Road Not Taken

78%
Game Brain Score Based on 346 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • story
Road Not Taken Game Cover
“Road Not Taken is an insidiously clever randomly generated puzzle game that stumbles sometimes around awkward design.”
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"Road Not Taken" is a puzzle game with roguelike elements, set in a mystical forest. You play as a ranger, responsible for rescuing children lost in the forest during a harsh winter. Each playthrough offers new, procedurally generated layouts and challenges, requiring strategic thinking and resource management to navigate the treacherous woods and save the children. The game also features a rich narrative and character development, adding depth to the gameplay.

  • iPad
  • iPhone
  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Phone
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Mobile Platform
  • Play​Station
  • Tablet
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

78%
Audience ScoreBased on 346 reviews
gameplay31 positive mentions
grinding8 negative mentions
  • Charming art style and engaging visuals that enhance the overall experience.
  • Intriguing puzzle mechanics that offer a good range of difficulty, keeping players challenged.
  • Rich storytelling and character interactions that add depth to the gameplay.
  • The game can be overly punishing, with a steep difficulty curve that may frustrate players.
  • Randomly generated puzzles can lead to unsolvable situations, detracting from the enjoyment.
  • Lack of clear instructions and mechanics can make the gameplay feel overwhelming and tedious.
  • gameplay115 mentions

    The gameplay is a mix of engaging puzzle mechanics and rogue-like elements, offering a unique experience that emphasizes creativity and problem-solving. However, many players find the mechanics to be overly obscure and punishing, particularly due to a lack of effective save features and the randomness of challenges. While the game features charming visuals and a touching story, its gameplay can feel tedious and frustrating, especially for those seeking a more cohesive experience.

    • “A lot of story (with heart!) and mechanics to figure out, and you can't do everything in one try, which is a good life lesson for perfectionists.”
    • “The gameplay is tricky without being rage-inducing, and procedurally generated such that the solutions to the obstacles it throws your way never become rote.”
    • “The gameplay is enjoyable and adjustable in difficulty, making this something I can return to often.”
    • “But gameplay was less a puzzle to solve and more a tedious thing to work around.”
    • “It's not that the game doesn't save unless you use the lights, it's literally just programmed to remove massive amounts of your progress as punishment for dying at all unless you activate that arbitrary and unexplained game mechanic.”
    • “Unfortunately, the gameplay mechanics are too obscure, and the randomness of the game can be way too punishing for it to be a game I would recommend playing.”
  • graphics69 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming and beautifully crafted art style, which combines cute visuals with darker themes, creating a unique aesthetic experience. Players appreciate the attention to detail in the animations and character designs, which contribute to an engaging atmosphere that enhances the gameplay. However, some reviews note that while the graphics are pleasant, the game may suffer from stability issues and unpolished elements.

    • “The visuals are both charming and satisfyingly animated - and the dash of macabre and more than a hint of the cruelty of a rural winter helps without taking over the experience.”
    • “The art style is beautiful, charming, and deceptive - very gruesome and dark themes can be overlooked because of how cutesy the art style is.”
    • “Charming hand-drawn graphics and at least somewhat interesting backstory developing during gameplay.”
    • “Graphics aside, this is a major mess.”
    • “Very cute looking graphics with a slightly sinister environment.”
    • “The art style may be cute but the world is unforgiving - it is very possible to irretrievably trap a child you're trying to rescue, or fail to get to her before a hungry witch or spider does.”
  • story67 mentions

    The story in *Road Not Taken* is rich and poignant, exploring themes of personal relationships and the struggles of a flawed town, all while intertwining thoughtful puzzles and a unique gameplay experience. Players appreciate the contrast between the game's cute, cartoonish visuals and its deeper, sometimes darker narrative elements, which encourage reflection and interpretation. However, some find the randomness in both story progression and gameplay mechanics frustrating, leading to mixed feelings about the overall narrative experience.

    • “Road Not Taken is a game of thoughtful puzzles, intimate and personal relationships, and a strong but subtle story of the deeply flawed town you are protecting.”
    • “The story is simple, yet nice and poetic, leaving much to be interpreted by the player, which I personally love, and the gameplay is indeed quite interesting.”
    • “With well-written dialogue, the story becomes interesting and curious, despite not being required to complete the game objectives.”
    • “Road Not Taken is also a game with frustrating randomness in both the story and the puzzle levels.”
    • “I'd comment on the story, but I haven't actually seen any of it because this game sucks.”
    • “The story is weak.”
  • music40 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric and charming qualities, enhancing the overall experience and immersing players in the game world. Many reviewers appreciate the nostalgic and folk-like elements of the soundtrack, which complements the art style beautifully. However, some players found certain tracks repetitive or irritating, leading them to mute the game at times.

