Broken Roads

Broken Roads is a charming, phenomenally written, and incredibly engaging RPG about life in what remains of the Down Under, and is equally likely to break your heart and put a smile on your face with its wonder storytelling and characters.

Broken Roads looks from Australian shores toward some even recent classics of the CRPG genre and reworks a rather known formula through the lens of philosophy. The juxtaposition is a not so obvious success: in fact, philosophy is not used as a mere label to offer a re-brand of something already seen, but a g that moves both the game mechanics and the narrative progression.

Broken Roads is a video game that shows how quickly the ambitions of a development team can outrun its ability to deliver. The Outback setting is great, but the narrative threads can interact in weird ways. The Moral Compass is impressive as a concept but can feel restrictive in practice. Combat is just stiff enough to feel like a chore. Bugs and glitches sometimes interfere with quest progress. I love the sections where the focus is on talking to people, clicking on the environment for some extra lore, and thinking about where to source things people need to improve their lives. The narrator greatly enhances emotional moments. Broken Roads has heart and good systems. Players who like the setting and the RPG genre should play it if they are comfortable with some jank, while others should wait for a few patches before buying it.

Despite its rather simple combat system, Broken Roads is a fantastic new entry in the RPG genre.

You may trample your own path through the post-apocalypse, but you must be ready to accept the consequences. In exploring this concept, and allowing human morals and values to shape each individual journey through the post-apocalypse, the tale of Broken Roads lands with a devastating impact.

Broken Roads is an ode to the cRPGs of old, but it’s also a step forward for the genre, showing that the ‘90s approach still has a place today. The turn-based combat is punchy and responsive, the art style is gorgeous, and the roleplaying capabilities brought about by its revolutionary morality system lift Broken Roads out of the shadows of its inspirations and into its own spotlight.

Broken Roads is certainly a tribute to Outback Australia as much as it is to role-playing games of the past, and as an Aussie myself, I found this refreshing.The bleak surrounds and the harshness of many of the characters really set the tone of the post-apocalyptic storyline. The Moral Compass and the ability to level up your character’s abilities in any way you choose ensures that the game feels more personalised as you travel from one location to the next. And although the questing can feel somewhat laborious at times, and the citizens can be somewhat abrupt, there is a story behind every interaction - one that provides hope for those that have struggled to survive the 'wide brown land' they call home.

Overall, the ways Broken Roads challenged me were fascinating and frustrating, sometimes simultaneously. It definitely won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, though I suspect some will adore it. If you’re the reflective type, it’s sure to get the gears turning. If nothing else, it’s much cheaper than taking Philosophy 101 at a university.

In the end, it’s best to look at Broken Roads as the answer to “What if Fallout but Australia?” Fans of any CRPG will immediately recognise a lot of what Broken Roads is going for, and those with more old school tastes will feel right at home nestled deep in the West Australian outback.

Broken Roads is an old-school role-playing game that draws heavily from revered classics like Wasteland, Fallout (especially in terms of settings), and Planescape: Torment. With its well-established and ever-relevant mechanics, it manages to engage veteran players, primarily due to its intriguing plot and multiple-choice dialogues, which allow for extensive replayability. It’s a shame that certain aspects are neglected, although this can be partially justified by the available resources: with five years of development, more could have been achieved.