Broken Roads

Broken Roads is a charming, phenomenally written, and incredibly engaging RPG about life in what remains of the Down Under, and is equally likely to break your heart and put a smile on your face with its wonder storytelling and characters.

59%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

stability, replayability

60% User Score Based on 258 reviews

Critic Score 59%Based on 20 reviews

Platforms

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About

"Broken Roads" is a post-apocalyptic CRPG set in Western Australia, where players can explore a rich narrative with branching quests and memorable encounters. The game offers a classless system for character development and a unique morality system, the Moral Compass, which influences and is influenced by dialogue options and questing decisions based on a character's philosophical leaning. Immerse yourself in a desolate yet fascinating world filled with intricate lore and compelling characters.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

+10

60%

Audience ScoreBased on 278 reviews

story41 positive mentions

stability14 negative mentions

The game features a unique Australian setting that is well-represented through its dialogue, art, and culture, providing a refreshing experience in the post-apocalyptic genre.
The moral compass system adds depth to the gameplay, allowing for varied choices and consequences that can significantly impact the story and character interactions.
The hand-drawn art style and atmospheric soundtrack enhance the immersive experience, making the world feel alive and engaging.

Combat is overly simplistic and lacks depth, often making encounters feel tedious and unchallenging, which detracts from the overall gameplay experience.
Many quests are plagued by bugs and unclear objectives, leading to frustrating moments where players may feel stuck or unable to progress.
The pacing of the game can be slow, with long stretches of dialogue and exploration that may not hold the player's interest, especially for those expecting more action.

