Road 96: Mile 0

Road 96: Mile 0 is a strong narrative adventure that not only builds on the original, but offers new and exciting gameplay elements.

Mile 0 is a new and exciting avenue for Road 96. The rhythm sections are euphoric and the world-building is complex and fulfilling. Zoe and Kaito’s story is a great entry point but it does feel like it’s just getting started as it ends, falling under the traps of being a prequel.

Road 96: Mile 0 is a wonderful snapshot of a world that many fell in love with. While the game steps away from its procedural roots, it does so to offer a fresh experience. The new gameplay aspects are a joy and the storytelling is stellar which makes DigixArt’s latest release a must for fans of narrative-driven games.

Road 96 Mile 0 is a prequel that will be well received by fans of the first game by dynamically introducing new gameplay concepts such as musical mini-games. Although its approach loses strength by eliminating the originality of the procedural narrative, the plot will keep your interest thanks to a conventional, but very successful script.

Road 96: Mile 0 is a deceptively dark adventure game that centers around player choice and questioning those in power. We see this world through the eyes of two unique protagonists who keep you invested in the overall narrative. There are some hiccups with pacing at times, and the writing can be a little forced, but the conclusion makes the entire experience worth it. Pair that with a musical runner and way too many minigames to count, and you have an excellent adventure just waiting to be your next game.

We cared deeply for both Kaito and Zoe throughout our time with Road 96: Mile 0, wanting to make the best choices for both of them. Their journey may be brief, but it’s filled with sincere moments, whether emotional, funny or tense – and it’s a story we simply couldn’t put down once we’d started. This is an excellent addition to Road 96, adding extra weight and context to the events of that game, but also standing strong on its own two feet, as a tale of two teenagers struggling to make sense of the complicated world around them. Once again, Digixart has created something wonderfully unique, and the studio’s talent for storytelling shines brighter than ever.

As a prequel designed to expand the narrative universe of Road 96 by offering a much more classic gameplay, Road 96: Mile 0 is an appreciable first-person adventure that abandons the roguelite elements to accommodate game dynamics typical of Rhythm games. However, this time the developers of DigixArt Entertainment have yet to tell an intriguing and profound story, despite a multiple-choice dialogue system and alternative endings, which unfortunately do not solve the problem of poor longevity.

Road 96: Mile 0 is a smaller, different experience than Road 96. While the game’s story helps fill in some blanks and provide some context for Zoe’s journey in the first game, the gameplay style mash-up between branching narrative and linear/on-rails gameplay leaves the experience lacking just a bit.

Prequel to Road 96 and - at the same time - spiritual successor to Lost in Harmony, the new DigixArt title contains a multifaceted experience, in the name of hybrid gameplay and a story yet to be written. The system of moral choices and the racing phases inherited from the 2016 title manage to give shape to an engaging story and to transmit important messages on sensitive issues. On the other hand, it is clear how the desire to create a work of limited size has sometimes made the narration too frenetic and the races on the track too hasty. In short, we would have liked to see something more, but net of this Road 96: Mile 0 is confirmed as a good prequel, appreciable both by those who have played its sequel and by newcomers.