Road 96: Mile 0

I played through the story three times before writing this and will play a few more to see additional details for sure. If you only play through once, you are shorting yourself from finding out more of the world of Petria. Road 96 was one of my favourite indie games of last year as I mentioned at the beginning of this review, and although Mile 0 doesn’t hit me in the same way (I think that is often the case with prequels), it’s a solid game and brought new elements and stories to a world I already loved. It’s clear that DigixArt loves this world and the characters, and I hope we will see more of them in the future.

Road 96: Mile 0 will appeal to those who enjoyed the previous chapter. Instead of taking up the formula in its entirety, Mile 0 introduces a variation in the form of musical sections. The combination works conveying anxieties and concerns of the teenage protagonists. From a technical standpoint, the game is a bit backward, but it does feel acceptable.

Road 96: Mile 0 transports us to a new raw and adult story. Enter this new world of Petria and learn Zoe’s story. This time, the game is a little behind compared to Road 96, but take the leap, it is very worth playing. Road 96: Mile 0 will move you. DigixArt has done it again.

Road 96: Mile 0 twists the original formula to a rhythmic and narrative one. The musical ones are not brilliant, but bring dynamism and replayability to the game. Talking about themes such as politics or society is a differential touch from the rest of the industry.

This prequel ironically feels smaller in scope and ambition than the first game in the series. Road 96 Mile 0 suffers from similar issues when it comes to relying too much on clichés of an evil regime. Some of the choices put before players are downright insulting and boil down to whether we think oppression is "okay" or not. Despite its flaws, it offers some really interesting character moments in the last third and offers some world building that was missing from the original Road 96. Newcomers find a good entry point here, while returning players will find some innovations gone, while other things like the environments have been largely improved.

Road 96: Mile 0 is a narrative-adventure game from DigiXArt that is a prequel to Road 96. Play as both Zoe and Kaito and decide if the regime is one you believe in, or one you feel needs to be toppled. Which of the four endings will you get?

Road 96: Mile 0 wasn’t a very long game at all but I mostly enjoyed what I played. As I said it’s a prequel so I know there are things that I would have appreciated more had I played the original; that being said those fans looking forward to this will find a decently developed game. No real bugs are issues other than the juggling of the tone of the game, the rollercoaster ride of emotions wasn’t necessary in my opinion.

It’s full of great, heightened moments and rhythm action sections that probably warrant the asking price alone. But there are so many missteps in the story that you can call it a full-blown stumble. Hopefully, next time, DigixArt can tell a newer, more expansive story, rather than reversing the car back to its past glories.

Mile 0 is something of a pleasant surprise. The inclusion of Rides makes storytelling and decision-making riveting and fresh, underpinned by an insatiably likeable arcade hook. Mile 0 also boasts a greater focus on characters and relationships than the original, helped along by a pleasantly bite-sized price tag. The big dinger though, is that Rides can feel too on-rails for its own good despite its novel use in storytelling and decision-making. Mile 0 also fails to transmit the fervour of Rides to the rest of the experience-this despite some flashes of playful subversiveness and youthful hijinks present throughout. Ultimately Mile 0 can be softly recommended for what it does offer, but it is a lightweight entrée more than a transcendent main course-this one’s lacking the protein and bulk required to truly satisfy over the long haul.

Road 96: Mile 0 doesn't bring much to its predecessor. We lose the innovative gameplay of the first game, and the writing lacks the incisiveness that made it great. The game relies on awkward musical sequences and a story that is too blunt to be credible. After the initial pleasure of diving back into this universe, boredom replaces nostalgia a little too quickly.