story
313 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
81%
6%
The story of "Broken Roads" is a mixed bag, with some players finding it engaging and rich in moral choices, while others criticize it for being linear, disjointed, and plagued by bugs that disrupt quest progression. Many appreciate the unique Australian setting and character dialogue, but feel that the narrative often fails to deliver meaningful consequences for player decisions, leading to a sense of aimlessness. Overall, while the game has potential with its intriguing premise and character interactions, it struggles with execution, leaving some players disappointed.
- “An enjoyable, story-driven game from an indie developer, which tells an engaging story with the added focus on moral philosophy.”
- “The story, characters, and world are interesting, and some of the choices are genuinely gut-wrenching in a way that makes you really appreciate the nature of the world this story is set in.”
- “Broken roads is a charming, phenomenally written, and incredibly engaging RPG about life in what remains of the down under, and is equally likely to break your heart and put a smile on your face with its wonderful storytelling and characters.”
- “Unfortunately, the story just wasn't that interesting for me.”
- “The game feels short, the story is okay but underwhelming for what I expected.”
- “The story decisions are either made by NPCs or are quickly made completely irrelevant by some random plot twist.”
gameplay
57 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
65%
14%
The gameplay in "Broken Roads" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its lack of depth and polish, particularly in combat mechanics, which feel functional but not engaging. While the game features an interesting moral compass and a unique setting, it often feels clunky and underdeveloped, leading to a lack of incentive for replayability. Overall, despite some charm and immersive storytelling, the gameplay struggles to meet the expectations set by its artistic and narrative elements.
- “Once you get used to some of the game mechanics, it's easy to get lost in the story and caught up in the choices thrown your way.”
- “Very cool game, they get the straya right and have solid game mechanics.”
- “Fun immersive gameplay.”
- “I feel no incentive to replay the game because the gameplay lacks the depth and creativity to make me want to do it all again.”
- “Unfortunately, for all of its fantastic art style, epic music score, and writing, the combat side of the game is obviously lackluster and leaves you wanting a bit more as far as tactical gameplay and AI are concerned.”
- “The gameplay itself is a bit rough around the edges; it doesn't have the polish of a big-budget game.”
graphics
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
26%
7%
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their beautiful hand-painted art style and well-crafted environments, which many players feel enhance the overall experience. While the visuals are often described as stunning and immersive, some users noted minor glitches and a user interface that feels less polished. Overall, the artistic direction and atmospheric design are highlighted as standout features, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
- “Handpainted graphics style is beautiful.”
- “Beautiful artwork and well fleshed out locations plus some quirky easter eggs thrown in.”
- “The game is graphically beautiful and I've gotten a lot of joy from the landscapes depicted and the corresponding wildlife.”
- “As of June 2024, I had minor quest progression, graphics, and gameplay glitches, but because the game maintains several rolling auto-saves, it was always easy to reload before these glitches.”
- “Beyond the art style, for every part of Broken Roads, you can find better elsewhere.”
- “It reminds me of my first time playing games like Fallout 1 & 2 with much better graphics.”
music
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
28%
9%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many praising its atmospheric quality and how well it complements the art style and setting. Reviewers highlighted specific tracks, such as the main menu's digeridoo music, and noted similarities to the works of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. While the soundtrack is generally considered fantastic, some players expressed a desire for more dynamic and exciting music during combat encounters.
- “The hand-drawn art captures the outback feel perfectly, reminding me of my trip across the Nullarbor when I was a young fulla, and the music sets the mood just right.”
- “I also really like the soundtrack, with some of the music reminding me of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis' work on 'The Assassination of Jesse James' and 'The Proposition'.”
- “The main menu didgeridoo music... I could listen to it all day.”
humor
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is characterized by clever, Australian-themed dialogue and descriptions that often elicit genuine laughter from players. While the writing is praised for its wit and ability to provide meaningful choices, some players feel that certain combat encounters detract from the overall comedic experience. Overall, the humor is a standout feature, enhancing the game's atmosphere and player engagement.
- “Loving the Aussie humor and little quirks.”
- “The dialogue and description are well written; they feel very Australian and some of them had me audibly laughing.”
- “I'm not usually someone for games with a lot of reading, but the writing is funny and gives enough options in most situations to fulfill my desire for freedom.”
atmosphere
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
21%
21%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its unique Australian setting, stunning hand-drawn art, and immersive soundtrack, which collectively create a captivating experience. Reviewers highlight the interesting characters and well-crafted locations, though some note that the atmosphere alone cannot compensate for clunky gameplay. Overall, the game's atmosphere stands out as a significant strength, enhancing the overall experience despite some gameplay shortcomings.
- “The atmosphere and graphical style are great, and the uniqueness of the setting elevates the game a lot.”
- “I love the setting, I love the atmosphere, but the gameplay is just so clunky and bad.”
- “Where Broken Roads shines is its atmosphere.”
- “This game bleeds Australia, and they have done such a creative job producing an atmosphere that really grabs a hold of you without ever feeling like it's too rich or corny.”
stability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with some players reporting minor glitches and issues that were manageable due to effective auto-save features. However, many users have experienced significant bugs, including uncompleted quests, achievement unlock failures, and unclear quest objectives, leading to frustration and a perception of poor overall stability.
- “The game is still pretty buggy; most of the Steam achievements didn’t unlock for me, multiple side stories became bugged and became impossible to complete, as well as a couple of soft crashes.”
- “There were plenty of times where quests wouldn't telegraph their intentions well enough or be outright buggy.”
- “There are a lot of issues with the game that range from annoying to buggy to just not compelling game design, and I don't think this package will be able to overcome them all.”
emotional
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is polarizing; while it successfully evokes strong feelings of misery and anger, prompting players to reflect on their life choices, the overwhelming and disjointed presentation of emotions can leave some feeling confused rather than connected. The prologue effectively draws players in, creating a sense of investment in the unfolding narrative, but the lack of cohesion in emotional themes may detract from the overall impact.
- “This masterpiece made me feel miserable and angry, and led me to question my life choices that brought me to this point.”
- “It was a real treat to get sucked deep into the prologue, thinking it was more of a chapter one, only to get everything turned on its head and emotionally invested in the consequences.”
- “It throws many, many names and emotional responses at you like a room full of people all talking at the same time about the same thing, but almost none of it meshes together in a meaningful way.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
38%
38%
The game offers significant replayability, allowing players to explore various outcomes through different approaches to situations. Its design encourages multiple playthroughs, providing ample playtime and diverse options for engagement.
- “It is an amazing CRPG, very replayable if you want to explore different outcomes.”
- “The system gives you different ways to approach a situation, adding a lot of replayability.”
- “I can tell some people will get hung up on pedantics about whether something is actually humanist or utilitarian, but the system for what it is gives you different ways to approach a situation, and adds a lot of replayability.”
- “Plenty of playtime and replayability options.”
- “Replayability.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and boring, citing slow movement speeds and repetitive missions that detract from the overall experience. The lack of engaging interactions and a broken quest system further exacerbate the feeling of monotony, making exploration feel laborious. Many wish for improvements to speed up traversal and enhance the overall gameplay experience.
- “Boring, tedious missions.”
- “I see my character at a full run, but it takes longer than I'd like to get to locations, and I have to make a lot of passes back and forth to see everything. This, combined with the party's flying wedge shuffle and general lack of interaction opportunities, makes exploring feel tedious.”
- “Broken Roads has elements of a great RPG, but they’re buried beneath a broken quest system, tedious combat, and numerous bugs.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The optimization of the game has been criticized for slow character movement relative to the map size and a limited vision range, which detracts from the overall experience. Additionally, players have reported unstable performance issues that hinder gameplay, overshadowing the game's unique setting and narrative elements.
- “Moral choices that change combat performance. Are you a caring character that helps others, or a selfish nuisance that lets allies take damage aimed at you?”
- “Different intros and companions based on your class. This gives more points of view on why the story is happening and how everyone came together.”
- “A rather unique Australian flair to the setting, abilities, and story. Characters use actual Aussie slang, customs, and similar beliefs.”
- “It feels, relatively speaking to other similar games, that I'm running slowly relative to the map size. It also feels like the vision range is a bit short.”
- “Broken roads is a gorgeous Aussie world undone by incurious writing, ambitious but poorly implemented ideas, and unstable performance issues.”
- “It feels, relatively speaking to other similar games, that I'm running slowly relative to the map size. It also feels like the vision range is a bit short.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
Character development in the game is largely criticized for being absent or redundant, with players noting a lack of meaningful skills to acquire and a non-engaging storyline that fails to create a sense of cause and effect. The absence of charismatic characters and a confusing interface further detracts from the overall experience, leaving players feeling lost and unmotivated.
- “Character development is missing, and there are no skills to acquire or develop that really seem to matter.”