    • “The atmosphere is remarkable - the sounds, surroundings, and music totally and completely immerse you, making you easily waste hours upon hours on this game.”
    • “The art style is lovely and the music suits it perfectly; it feels a lot like a folk fairy tale.”
    • “10/10, simply amazing art style, magical music and sound, great gameplay, simple but touching story and a whole new idea for how a puzzle game should be like.”
    • “I rebooted it (I have no idea why, I should have just quit there and then), got past the introduction cutscene and mission for a second time, and decided I wanted to turn down the repetitive, irritating soundtrack and noises.”
    • “Huh, there are three badly drawn boys (hue) on a stage with musical instruments.”
    • “It has almost everything you could possibly want: frustrating but rewarding gameplay, cute graphics, atmospheric soundtrack, and a layer of deep existentialism.”
  • atmosphere26 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its nostalgic, whimsical, and immersive qualities, enhanced by charming graphics and a captivating soundtrack. Reviewers note the ability of the atmosphere to evoke a range of emotions, from haunting to hopeful, making it a significant aspect of the overall experience. The combination of sound, surroundings, and writing creates an engaging environment that encourages players to lose themselves in the game for hours.

    • “The atmosphere is remarkable - the sounds, surroundings, and music totally and completely immerse you, making you easily waste hours upon hours on this game.”
    • “The atmosphere is also exceptional, and easily slides from haunting to encouraging to disturbing.”
    • “An atmospheric and beautiful puzzle game, with a charming soundtrack and fun dialogue.”
    • “When you do, it destroys the anonymity of the protagonist and their entire atmosphere in the world; and you can't even put your hood back on.”
    • “Do the mechanics rise to the level of the atmosphere?”
    • “It also has a bleak yet hopeful atmosphere coursing through the entire thing, which I found very charming.”
  • replayability13 mentions

    The game offers significant replayability due to its randomly generated levels and puzzles, which keep the experience fresh and engaging. Players appreciate the charming characters, varying difficulty levels, and the ability to forge relationships, all contributing to its high replay value. Overall, the combination of strategic challenges and surprises ensures that many users are eager to return for additional playthroughs.

    • “Difficult in my opinion and fun, making it a great strategy game, and its randomly generated levels give it tons of replay value.”
    • “Lots of replay value, charming characters, and different difficulty levels combine to make this well worth the price.”
    • “Being a roguelike, it has a lot of replay value, especially since you can forge relationships with a few of the townsfolk.”
    • “It has a lot of surprises, and a lot of replay value.”
    • “Difficult in my opinion and fun, making it a great strategy game, and its random generation levels give it tons of replay value.”
  • humor12 mentions

    The game is praised for its clever and biting humor, blending whimsical and macabre elements that enhance its charm. Reviewers highlight the thoughtful and engaging dialogue, which is described as hilarious, sad, and moving, contributing to an overall enjoyable and atmospheric experience. The humor is noted to be consistent and varied, making the gameplay both entertaining and challenging.

    • “The art is charming and the game is funny and clever.”
    • “The writing itself was whimsical and sad, with a good sense of humor and was generally atmospheric and enjoyable.”
    • “The dialogue is hilarious, sad, moving, touching, and sweet - the writers of this game put great thought and work into the dialogue.”
  • emotional11 mentions

    The game excels in emotional depth, featuring well-crafted dialogue that is both humorous and poignant, which enhances player investment in character relationships. Its charming art style, expressive animations, and heartwarming music contribute to a touching narrative centered around the mission of reuniting lost children with their parents, creating a magical and satisfying experience. Overall, players find the emotional engagement to be a standout aspect, elevating the gameplay to a memorable level.

    • “The dialogue is hilarious, sad, moving, touching, and sweet - the writers of this game put great thought and work into the dialogue.”
    • “It makes the game that much more alive and real to you, and in combination with how you've built your relationships with the other characters, it can get you emotionally invested.”
    • “Its characters with their childlike proportions, animations showing exaggerated emotions from tears to joy, and even its core mission of returning lost children to their parents all achieve a heartwarming feel.”
  • grinding8 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be initially enjoyable but quickly devolving into a tedious experience. The lack of appealing incentives to continue playing contributes to the overall sense of monotony, making the gameplay feel more like a chore than an engaging challenge.

    • “It's fun for a while, but gets tedious pretty quick.”
    • “A novel game that starts off fun, but soon becomes tedious without offering appealing incentives to continue playing.”
    • “But gameplay was less a puzzle to solve and more a tedious thing to work around.”
  • stability6 mentions

    The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous glitches and bugs leading to crashes and freezes, even on high-end machines. Additionally, the developer has announced that no further patches will be released to address these problems.

    • “Glitchy, buggy game that crashes even on my high-end machine.”
    • “The game has many glitches and bugs that cause the game to hang up or freeze, and the developer has stated there will be no more patches.”
    • “To top it all off, the game is buggy!”
  • optimization1 mentions

    While there are some minor performance issues, players still find enjoyment in the immersive experience of the game, despite its peculiarities.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

75% average critic score

Buy Road Not Taken

Play time

11hMedian play time
11hAverage play time
7hMain story
24hCompletionist
11-11hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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