Road 96: Mile 0 releases in April

January 27, 2023

On Thursday, developer DigixArt and publisher Ravenscourt announced that the prequel to procedurally generated road trip game Road 96, Road 96: Mile 0 will release on April 4 digitally for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

The original Road 96 released in 2021 to much acclaim, and was even nominated for a 2022 Games for Change award for best gameplay. It follows a traveler who is taking a road trip across the authoritarian nation of Petria in an attempt to cross the border and escape. Along the way, they meet all kinds of people and face choices that will impact how their journey turns out. The game is procedurally generated, so no two road trips are ever quite the same.

Road 96: Mile 0 uses the same narrative adventure format as the original, but also ties in “heartfelt musical scenes.” The game is set in White Sands, Petria’s only luxurious community, before the events of the original game. Road 96: Mile 0 follows two teenaged characters, Zoe and Kaito. The two have completely opposite backgrounds, life experiences, and beliefs, creating contrast in the story as you progress. Zoe is actually in the original Road 96, and is the daughter of the Petrian government’s Minister of Oil. Kaito is actually a character from DigixArt’s first game Lost in Harmony. He moved to White Sands with his family in search of better opportunities and ended up as Zoe’s neighbor. The two become friends, and that friendship begins to open Zoe’s eyes to the disturbing truth about the state of their country and her father. We also get insight into what was behind the 1986 Border Attack that set the events of the first game into motion.

“In Road 96: Mile 0 we wanted to show where Zoe is coming from and why she left her comfortable life,” said Yoan Fanise CEO of DigixArt. “But we didn’t create Mile 0 in the conventional way. We went the crazy route, using metaphorical music sequences where you ride along on the beliefs and doubts of Zoe and Kaito. The funny part is that YOU choose how you want them to evolve.”