No Straight Roads

 PC
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. Gamer Escape
    Aug 28, 2020
    80
    While the main levels of the game are not the most exciting, with gameplay that is often just good but not great, the boss battles are tons of fun, and the entire game just oozes style and substance. I had enough fun with those, and also just rocking out to the wonderful music, that I can mostly overlook the game’s minor gameplay stumbles. No Straight Roads is an excellent experience that I encourage any lover of both music and gaming to have a look at. It’s not flawless, but it’s a darned good time.
  2. Worth Playing
    Aug 25, 2020
    80
    No Straight Roads is an enjoyable romp through a weird world of colorful characters. It almost has a Psychonauts vibe to it, and not just due to the art style. NSR provides a cute adventure with some fun boss fights, but it doesn't redefine the genre or do anything extraordinary. If the in-between areas had been stronger, they might have elevated the game, but they don't currently detract from the experience. All in all, NSR is a charming title that is worth a look. As the developers say in the ending credits, "We like EDM too."
  3. Cultured Vultures
    Aug 24, 2020
    80
    No Straight Roads is one of 2020's most interesting, quietly ambitious games and a pretty straightforward recommendation for anyone who dreams of the Dreamcast days.
  5. PC Gamer
    Aug 25, 2020
    78
    An energy infused concoction of style, action, and music that will give you one heck of a musical hangover.
  6. GameSpace
    Nov 22, 2022
    75
    No Straight Roads is a game with beautiful visual and musical design, filled with side-tickling humor and banter, spectacular battles but with a pretty average gameplay overall. It will take you roughly 5 to 7 hours to beat the game, but you will likely get a lot of enjoyment out of it.
  7. Press Start Australia
    Aug 25, 2020
    75
    No Straight Roads has a laundry list of inspirations and it proudly pays homage to them all in one way or another throughout the journey. Though a few of the game’s ideas end up feeling underdeveloped, the game has a lot of heart, a slapping soundtrack and the best boss encounters you’ll see in a videogame this year. Just like Bunk Bed Junction in Vinyl City, I expect Metronomik to chart well within the indie scene.
  8. GameSkinny
    Aug 31, 2020
    70
    You really need to play No Straight Roads. While the gameplay isn't amazing, the presentation is, and it's flawed in some truly interesting ways.
  9. Jeuxvideo.com
    Aug 25, 2020
    70
    Impeccable in its soundtrack, offering some inspired boss fights and really enjoyable to play, No Straight Roads is therefore convincing in its core proposition, except for a few readability concerns during more heavy clashes visually and soundly.
  10. GameSpot
    Aug 25, 2020
    70
    My time in No Straight Roads was torn between true enjoyment and wanting to hurl my controller at the screen. Between camera issues, bugginess, and other weird little problems (especially in multiplayer mode), there’s enough to put a damper on the whole experience. However, The characters, bright futuristic world, imaginative boss battles, and excellent music act as wonderful antidotes. Once I eventually got into the groove, I found a really special and evocative musical experience in No Straight Roads. But I had to work pretty hard to get here. No Straight Roads asks a bit of its fans, but I’m glad I put the effort in and I’d gladly buy the t-shirt.
  11. Stevivor
    Aug 25, 2020
    70
    Despite its flaws, there are some interesting concepts, some clever boss and district design and an ultimate message of equality that’s been presented within; should we get a sequel, I hope more time is spent on a narrative and connective tissue that does the entire package justice.
  12. Malditos Nerds
    Sep 3, 2020
    60
    The art, the music and the characters are all beautifully composed to deliver a pleasant audiovisual experience, but it's in the gameplay aspect that this game starts to fall apart. No Straight Roads has a lot of ideas, but most of them don't go well with each other, especially in combat, and when they do go well together it can be a bit difficult to understand what's going on on screen.
  13. IGN Japan
    Aug 31, 2020
    60
    The core game design of No Straight Roads attempts to synchronize action and music, but unfortunately it misses the mark. Also, a lack of clear explanation makes this a flawed action game as a whole. That being said, visuals heavily inspired by Japanese video games, amazing sound design and lovable characters give NSR the potential to become a cult classic.
This publication does not provide a score for their reviews.
This publication has not posted a final review score yet.
These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation.

In Progress & Unscored

?
  1. Eurogamer
    Aug 25, 2020
    An engaging presentation and some cool ideas can't help elevate No Straight Road's hollow loop.
  2. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
    Aug 25, 2020
    No Straight Roads feels like a less good version of Sayonara Wild Hearts, and if you want a rhythm action game I can’t really recommend the former over the latter. I would have much preferred that NSR didn’t have the platforming sections and put in another wacky boss fight instead, because they’re funny, weird and pretty, and have better music.
  3. The Indie Game Website
    Aug 25, 2020
    No Straight Roads won’t impress punk fans with its devotion to palatability and conventions; it’s not wont to hollering “F*ck off nazi punks“ and pointing a middle finger to the authority and the Man. Instead, it’s content with embodying the irreverent goofiness of pop-punk bands, with the dynamic duo of Zuko and Mayday making loud, emotional proclamations about saving rock music against the tyranny of EDM without a sliver of irony. It’s all the more charming for its lack of pretension, and the polished veneer of its absolutely heady soundtrack, which is perfectly in sync with the intoxicating rhythm of its boss battles, makes this a game worth headbanging to.

