think since the game seems to be based on 2016 politics, it would be a tad more dated. But instead, there's a lot of beats here that probably make the game a lot more topical now than it was when it first released in 2021. Could not recommend this one enough!

I really enjoyed the 90s athompshere and music of the game and also the idea of playing multiple characters trying to do the same thing. Would totally recommend it for anyone looking for story-driven 80s/90s vibes games.

Got this game on sale for like 4$. Totally worth it. Although the game is very political throughout all of its gameplay, the game still offers an amazing selection of songs, character arcs, and story. It was really interesting to see how all of these people connected over time as we uncover more and more events and how much that impacts what occurs later, even if you don't know it at the time. I would recommend this game if you're looking for a more laid-back story telling game. Most of the time the plot is very chill, but also deep or funny at times.

Road 96 is the game I needed at this point in time. It felt super relevant to the times, and I felt that it was a good game all around. The story is captivating, and had its ups and downs, its moments of suspense, good drama and comedy, and overall made me [i]feel[/i]. I loved learning more and more about the characters I interacted with, and it really does feel like a series of road trips. The music is top notch, and I immediately purchased the soundtrack. Purchased during a Steam sale for $4, and honestly feel that it is worth more. Just finished my first play through, and look forward to trying it again. Highly recommend!

First of all I ve played more than 3 hours (nearly finished the game), but for some reason steam is bugged. With that out of the way, this game is much different from what i expected. All the trailers and gameplay footage show a roadtrip drifter-esque adventure with many different things happening along the way but in reality it is a "Choose between Voting or Recolution" Simulator (for lack of a better term). The graphics are ok, nothing special, even though most of the characters dont move their mouths at all when they are speaking, or even if they move it it looks completely unrealistic. I dont know the budget of this game but Ive heard it was government funded, and it shows in its core and the story. The story explores some great themes, such as freedom(physical and political), free roaming and exploring the nature, but it is cut short from all the Political stuff. Again, this game is HEAVILY POLITICAL. It forces you to choose between choices that dont really seem to impact the world around you or your relationship with the characters. It feels more like a giant poll, asking the player about their political views and beliefs. Maybe I am still trying to finish the game and havent given up on it already because I am playing it right after "Papers, Please" which is a masterpiece and i highly recommend. If you want to experience the injustice and the opression of a regime and the lust for freedom, "Papers,Please" for example does it right. NOT THIS GAME! And finally, the characters... All of them apart from Stan and Mitch (and them too sometimes) are actually pretty boring, one dimensional and downright terrible people. And the one guy the game tries to pass as a terrible person and a serial killer, Jarod, is so over the top diabolical and bad and evil that it isnt even slightly believable. He is just irritating and time consuming. And lastly, one of my biggest issues was the inconsistency in the character interactions. You are supposed to be playing the part of many different teens that all encounter the main characters of the game throughout their journey to the border. All of these kids share nothing in common, as far as knowledge goes, and dont know the main characters before hand. But after a certain point in the game, the game just completely forgets about this fact and know your teen knows as much as YOU, the player, do. It doesnt make sense. For example, John gets in on of the teen's car and the teen immediately knows his name and that he is one of the Brigades, even though they never met. And John, like the other Brigades or most of the characters for that matter, has ZERO problem divulging incriminating information that he is part of a "terrorist" group. The game builds its narrative around the fact that somehow the player must have full control over the most important decisions in the story, but the way it delivers this makes no sense. A serial killer who kills hitchhiking teens would never spare one just because they took a random liking in them, a "terrorist" leader would never leave the decision of his group's next actions to a kid he just met 5 minutes ago! They tried, but they failed in many aspects of it. I wiil keep playing in order to finish this, and I hope that my choices have actual consequences and change the landscape of the story. But i kinda doubt it... At least the music is cool I guess...

Loved the entire experience! It felt like final part of it was kinda rushed imo but game as a whole was an amazing journey.

okay game for sure, coulnt attach to any of the charchaters. i bought if on discount to be tottaly honest w/u would i pay fullprice? nah would i buy it again 4 50% yessir thanks for riding my review it makes me happy!

good mood, good vibe, good gameplay, good story, SMASHING OST!

Quite unlike any game I've played, personally, and yet familiar to me as a fan of the Fighting Fantasy 'choose your own adventure' books from when I was a kid. The actual gameplay is very simplistic and not especially satisfying by itself. However, the story is a gripping one, almost epic in scope, offering numerous different paths and opportunities I'm looking forward to exploring in the future. Fascinating how some of the choices you're given here see you sucked into making decisions you didn't expect to make, saying something about the complexities and impact of politics and activism. Completely enthralling, I'd love to play more stuff like it.

