Apologies for bumping a year-old thread, but I recently completed Road 96 and wanted to share my thoughts. I picked it up for $5 on a recent PS Store sale (which is over now, unfortunately). Here are my impressions:
It's a narrative-focused adventure game with limited exploration and easy puzzle solving. How Long to Beat has it listed at 9 hrs..
There are genuine choices and consequences here. It's not just window-dressing like you get in some other narrative-focused games (e.g., Telltale). You play as various runaway teenagers, and your objective is to cross the border. Based on your choices, you can escape to freedom, get caught, die, or sacrifice yourself for someone else.
There are 4 or 5 different modes of transportation, and each has its unique features. Along the way, there are plenty of different scenarios you come across. There are 7 or 8 people whose paths you continually cross.
In general, the game kept me entertained. It switched things up enough so that I wasn't bored.
The main complaint I have about the game is the story itself. It seemed like it was written by people fresh out of college. It was about teenagers trying to escape a “totalitarian” country (which had a free election) by fleeing across the border. It had a lot of the usual stereotypes you would expect -- teenagers wise beyond their years, teenagers saving the day, adults who were nearly all stupid or corrupt, cops who were almost all rotten, and men who were either corrupt, stupid, simpy, or psychotic. The leader of the totalitarian regime is a Russian-looking man, and the contender fighting for change is a Hispanic woman. You get the picture.
Although the game offers you a choice in which side you align with, it is clear which side you are supposed to pick. I was annoyed by the game's stereotypes, and so I resisted this. I took a middle path. At the end, I got a preachy message about how the country would have been better off if people (like me) had been more politically involved. Eh, phooey.
Apart from that, though, I enjoyed my time with the game. It’s a relaxing narrative adventure with plenty of variety and some entertaining segments.
7/10