More console versions are here following the initial PC and Nintendo Switch launch
DigixArt and Ravenscourt launched Road 96 on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S today, and the cycle is complete — it’s everywhere it needs to be! The game is $19.99 on the PlayStation Store and Microsoft Store, and the cross-gen versions are bundled up.
Road 96 is a branching road-trip narrative adventure that hasn’t left my mind since I played it last year. For all of its quirks and kinks and less-than-ideal baseline performance on Nintendo Switch, I had such a messy, memorable time carving my way through the tumultuous nation of Petria in search of a brighter future across the border. Road 96 is going to be a swing and a miss for a lot of people, but it can also really resonate — at least, it did for me! And if you’ve been waiting on more console ports, the time is now.
It’s one of those games that truly goes for it, and while that approach can fall flat when too many elements miss the mark, collectively, I had a good time.
With cornball characters and dramatic story events swinging back and forth between intentional and (seemingly) unintentional humor, it’s interesting to hear how the creators think of Road 96. In the PlayStation and Xbox port announcement, the studio describes “moments of action, exploration, contemplative melancholy, human encounters, and wacky situations.” That’s… very accurate! This is a road trip game in more ways than one.
In real life, I can’t get in a car and drive — or even ride! — for any solid chunk of time without something going wrong. A missed turn. An awkward course correction. A general sense that “this can’t possibly be the fastest way there.” Shenanigans, every damn time.
In the exaggerated, cartoonish, yet highly political world of Road 96, I feel right at home as a wayward teen who has to deal with detours every step of the way.
Just keep your cool in the taxi.
Published: Apr 14, 2022 03:00 pm