Interstate 35 is a visual novel set in post-apocalyptic Texas. It is an odd game that begs to be played multiple times to get the whole story. After the first playthrough, I wasn’t sure what to think about it.
I’ve played a few of these visual novels so far. This one is a more complete game than many of the other games. At this point, I’m not sure I want to play this game again.
I like the setting and parts of the story, but it feels underwhelming. I have a number of questions about the story and the characters. The gameplay is exactly what you should expect from a visual novel, and I think that is part of the problem.
TLDR: Great Setting, but the Story and Gameplay are Disappointing.
Narrative
Our story picks up after a series of disasters. The setting is in Texas after a hydrogen bomb was accidentally dropped on Dallas. I got the impression of a total societal collapse following this, but we don’t hear about anything outside of Texas.
We follow three characters who act as scavengers. Ames and Lori work with the main character, who isn’t given a name. They seem to have worked together for a while, but we don’t learn much about them.
This is part of the problem with the game. I wanted to know more about the characters in the game, what happened to this place, and why the government abandoned Texas. It seems odd to me.
They meet with Marta, who gives them a job to retrieve her Bible from her church. The main character is from the town where Marta lives. The two of them don’t know each other, but Marta seems oddly interested in the main character.
The town is located in the hydrogen bomb’s fallout zone. The three have gone into the zone several times for different jobs. The drive into the town is uneventful, but once they get there, some weird stuff happens.
The three of them split up, and the main character goes to retrieve the Bible. The game’s ending is open to interpretation. Depending on your choices, there may be several other endings.
I left the game feeling disappointed. Although it has a great setting, I was left with many unanswered questions. I wanted to know more about the characters and what happened to make the game’s world end up like it did.
Gameplay
The gameplay is okay, but it is lacking in some areas. It would’ve been nice if there were some puzzles to solve or something other than selecting dialogue options. It is something that is holding the gameplay back from being great.
I like how there are some keywords to click on in the game. These give you a little information about the main character. It isn’t much, but it is nice to have this here.
You’ll get some items if you click on the keywords and phrases. I’m not sure how these items tie into the game, but you do pick one to save near the end of the game. At least, that was my experience.
It would’ve been nice to jump between the characters during the game. The story isn’t set up that way, but I would have liked it. I think the gameplay is good, but it could’ve been better if there was more to do in the game.
The thing I keep coming back to is the lack of adventure in the game. It is set up like that but sticks to being a visual novel with branching dialogue. It is fine, but I was hoping for more.
Visuals
I like how the game looks. This can make or break a visual novel like this, and I think most of the visuals are great. Near the end of the game, things get a little trippy.
We don’t see much of Interstate 35’s world. Our few images show a post-apocalyptic wasteland, but one where people are still living. There is some talk of the government trying to clean things up, but we don’t see that in the game.
Things get progressively creepier once you get to the main character’s hometown. I’m unsure if it is supposed to represent something like an illness, but that was my first reaction. I should play through this a few times to see if the visuals change depending on how my character acts in the game.
The visuals get the job done. I like how they look, but I would’ve liked to see more of the game’s world. This goes along with the story. I wanted a grand story and view of what happened in this game, and the visuals could’ve helped.
7.5/10. I like the story, but I wish we knew these characters more. The graphics are okay, and I like the controls.
Conclusion
I wanted to like this game more than I did. It lacks some of what I expect from a more mainstream visual novel. This is more of an experiment or a proof of concept. Nothing is wrong with that, but it does mean this game ranks lower than other visual novels and adventure games I’ve played.
If you like this post, please check out my reviews of The Letter and Scarlet Hollow.