One of the Best Stories in a Video Game | Road 96

This game hits differently when I play it today. Road 96 takes place in a totalitarian country where children are constantly trying to escape the country. A lot is going on in this game that you’ll hear about throughout the game.

The game is a walking simulator. This seems to have replaced the “adventure game” genre for whatever reason. I love how this genre tells stories and offers multiple endings that can be unique to the player.

Like many of these games, I want to know more about the setting. It is such a cool world, and there is a larger story we don’t get from one playthrough. Because this is procedurally generated, you probably won’t have the same experience every time you play.

TLDR: One of the best stories I’ve experienced in a video game.

Narrative

Road 96 takes place during a three month period before an election in the fictional country called Petra. The story is spread across seven episodes, each with the player taking control of a teenage runaway. The goal is always the same: to cross the border and escape to freedom.

While traveling the road, you’ll meet a few people. Some of them are recurring characters, and others are one-off supporting characters. Here is a list of the main characters:

• Sonya – A TV personality who acts as a mouthpiece for the government. She puts a positive spin on what happens and tries to paint the government in a positive light.
• John – A freedom fighter who drives a truck around. He’s hauling a pirate radio transmitter.
• Zoe – The daughter of the Oil Minister. She is trying to escape the country just like the other teenagers.
• Alex – A super hacker who is building a bomb for the rebels.
• Fanny – She is the “Good Cop” who is trying to do her job. She is much more sympathetic to the children who are trying to escape.
• Stan and Mitch – Criminals who are trying to protect Sonya. These two act dumber than they are.
• Jarod – A serial killer who drives a taxi. He wants to kill Sonya and the Rebels as he blames them for the death of his daughter.

There are a few narrative conclusions to this game. You can escape, get arrested, or die. You have seven stories to follow, so you’ll probably see each conclusion. Then there is the game’s ending, separate from how you end each episode.

If you get arrested, you’ll be sent off to The Iron Pits (a.k.a. The Pits). This place isn’t shown clearly in the game, but it is a forced labor camp for teenagers who were trying to cross the border. Everyone seems to know about this place, and all of the kids you meet along the way fear it. You’ll get a glimpse of it if you’re arrested.

There are two endings to the game. You can escape or join the fight. I played this on an Xbox Series S, and the game crashed when I tried to escape. I picked up from my last save and chose to fight.

Overall, the story is very good! Like many games, I have my favorite characters. John, Jarod, and Sonya are my favorites. Fanny is also fun as she’s walking a fine line between helping kids and remaining a cop. The setting is what I like the most.

If you’re a fan of the game or a particular character, you might want to get custom keychains: the front features the game’s iconic “Road and Border” pattern, with a small silhouette of a fugitive adorning the side. The back features the silhouette of your favorite character, along with a memorable quote from the game, like “Every journey has its meaning.”

You can attach it to your favorite game controller backpack as a decorative accessory or as a keepsake.

Gameplay

The gameplay is simple. Most of what you’re doing is picking dialogue options and solving puzzles. The gameplay should be familiar if you’ve played games like Open Roads and Firewatch. The focus is on the story.

You’ll pick up a few skills as you progress through the seven episodes. These are carried over to the other episodes. The skills include hacking and lock picking.

Assuming that you reach the border, there are a few ways to get across. You can:

• Escape through tunnels
• Climb the mountains
• Hide in a truck
• Pay a coyote to get you across

There might be others, like having a government pass, but these are the four I used to try and get across. Zoe also has a narrative conclusion where you can help her escape. This plays a role in the ending, so I won’t spoil this part.

There are a few mini games you can play along the way. One is a game of Pong, and there are also a few times when you can play air hockey. During one episode, I had to work as a bartender.

The gameplay is pretty good. Games like this are more about a story, so the gameplay isn’t too challenging. A few times, I was a little confused about what I was supposed to do right away, but I figured it out after a minute or two.

Visuals

When I first saw the game, I didn’t think much of it. Road 96 looks a little like Firewatch. It can sometimes be breathtaking, but it isn’t all that special.

The more I played, the more unsettled I felt. I spent some time trying to figure out why, and I realized it was because the bright and happy graphics were covering up something. They were masking what the game’s world was really like.

Most of the time, the world is bright and beautiful. There are moments where you can see how much work was put into it. It covers up all the ugliness in the story and the reasons why these kids are trying to flee this country.

Road 96 reminds me of a Telltale adventure game, or Firewatch. Most of the time, it looks very good. There are a few instances where things look off or odd. I also ran into one spot where the clipping was off on a cutscene. During a transition scene, a car drove through the big rig truck I was riding in.

9/10. Road 96 has an amazing story! The gameplay and graphics are good, but the story is the major draw.

Pros

• Amazing Story
• Good Graphics
• Good Gameplay

Cons

• Only two endings
• Gets a little repetitive

Conclusion

In my previous job, I did research on several corrupt and authoritarian governments. I covered their elections, monitored for hate speech, and watched my fair share of coups take place. Playing this game brought a few of those memories back.

I don’t want to get into them here. It was a rough time for me, and I had to read about some horrible things, not only from those governments, but also from some rather stupid people who were used as props to advance a false narrative. This was a very frustrating eight-year period.

Road 96 is a wonderful game. I’m sure each person who has played it walked away with something different. Each playthrough is a little different, and what the story means to people can change. What you bring with you changes how you get through the game.

I’ve written this section a few times. Ending this post has been challenging, and I think I need to write something else about this experience. What that will be is still a mystery to me.

This is one of the best games I’ve played this year (2025). I wish I had played it earlier, and I’m glad I could experience it now. Road 96 will be with me for a while, and I know that once it is done, I’ll never get this experience again.

If you liked this post, please check out my Open Roads and Firewatch reviews.