Road 96

The country of Petria is facing a critical election. Ten years earlier, the country saw a devastating terrorist attack on the border that left many people dead. The incumbent President Tyrak has promised further crackdowns on the terrorists to keep the country safe, whereas the challenger Florres has been labelled a sympathiser. You are one of many teenagers who have run away from home to make a break for the border in the hope of crossing and finding a better life. 

You make your way north, hitching rides, working odd jobs to make a little money for food or to pay for a bus ride, and resting when you can to prepare for the risks of the crossing. On the way, each teen you play as will encounter a series of characters, learning a little more about them on each attempt. There's the idealistic Zoe, another teen runaway like yourself, young hacker Alex trying to find what happened to his parents on the day of the attack, trucker John struggling with his own memories, Police Officer Fanny whose job is to track down and send runaways into detention centres, bumbling bank robbers Stan and Mitch, media influencer Sonya and the sinister taxi driver Jarod. Each encounter presents choices that affect the story - will you support the political campaign of Florres, advocate for the direct action of the brigades or keep your head down and try to cross over without getting too involved?

The graphics are cell shaded and effective at conveying the variety of environments that you pass through - abandoned diners, gas stations, trailer parks and motels. The music is similarly good, with some nice 80s themed electronica and rock that you collect on cassettes as you find them during the story. The gameplay is mostly choosing different dialogue options (which is occasionally frustrating as the options float in the middle of the screen and can be tricky to select the one you want if other things are happening), but there are also some fun mini games - air hockey, arcade cabinets, pumping gas and serving drinks in a bar where you need to remember who has ordered what as you hunt through the bottles on the shelf. You can also find yourself driving or trying to escape the police in a chase sequence.

The conclusion of the story is heart wrenching as the back stories and unexpected connections between the characters are revealed, and the events of election day play out depending on the choices you have made. Definitely one of the most affecting games I've played since Firewatch a couple of years ago.