One of the most dangerous practices and strongly discouraged on the road, apart from the stock car with non-approved pushchairs, is hitchhiking. Because the driver who innocently picks up a hitchhiker has no idea that his impromptu passenger happens to be a serial killer, just as the hitchhiker has no idea that it is an individual of the worst kind who is going to stop: the president of the Republic.
This is to say that it is a dangerous activity that ends well in 100% of the cases only in naughty movies for adults.
So you know what to expect, including on Road 96...
The fictional country in which the action takes place is in an unprecedented political crisis: a tyrannical dictator in power on the eve of elections, mysterious disappearances of young people, many of whom are not old enough to vote, but who are in total disagreement with the power to the point of wanting to flee by crossing the border of the neighboring country, by the only, dangerous and only road 96. In the game, this country has a name. But we can't help but draw parallels with many other real countries, so I choose to keep it anonymous to better make your soul vibrate. You play as one by one some of these missing teenagers. In fact, they fled to try to flee the dictatorial regime in place. Failure means death. Or worse... a mysterious torture camp whose cruelty is matched only by the energy put into the smothering of its existence by power.
The game, although Rogue lite, is actually a Narrative Rogue lite in which each electoral adventure is different from the previous one.
Let's take an example: the elections are on September 12th. Your run begins at the beginning of June with Ado A. The latter will have difficulty crossing the border and will take 5 days to cover the 1200 km that separates him from his destination. Teen B, whom you will play next, will begin his journey the next day, but he will end his life quickly, killed by an angry taxi driver whom you will not have been able to brush in the direction of the hair, 1350 km from the destination . Your third incarnation, just as unlucky, will end up exhausted in front of the border wall, having trusted an unmethodical smuggler and at the mercy of border police as brutal and radical as its leader. And this cycle will continue until the date of the elections which will be influenced by your actions, your choices and your encounters. In theory, there are no 2 identical runs. In practice, you will be able to find certain sequences from one run to another (but not within the same run). Your political, personal or other choices will affect your future and that of the country through meetings. Particularly with 8 individuals who are ultimately important to the story, each having a direct or indirect role to play and being able to grant you advantages for the following attempts, as well as the runs (= New games) that will follow.
It's complicated to explain in words what the game offers because of a certain diversity of situations, but explaining how it does it is easier.
You will thus control your character in the first person and you will move it to a point of interest generally obvious which will start a sequence with the people and places on the spot for which you have a great freedom. You will be able to come across a disused gas station in which you may be able to find some food or money to be able to continue on your way. Or maybe you'll find yourself dragged into a hostage situation. Or perhaps you will simply meet another child with whom to chat a little before moving on to the next sequence, which often will depend on the means of transport you choose to continue your journey to the next one (bus, walk, hitchhiking, driving yourself with a stolen car, taxi.) Each sequence can drain or refill your stamina, so be very careful in managing it because who knows what awaits you next?
And as such, the narrative gaming experience in Rogue lite form is unsettling and memorable, despite strong doubt that it's all going to work when the game launches. But the elements intertwine, the characters encountered are all colorful and above all Road 96 has a strong soul that engraves the mind in terms of gameplay as well as narration and interaction despite a very perfectible and optimizable technique. And in itself, succeeding in linking these two elements on such a genre and in addition having a real message to convey, is already a great success...
- Nintendo Switch - 19,96€
- Steam - 19,96€
- PlayStation 4 & 5 - 19,99€
- Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S - 19,99€