Awards & Rankings

70
#70 Most Discussed PC Game of 2020

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 86 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 59 out of 86
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 86
  3. Negative: 18 out of 86
  1. AllNewSuperfake
    Aug 26, 2020
    4
    "No straight roads" is a very stylish rhythm game with two problems: You have to like it's style, and it's not you who is abiding to the"No straight roads" is a very stylish rhythm game with two problems: You have to like it's style, and it's not you who is abiding to the rhythm.

    You just hack and slash your way through waves of enemies that are attacking to the rhythm. The music is more a distraction from what you are supposed to be doing; it will actually make the fights easier if you tune down the volume.

    Which fits the general theme and story, meaning that it doesn't make any sense at all. It's all very quirky and joyful and colorful, except of course for the constant condecesion for music that is not "rock", which is ironic given the very quirky and very joyful soundtrack that has nothing to do with rock, and you are at no point the one performing it. So have a look at the oh so quirky and joyful and colorful videos out there and check if you like the style (and the music), because the gameplay is repetitive and, even though it's trying really hard to hide it under quirky and joyful and colorful effects, not innovative at all.

    It is obviously tailored for parties and coop and might perform better if you are surrounded by inebriated people.

    They might also be more forgiving about the glitches or outright crashes. Which, if you don't like the style and the music, can be a plus.    … Full Review »
  2. SaraLee99
    Aug 31, 2020
    3
    I played the game first on Switch then later on PC (Do NOT buy the Switch version)

    Gameplay 3/10: I bought into the hype of the idea of a    I played the game first on Switch then later on PC (Do NOT buy the Switch version)

    Gameplay 3/10:
    I bought into the hype of the idea of a rhythm based action game when I first saw the trailer and now I'm feeling disappointed.

    Movement and combat feels stiff and the gameplay is a chore outside of the boss battles.

    At first I thought this was going to be a boss rush game but then the game also has you do other stuff that feels rather pointless and not polished. Such as, exploring a rather empty city, fighting the same 3 robot minions over and over again and talking to npcs that just say a few lines of dialogue.

    The ending also doesn't really feel satisfying or worth the effort of completing the game. The final stage being an endless wave of the same 3 robots that you have already fought many times. Honestly, the ending just feels rushed / lazy.

    Ohh and there are bugs. Lots of bugs in the game. I was going to give this a 5 / 10 but bugs and crashes bring it down to 3 / 10.

    Music 10/10:
    Easily the best part of this game. I don't need to say too much, just play any of their soundtracks on youtube and you will get what I mean. I will probably continue to listen to the soundtracks for the next few weeks.

    Visuals 4/10:
    I hear a lot of people talking about the visuals but honestly it doesn't work for me.

    I love the character designs and the eccentricities of the world but unfortunately there are a lot of blurry textures and muddy colors in the game.

    There are also way too makes blinking lights on the stages when you are trying to focus on the combat. It makes it too distracting to focus on the gameplay especially when you being bombarded with 3 - 4 attacks all coming from different directions.

    Its even worse on the switch, with the smaller screen size and downgraded textures (seriously, why would this kind of game have visual optimization issues when BOTW can run smoothly on the Switch?)

    Story 5/10:
    Story is decent. Its a pretty linear story with no branching paths or alternative endings. Its not bad but its nothing to write home about. If anything, I do enjoy the witty dialogues but the voice acting needs some improvements.

    Conclusion:
    Overall, this is not an experience that I would recommend. It would probably be enjoyable to watch on youtube though, so you can fully enjoy the music and cutscenes while not having to care about the gameplay.

    Because I bought the game first on Switch, then on PC, thinking it would be better there, I am giving this review a 3 / 10.    … Full Review »
  3. Clean
    Aug 31, 2020
    2
    The game looks promising initially but as of this moment the game is just not finished and has a lot of problems. I bought the game on launchThe game looks promising initially but as of this moment the game is just not finished and has a lot of problems. I bought the game on launch day and my experience was buggy with multiple crashes. The last parts of the game also feels rushed. The final boss repeats the same attacks for every phase and the ending sequence has you repeat the same filler gameplay that you've been doing for the last 4 - 5 hours. Its like they did not know what to do with it so they just slapped something together to ship the game. That said, the music is great though just not really on par with the quality of the gameplay. Makes it less worth it when you can just listen to the music on loop on youtube.… Full Review »
See all user reviews »