Enjoyable story but i wish there was more to do Interacting with the characters through different POVs and slowly understanding their story is what made me enjoy it the most, worth a play especially for the sale price 7/10 :)

A beautiful, narrative-driven game that sorta behaves like a roguelite. Every time you reach the end, in one way or another, you restart, keeping all abilities you've acquired between playthroughs and getting to see the consequences of your actions, progressing with the characters' stories through random encounters. Overall, a unique experience I definitely recommend, although, as much as I loved it, probably not at full price

I wish Steam had a neutral option. This game is fun to play, there's an interesting setting, the characters are unique. It feels great trying to survive as a runaway. The randomly generated scenes are excellent. This game does so much right only to majorly bungle the ending. The issue is your choices don't matter. At all. There's one end-in with 3 slight variations. This game goes above and beyond to tell you every choice matters and they just don't. For example, one character wants to build a bomb. If you don't stop him later you have to try to disarm the bomb. If you do stop him, someone else just places an identical bomb in the same place.

Road 96 is a game with a great narrative. As you journey toward the border, you meet a variety of memorable characters, each with their own unique stories. It's catchy, thrilling, funny, and emotional. It really has everything. Definitely recommended!

One of the best games I've ever played and the first game I've 100% completed.

Amazing game I recommend that everyone plays it especially if it is on sale

- im in car - some fuckass gay lover robbers get in - tell me to drive - i drive - they ask me a robber quiz - i fail it miserably - i get kicked out of my own car - am in the middle of the road - i find some kid in a phone booth -he says i need to use a metal detector to find some key in order to open some locker with button -i click button -he calls some resistance member -he hangs up - i convince him to call his mom - they have a wonderful convo - the kid fetches me a free taxi ride - taxi ride is weird, lots of banging and voices from the back - driver says its nothing - i insist somethings wrong - tells me nothing is wrong and to stfu - a fucking head pops out through the chair screaming HELP - we stop - driver goes to check on the back - head gets pulled back - amidst the driver leaving, i lean into the front, honking the car, and stealing some random mixtape - driver comes back, says everything is okay now :) - gets a full mag dumped on me - great success

I found the game entertaining a lot, mostly because of very lively main characters with great storylines, struggles and entertwinned histories. The main story is great too, and the non-linear way to tell it was refreshing - however, I felt like the endings were a bit of a letdown. None of them were bad, but their execution felt lacking and didn't do the character arcs justice. Still, it's a great experience and definitely worth dedicating 6-7 hours to it

Amazing narrative experience, recommended for all of those that enjoy a good story in videogames. It's not a masterpiece but it is above average in terms of writing and engagement.

I loved this game! amazing soundtrack and story I came looking for a lake alike game I was not expecting this.

Road 96 is a gripping narrative road trip where your choices really matter. The soundtrack is phenomenal, and I absolutely love the art style, it gives the whole game a special atmosphere. Every run feels fresh and meaningful. A must-play for story lovers. 10/10

its a magnificent story i have beat the game multiple times and its still fun to do because of the amount of different paths you can take it is really recomended for people that are looking for a story and some action

Great Indie game, took 8 hours to complete so short but a great little expiernce .

Intense storytelling, great characters, an engaging and compelling journey.

This one's interesting. Instead of experiencing the fate of one main character you encounter seven ( eight ) characters and their interwoven story lines. The player character however stays faceless. But you still have enough choices to influence the story in a meaningful way. The game claims to be procedural but in the end this only accounts for the order of predefined events but offers enough variance for a replay. Each play through consists of six road trips, which can also end in death sometimes. Game play wise it's a walking sim with several mini games in the mix. Art direction is gorgeous and the soundtrack fits the road trip perfectly. Only thing that bothered me at first was the strong political theme, but without that the game probably wouldn't work.

10/10 story game. couple of the revolutionary voicelines are a bit goofy with weird opinions, but thats just the leftist infighting in me

An incredible political game, i really liked it, and loved how you can get deep on each character's story. My only complain is that maybe sometimes the music was too repetitive, but that doesn't mean they were bad tunes, they were actually really good!

I was positively surprised by this game. Stumbled upon it not expecting much but wow. Loved every second of it, from the characters to the graphics and especially the soundtrack. Cannot recommend enough 10/10 experience.

Road 96 is a surprisingly deep and immersive narrative experience. The character development is well-crafted, and despite being a linear game at heart, it offers a remarkable sense of freedom through branching choices and randomized story encounters. That unpredictability truly captures the spirit of a road trip. While later playthroughs are required to fully unlock all storylines and collectibles—something that can feel a bit repetitive—the emotional impact remains strong. At times, the story echoed my own country and personal experiences. It was bittersweet, even painful, but I’m grateful a game like this exists to let us imagine what it means to break free in a dystopian world.

