Road Not Taken

80%
Game Brain Score Based on 168 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

80%
Audience ScoreBased on 168 reviews
gameplay15 positive mentions
grinding4 negative mentions
  • Charming art style and engaging music that enhances the overall atmosphere of the game.
  • Intriguing puzzle mechanics that require strategic thinking and offer a variety of item interactions.
  • High replayability due to procedurally generated levels and the ability to build relationships with NPCs.
  • The difficulty spikes significantly, often leading to frustrating gameplay experiences and potential soft locks.
  • Randomized puzzles can sometimes feel unsolvable or tedious, detracting from the enjoyment of the game.
  • Lack of clear instructions and mechanics can overwhelm players, making it hard to progress without repeated failures.
  • gameplay57 mentions

    Gameplay in this title is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its unique mechanics and charming aesthetics, while others find it tedious and punishing due to obscure mechanics and a lack of effective saving features. The game offers a blend of puzzle-solving and rogue-like elements, which can be rewarding but also frustrating, especially for those unfamiliar with its intricacies. Overall, it appeals more to casual players and game designers, but may not satisfy those seeking a cohesive and engaging gameplay 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.”
  • graphics33 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 atmosphere. Players appreciate the attention to detail in the animations and character designs, contributing to an engaging experience that enhances the gameplay. However, some reviews note that while the graphics are appealing, the game's stability and functionality may detract from the overall enjoyment.

    • “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, characters, and dialogues are just adorable (seriously, the little descriptions and dialogues when you talk to the NPCs or give them gifts will give you a warm, fuzzy feeling in your belly).”
    • “The art: the art is beautiful, charming, and deceptive - very gruesome and dark themes can be overlooked because of how cutesy the art style is.”
    • “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.”
  • story33 mentions

    The story in *Road Not Taken* is rich and poignant, weaving themes of personal relationships, loss, and the challenges of life into its gameplay. Players appreciate the contrast between the game's cute, cartoonish visuals and its deeper, often darker narrative elements, which encourage reflection and interpretation. While some find the storytelling engaging and rewarding, others note that the randomness in gameplay can detract from the overall 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.”
    • “The story is weak.”
    • “Despite the emphasis on 'choices', there is very little you can do to ensure you'll do better in your next year, or as the next poor fool in a 15-year quest to save the children of the town.”
  • music20 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric and immersive qualities, enhancing the overall experience with a charming and nostalgic soundtrack that complements the art style beautifully. While some players found certain tracks repetitive or irritating, many appreciated the music's ability to evoke emotions and contribute to the game's fairy tale-like ambiance. Overall, the combination of engaging sound design and music significantly enriches the gameplay and storytelling.

    • “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.”
    • “I love the soundtrack, and the story makes me want to know more.”
    • “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.”
    • “The music itself is pretty heartwarming and brings great satisfaction to my ears when I complete a level or find items that are a bit harder to obtain.”
  • atmosphere13 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 engaging writing creates an 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 writing itself was whimsical and sad, with a good sense of humor and was generally atmospheric and enjoyable.”
    • “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.”
  • humor6 mentions

    The game is praised for its clever and biting humor, blending whimsical and macabre elements that enhance its charm. The dialogue is highlighted as particularly well-crafted, offering a mix of hilarity and emotional depth, contributing to an overall enjoyable and atmospheric experience. Players appreciate the game's ability to maintain humor while presenting challenging gameplay.

    • “Some fun, old school gameplay with a bit of biting humor along the way.”
    • “The art is charming and the game is funny and clever.”
    • “The dialogue is hilarious, sad, moving, touching, and sweet - the writers of this game put great thought and work into the dialogue.”
  • replayability6 mentions

    The game offers significant replayability due to its randomly generated levels and puzzles, which keep each playthrough fresh and engaging. Players appreciate the variety of difficulty levels and charming characters, enhancing the overall experience and encouraging multiple playthroughs. As a roguelike, it also allows for relationship-building with townsfolk, adding another layer of depth to replay value.

    • “Difficult in my opinion and fun, making it a great strategy game. Its randomly generated levels give it tons of replay value.”
    • “I'll definitely be playing at least one more full game of this title because the levels are somewhat randomly generated, so it has replayability.”
    • “It has a lot of surprises and a lot of replay value.”
    • “Being a roguelike, it has a lot of replay value, especially since you can forge relationships with a few of the townsfolk.”
  • emotional5 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its well-crafted dialogue, which ranges from hilarious to touching, fostering deep connections with the characters. The combination of charming visuals, expressive animations, and a heartwarming narrative about reuniting lost children enhances the player's emotional investment, complemented by a magical soundtrack that elevates the overall experience.

    • “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 and animations showing exaggerated emotions from tears to joy, along with its core mission of returning lost children to their parents, all achieve a heartwarming feel.”
  • grinding4 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, with initial enjoyment quickly fading as the lack of appealing incentives diminishes motivation to continue. While the gameplay starts off engaging, it soon becomes a chore rather than a challenge.

    • “But gameplay was less a puzzle to solve and more a tedious thing to work around.”
    • “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.”
  • stability3 mentions

    The game is plagued by numerous glitches and bugs, leading to frequent crashes and freezes, even on high-end machines. Users express frustration over the lack of future patches from the developer to address these stability issues.

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

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