The tried and tested Road 96, a crossroads adventure with procedural elements of undeniable potential for Nintendo Switch and PC
The short and exciting demo gave us a way to do that Try Route 96Arriving in the summer on Switch and Steam, a thrilling adventure with actionable elements invites us to face a challenging journey of hikes, encounters and strange challenges that hinder our escape from the tyrannical country of Petria.
An adventure at a crossroads, the promise of countless variables
Announced with an evocative trailer during the 2020 Game Awards, Road 96 didn’t leave us indifferent with the promise of an atypical experience, starting with a special blend of stylistic elements. The hair of the ’70s, the clothes of the ’80s, and the music of the ’90s fit so well with the images of the authoritarian state of the late twentieth century that it fits with the dictatorship from which we are estranged. However, the views are those of the United States among the great deserts, snow-capped peaks, and fir forests. However, it is precisely in this combination of American drama and coastal-to-coast overtones that interesting spirit crossroads adventure With procedural, or rather randomly selected, elements that promise a real journey full of surprises and always different in each game.
The game’s environments include deserts, motels, and gas stations, as well as everything you can find along the highway. All stages of the journey that allow us to freely explore parts of the world where we can find job opportunities, means of luck, shortcuts and encounters, which are an essential element of the game. All these elements characterize, in fact, narrative dimension البعد Adventure that allows us, based on choices, to make friends and alliances or face enemies, as in the case of the policemen responsible for arresting those who intend to cross the border.
Turning down jobs or giving up express delivery can avoid some problems, which is already evident in the demo as structured as possible as the final game, but finding a lane that will allow you to cover many kilometers of travel in one fell swoop, as well as allow you to Better knowing who gave it to us, as in the case of the horrid thieves who carry the player in their sidecar in the first part of the demo. Here, among other things, we found ourselves busy throwing banknotes at a policeman, in one of the many mini games Designed to make money and make the trip exciting. However, this is too bad for the simplistic gameplay to say the least, which can also be said about the gas station mini-game that we encountered later.
The power of dialogue
The hope is that the so-called secondary activities in the final version will prove to be more motivating, even if they are obviously fillers designed to allow us to earn some money and entertain us in between different Dialogues, by far the most important feature of the experience.
On the one hand, they are the necessary adhesive to unite the highly contrasting narrative, on the one hand grotesque and light-hearted, with characters somehow inspired by Tarantino, and on the other hand full of dramatic situations between quirks of all kinds, moments of human melancholy and tragedies. And it is this factor which gives weight to our choices, as those who value them know well Crossroads adventures By Quantic Dreams, Dontnod, Supermassive Games, etc.
Unfortunately, the demo didn’t give us the opportunity to see the long-term implications of our business, but we wouldn’t have to wait long to check out. Initial impressions. Road 96 is set to release in the summer, both on Switch and on Steam, and from what we’ve seen we’re still anticipating an engaging adventure, devoid of inevitable skepticism about the actual variety of fun experience and mini-games that, for now, are production’s weakest point. But in the rest, we’re confident not just of what appears in the demo but of the names behind it which are the names of the authors of Valiant Hearts and 11:11 Memories Retold.
Among other things, Road 96 has all the atmosphere of being a game particularly suited to the combination of Switch and Umbrella. between Atmosphere and playability In fact, it looks perfect for moments of summer relaxation, and it can be fully used thanks to the Italian translation. On the other hand, the audio is only in English, but given the scale of production, it’s more of an option than understandable.
We’ve seen quite a bit of Road 96 so far, but the Digitar title certainly doesn’t lack the ability to deliver a noteworthy interactive storyline, able to combine procedural and adventurous elements at a crossroads with suggestive environments, gruesome characters, and important themes. However, the unknowns in variety and actual depth of narrative and mini-games undoubtedly remain the demo’s weak point.
Almtqat
- The combination of procedural elements and crossroads adventure has a lot of potential
- Atmosphere is working fine
- It also looks perfect for playing on the go
doubts
- Mini games that adjoin the superfluous
- We still see very little