Road 96 released with a presentation and narrative style reminiscent of other cinematic games like The Walking Dead or Life is Strange. However, what makes Road 96 stand out is its use of procedural generation: story elements and scenes are selected at random, meaning one journey will never be the same as another.
Unlike other narrative-based walking simulators, Road 96 features abilities that can be discovered. These abilities range from hacking knowledge to increased power, all of which can be used for new dialogue options or events. Every protagonist keeps all unlocked abilities, resulting in a future main character who is skilled at everything.
There are six abilities that can be gained across multiple episodes or entire playthroughs of Road 96. They can be learned by speaking to certain characters at specific locations. However, due to Road 96's procedural generation, it may take many protagonists and playthroughs to find them all.
Encountering Main Characters in Road 96
When searching for abilities in Road 96, it is important to note that each teenage protagonist can only meet one of the seven major characters once on their journey. For example, if a protagonist already met Alex on a bus, there is no chance of re-encountering him on the side of the road or hitchhiking; however, they could still appear as a side character in someone else’s story.
To meet these characters under specific circumstances, players will need to enter a fresh episode with a new protagonist avatar. This gives Road 96 a rougelite quality to its gameplay. There is still some randomness, as the encounter may not even be part of the world seed at all. In that case, one may need to wait until New Game Plus to gain the abilities they missed.
Character Abilities in Road 96
Omen Vitality
To gain the special Omen Vitality boost, players must conclude a scenario by hitchhiking until being picked up by Big John. While driving, he may wind up getting tired and share a drink recipe that leads to Omen Vitality. Alternatively, players who with Omen Gaming will have Omen Vitality from the start of the game.
Omen Vitality has two functions. First, it raises maximum energy by two pips. Second, it allows feats of strength like opening jammed ages or safely climbing. Both traits are beneficial if players want to cross the Petria border over the mountain ; without them, the protagonist may perish from exhaustion.
Government
To find the Government , one will need to end a scenario by stealing a car. Similar to car theft mechanics in games like Cyberpunk 2077, players will need to choose a parked car. This is typically easiest at truck stops and roadside restaurants, but cars can be available at other random locations. Car keys tend to be stored in rooms or safes, making them easier to obtain when a character already has Hacking Skills or Lock Picking.
After stealing a car, players might have the vehicle commandeered by Officer Fanny. Players should agree to help her, but purposely crash the vehicle. Fanny will depart very upset, but leave her Government behind on the enger seat.
The Government allows special interactions when encountering cops and other officials, even when indirectly helping the Black Brigade. Additionally, it will let players purchase special government lottery tickets with much fairer payout-to-cost ratios.
Hacking Skills
To learn about hacking, players should take a bus or taxi at the end of a scenario until they wind up at a diner at the same time as Alex. Buses tend to cost $7 and taxis $12, but they offer the chance to recover some energy. After playing a round of “Pwong” with Alex, agree to steal the game's royalty money from the back room. Alex will subsequently teach the basics of hacking.
With hacking, players will be able to by doors and safes that use electronic security. This will typically give an edge when assisting Stan and Mitch or causing other havoc.
Lock Picking
In order to master opening locks, players will need to take a taxi (either from Jarod or a generic driver) at the end of a scenario until arriving at Happy Taxi headquarters while Stan and Mitch are robbing it. Ordering a taxi requires a payphone, though scenarios featuring Alex may result in a free ride. Regardless, if the thieves are at Happy Taxi, the protagonist can agree to help with the heist, and Mitch will show them how to pick locks.
The lock pick ability will allow players to open new building doors, though it doesn’t work on vehicles. This will mostly yield money, but it can also speed up some sections related to helping Zoe.
Lucky Star
Players can unlock the gambling-focused Lucky Star by traveling on foot until they encounter Sonya covering a roadside Tyrak speech. Walking is always risky, as it uses lots of energy. It will be safer to attempt to unlock this feat once players have Omen Vitality. After meeting with Sonya, players should agree to operate the news camera but do a poor job by focusing on the wrong places and rousing the crowd at the wrong times. Instead of paying players, Sonya will chastise them and warn them to increase their luck.
Lucky Star adds a flat +15% bonus to all chance rolls. This is great when pushing for favors or lying. Players should have this skill when attempting to smuggle across the border, as the smuggler may abandon players without good enough persuasion or extra cash.
Cleverness
For the Cleverness ability, the protagonist will need to travel by taxi until being picked up by Jarod. Players will need to find a payphone and have enough money to cover the fare. Once in Jarod’s cab, players should make sure he stays calm by agreeing with him: he likes dinosaurs, hates both the Black Brigade and Sonya, and will lose his temper if players it to watching the video of his daughter Lola. If Jarod is fully angered, he will outright kill the current teenager, but if he is pleased, he will instead reward Cleverness.
Cleverness will open up extra dialogue choices, many of which will easily fool most people. It can be especially handy for one trying to emigrate from Petria through legal channels, as the lies are just the right things to say.
With all abilities unlocked, players can import these moves and techniques into New Game Plus. By starting a new adventure this way, players can experience a unique game path in Road 96.
Road 96 is available now on PC and Switch.