Eines der Besten Spiele die ich je gespielt habe, Großartige Story, mit Spielraum für viele Perspektiven

Great game and good story, worth a playthrough

I dont remember how much i payed for this game, but man was it worth it! Theres tons of plot and different options you can make, along with a good chunk of playtime hours.

oh but of course one of the only characters i like in this game gets shot by a cop in my ending...

Very realistic US politics simulator. None of the MCs are believable. A teenager would never be able to leave their room, regardless of any tyranny, though this game does play before I was even born, so I might be wrong. 9/10 would leave the country again.

I actually really enjoyed this game! Not that I was expecting it to be bad or anything, I just enjoyed it even more than I anticipated! Really satisfying character development and interactions, and seems like there is a decent amount of replay-ability. Would definitely recommend picking this game up, and it would be a no-brainer if it is on sale!

Very fun and feels fast paced, with a lot of replayability. Some of the endings left me super sad though. I guess that's like real life though.

This game was not what I was expecting but 100% only in the good way. The story, without any spoilers, is just amazing! This game is really all about "the people you meet along the way". If you are not sure whether you should buy this game or not and you like games that are more story driven, then this is definitely a game for you.

Road 96 is a brilliant game! The art style is colorful and unique, not super realistic but still very good. The music is amazing too, it really sets the mood. The game mixes exploring, talking, making choices, and doing little mini-games. It’s not about shooting or fighting it’s more about the journey and the choices you make. Best part about it is each playthru is different so every time you play your road trip feels new

Casual storytelling done right. The interconnecting narratives from teen to teen that you play are done right but perhaps the biggest plus for me is the soundtrack. The ambient use of sound and the music really hook you into the story. I find myself just sitting there listening to the songs. It's a relatively short game but very much worth it in my opinion

Heartwarming adventure game with choices, immersive plot and nice music.

one of the best games I have ever played, cringy ass dialogue from the teen girl but the rest is genuinely so intriguing. FANTASTIC MUSIC.

--- Graphics --- ☐ You forget what reality is ☐ Beautiful ☑ Good ☐ Decent ☐ Bad ☐ Don’t look too long at it ☐ MS-DOS --- Gameplay --- ☐ Very good ☑ Good ☐ It’s just gameplay ☐ Mehh ☐ Watch paint dry instead ☐ Just don’t --- Audio --- ☐ Eargasm ☑ Very good ☐ Good ☐ Not too bad ☐ Bad ☐ I’m now deaf --- Audience --- ☐ Kids ☑ Teens ☑ Adults ☐ Grandma --- PC Requirements --- ☐ Check if you can run paint ☑ Potato ☐ Decent ☐ Fast ☐ Rich boi ☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer --- Game Size --- ☐ Floppy Disk ☐ Old Fashioned ☑ Workable ☐ Big ☐ Will eat 15% of your 1TB hard drive ☐ You will want an entire hard drive to hold it ☐ You will need to invest in a black hole to hold all the data --- Difficulty --- ☐ Just press ‘W’ ☑ Easy ☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master ☐ Significant brain usage ☐ Difficult ☐ Dark Souls --- Grind --- ☐ Nothing to grind ☐ Only if you care about leaderboards/ranks ☑ Optional upgrades if you're a loot goblin ☐ Average grind level ☐ Too much grind ☐ You’ll need a second life for grinding --- Story --- ☐ No Story ☐ Some lore ☐ Average ☐ Good ☑ Lovely ☐ It’ll replace your life --- Game Time --- ☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee ☑ Short ☐ Average ☐ Long ☐ To infinity and beyond --- Price --- ☐ It’s free! ☐ Worth the price ☑ If it’s on sale ☐ If you have some spare money left ☐ Not recommended ☐ You could also just burn your money --- Bugs --- ☐ Never heard of ☑ Minor bugs ☐ Can get annoying ☐ ARK: Survival Evolved ☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs --- Score (/10) --- ☐ 1 ☐ 2 ☐ 3 ☐ 4 ☐ 5 ☐ 6 ☑ 7 ☐ 8 ☐ 9 ☐ 10

Road 96 is a powerful, emotional journey driven by choice. The stylized graphics create a vivid, immersive world, and the soundtrack perfectly captures the mood of freedom and uncertainty. Each character you meet is deeply written, adding layers to the story. The gameplay blends exploration, narrative, and decision-making seamlessly. Every choice shapes your path, making each playthrough feel unique and deeply personal.

This game is honestly really good. It has somewhat decent replayability value and the overall gameplay experience is enjoyable.

Really eye pleasing graphics, game runs smooth and I love how your choices actually matter