Road 96 is a narrative-focused adventure game set in the fictional authoritarian nation of Petria, a country on the brink of major political change. An upcoming election looms large, and the nation’s future feels uncertain, volatile, and fragile. You don’t experience this story through the lens of a politician or a soldier, though. Instead, you step into the shoes of a series of teenagers who feel compelled to flee the country, heading north toward the border in search of something better. Safety. Freedom. Or sometimes just survival.
At its core, Road 96 is more or less a road trip simulator, but one filtered through the lens of desperation and hope. Each journey asks you to balance practical concerns like money, food, and energy while navigating hitchhikes, stolen cars, buses, and long walks down empty highways. Along the way, you’re thrown into unpredictable situations, some tense, some funny, some deeply uncomfortable. All of them, however, shape both your character’s fate and the larger narrative of Petria.
A Story Told Out of Order. On Purpose.
One of Road 96’s most distinctive features is its structure. Each run introduces you to a new teen, but the world persists. You repeatedly encounter a colorful cast of recurring side characters including truckers, rebels, government loyalists, and wanderers, all whose stories slowly come into focus over time. These characters are deeply interconnected, and the game smartly allows their arcs to unfold in different orders for different players.
Because events are semi-procedurally generated, no two playthroughs are exactly alike. I might meet a character at their lowest point, while another player meets them during a moment of confidence or control. This made conversations about the game experience especially fun. My buddy Bob originally recommended the game to me, and comparing how our stories unfolded felt like trading road stories after a long trip. We had the same destination, yet we took very different paths.
I really liked this design choice. I loved how personal my version of the story felt, even though the core narrative beats remained consistent. Though I will say, I found the randomness mildly frustrating, especially when certain character arcs felt incomplete or when they struggled to influence outcomes that I personally cared about. You can eventually see all character arcs to completion, though it requires playing through the game well after the credits roll. Still, the tension between control and chaos feels intentional, and thematically appropriate.
Choice, Consequence, and Complicity
By the end of the game, your cumulative choices and even your subtle actions influence what happens to Petria itself. Do you believe in change through the system via voting and civic participation? Do you support radical upheaval through revolution? Or do you remain indifferent, focusing only on your own escape and leaving the country to sort itself out?
What’s interesting is that Road 96 doesn't really tell you which choice is “correct”, though I do think the representation of some individuals will have you compelled to act a certain way. Really, though, the game wants you to make choices and it asks you to sit with the consequences. Some decisions feel noble but risky. Others feel selfish but safe. I did appreciated this ambiguity, as I found the game encourages reflection rather than lecturing. Most of the time, that is.
Political Parallels Both Subtle and Blunt
It’s impossible to ignore the political subtext of Road 96. Petria’s authoritarian leadership, public unrest, media manipulation, and polarized population inevitably invite comparisons to real-world political climates. A game like this feels very real and tangible when I think about what's happening in the United States at the time I'm writing this. The game does make some comparisons to specific political figures (whether that was the developers intent or not), though the game tries hard not too map cleanly onto any one ideology. It does explore universal themes: distrust in institutions, generational frustration, fear-driven leadership, and the question of how much responsibility individuals have within a broken system.
Going back to my previous thought, the writing overall occasionally feels heavy-handed. The game’s dictator is portrayed in a way that many players, myself included, picked up on the obvious real-world parallels. And even if that wasn't the intention, naming Petria's current President "Tyrak" couldn't be more on the nose if the writers tried. While the themes are compelling, the subtlety sometimes takes a backseat to blunt symbolism. Still, the game mostly avoids outright preaching, allowing players of different viewpoints to project their own interpretations onto the story.
Characters, Music, and the Indie Soul
Where Road 96 truly shines is in its characters. They’re flawed, human, and memorable, often stealing scenes through sharp dialogue or quiet vulnerability. Even when the overarching message stumbles, these characters ground the experience emotionally. It wasn't just how these characters were written. What made them so compelling is how you learn about each of them through the eyes of the characters you play, and I found it fascinating figuring out how all of these characters are connected to each other. The connections aren't surface level, either. Sometimes you find characters are connected through circumstance, yet share very differing opinions on how to deal with the state of Petria, which impacts their relationships in a way that feels authentic. While I had a specific mindset going into the game, some characters made me rethink my own stance a few times, and that's the mark of good characters and the writing that makes them.
The indie soundtrack on offer deserves special mention as well. The music perfectly complements the lonely highways and late-night drives, reinforcing the sense that this is less about winning or losing and more about the journey itself. There was a decent amount of music on offer here that made its way into my personal rotation of driving tunes, and I discovered some great indie bands and artists through this game.
The Road May End, but the Journey Sticks With You
At around eight hours, Road 96 felt like the perfect length. It delivers a complete experience without overstaying its welcome, and while multiple endings exist, I personally don’t feel a strong pull to replay it just to see them all. The story I experienced felt like my story, and that’s enough. Still, the game won't show you every single scene in a playthrough, nor will you see every moment with all of the characters. You're encouraged to play again, unlocking more view points, moments, and making more memories along the way.
If a procedurally generated road trip adventure with strong characters, political undertones, and a killer indie soundtrack sounds appealing, Road 96 is well worth your time. It’s messy, earnest, occasionally on-the-nose, but ultimately heartfelt. It may be cliché to praise "the journey" over "the destination", but this game embodies those ideas very well. And who you are when the journey starts and who you become as the journey unfolds is really up to you. And I can't think of a freedom more precious then that.
"On the Road" from Road 96 (G4F Records, 2021). Downloaded via KHInsider. All rights belong to G4F Records.