Test Zoo Road 96 – Nintendo Switch – Endeavor

Imagine that you live in a country run by a tyrant and there is no way out of the better life. But you do not give up hope, which is why you eventually decide to leave the country. This is what Road 96 is all about, because the tyrant is Dirac, who will affect the media and GNN news anchor Sonia in a way that makes no political change possible. Or is it? After all, there are enough people who will rebel against politics and elect the progressive senator Flores so that the land of Petria can finally recover from the dictatorial hardships of recent years.

Ten years ago in 1996 and ten years after a mysterious bombing, everything somehow slowed down. People disappeared or died without a trace and whole families were broken up. The land of Petria now faces another election, this time could be a complete revolution, if enough people are determined not to vote for the tyrant Tyrek. But how exactly do you do it? As a player, your job is to go to the border of Petria and start a new, confident life. Because the political structures in the country have taken away all your freedoms. This game is divided into individual chapters, each time you start from certain points of Petria. You slip into the roles of various young people who are thought to be missing and have a few dollars in their pockets. Sometimes hiking or walking for 2,000 km is your only option – it takes us to the main part of the game: making decisions that affect the course of the game and listening to the different stories you encounter along the way.

So you start your adventure on the roadside, take it and talk to your passengers about all sorts of things. It allows you to gather information, look at the political attitudes of your peers and gain one or another amazing ability that can help you in the game. Because even if you change the nature of the game, you still have skills that you have acquired or learned. Stealing money is always an option because you will not go too far with a few dollars in your pocket. Conversations that usually take place in pairs in the back of a truck or police car can not only show you how dissatisfied others are with the political situation, but can help you a little more in the next chapter. Here you can find people with a revolutionary mindset or get tips on how to live on the street. In between, it’s good to get some sleep in some sleeping bags or boxes, while other characters tell you about their worries. If you really reach the border, there are many ways to cross it, but all are strictly guarded. Having a few dollars more with you is either positive here or you have increased luck, which ultimately gives you freedom. But this can quickly backfire and you have to start another missing teenager to pick at the beginning of each episode.

You will quickly find the narrative texts intertwined. For example, if you meet Alex in the second episode and he makes a simple but fun video game with you, you can be sure that you finally left him at a break. So the stories come together again and again as each end leads you in a related direction. In between there is an interesting insight into the main story that is being told about the election campaign between Dyrek and Senator Flores. Here you can seriously affect the listener or the course of things. You can move around freely, pick up things that can help you, or paste election posters. However, if you get stuck doing it, it may soon be the end of your journey. In addition, Road 96 is not a loose road trip because it can get hot in between. Do not surprise yourself if you are suddenly in the middle of a battle.

Music was an important element for every teenager in the nineties, and here you can collect different tapes and mixsteps and play anywhere. Sometimes you can find them in an abandoned car, other times a character gives you a tape, which creates an emotional bond. Also, you need to monitor your energy because in some stylized situations it can make the difference between imprisonment or freedom. Other things like an empty petrol can or simple pipe can sometimes work for you. So, collect everything you can get, because you will need some items in another chapter.

Road 96 is easy to control because you can come around relatively freely and look around 360 degrees. Even if you are sitting in a car, the sight is useful everywhere because you can find interesting things. You also have a shortcut that you can use to switch between answers in conversation or to take things in stride. Using internal Sherlock Holmes is useful here because there is always another secret found somewhere. Since sensitivity is not right here, sometimes a little more sensitivity is needed to select answers. The loading screen shows the current progress and a map of Petria, so you can always get an overview of your game progress. While loading can sometimes take longer, you can get at least some information while waiting. Unfortunately, the game is still struggling with a lot of stumbling blocks, which often disrupts the flow of the game. Since I think the Nintendo Switch can do better in terms of performance, a balanced connection might help here. In addition, in some cases I would have preferred a little more freedom because one is placed more in the given path.