A few weeks ago, I played the demo for Tides of Tomorrow, the upcoming game from the team behind Road 96. Enjoyed it, will likely buy the full version at launch. That got me nostalgic over Road 96, so I went back to see what I’d said about it on the blog, and I found… nothing.

I may not be as diligent about updating this blog as I used to be, and I know some stuff has fallen through the cracks, but this feels like an egregious oversight. Road 96 is one of my favourite games of the last five years.

So better late than never. Let’s talk about it.

Road 96 is an indie narrative game where you play as a series of nameless teenagers trying to escape a fictional country suffering under an authoritarian regime. Your journey plays out through a series of short story-driven vignettes. Some scenes will always occur at certain points, but mostly the order you encounter scenes is highly randomized, so you never really know what to expect.

Note I said “a series” of teenagers up there. The game doesn’t end when your journey does. You start over with a new kid and do it all over again.

This isn’t a rogue-like, though. Each run is entirely new content, the game’s timeline advancing all the while until you reach the story’s climax. You may also wish to replay the game in the traditional sense on top of that, as it’s unlikely (impossible?) to encounter every scene on one run, there’s new game plus that lets you keep your unlocks, and this is a game where your choices can alter the trajectory of the story, so you may wish to results of other choices.

In terms of gameplay, it’s basically a walking simulator, with light survival mechanics and some very simple mini-games in some scenes. Ironically there’s no driving mechanics, which could be good or bad depending on how good you are at driving in games (I was relieved).

Each time you run to the border, you’ll bump into the same characters again and again, and even if it’s the first time meeting them for each of your nameless avatars, we as players of course remember them and can watch their stories evolve over time.

The characters are one of the many strengths of the game, but I don’t want to say too much about them, or the plot. While there aren’t necessarily any big twists per se, I think this a game that really benefits from going in fresh, with a minimum of expectation. I will say two things, though: STAN AND MIIIIITCH!!!!!!!!!!!

No road trip would be complete without music, and Road 96 understood the assignment. The soundtrack is absolutely killer, with banger after banger track. Styles range from folk to synth and more, perfectly capturing the eclectic mix of cozy comfort, eerie loneliness, and tense anxiety that defines the game. Truly one of the best game soundtracks I’ve ever had the pleasure to hear.

My one complaint is that the random nature of its layout can give you some serious tonal whiplash. You can go from an incredibly light and silly scene straight into something absolutely harrowing, or vice versa. But then the unpredictability is part of the charm, so it’s hard to say if that’s even entirely a negative.

There’s also some odd and forced product placement, but I guess indie teams have to get their funding somehow.

Road 96 is also incredibly blunt and unsubtle with its political messaging, but I don’t see that as a negative, especially in the current climate. “Fascism is bad” shouldn’t be a controversial statement.

This is one of those games where nothing I say is really going to do it justice. It’s got a very special mix of quirky charm and haunting poignancy that you just have to experience for yourself.

There was also a prequel, Road 96: Mile 0. While I didn’t dislike it by any stretch, like Oxenfree 2 it did feel a bit unnecessary. The original earns my unvarnished recommendation, though. It’s a must-play for any fan of story-driven games, road trips, or good music.

While writing this, I fell down the rabbit hole of listening to the soundtrack on YouTube, and the top comment on video read, “The worst part about this game is I’ll never be able to play it for the first time ever again.” So true.