Road to Guangdong
- August 28, 2020
- Just Add Oil Games
Whilst Road to Guangdong does suffer from various gameplay issues and a laborious process of managing the upkeep of your car, its story is engaging and uplifting.
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games Store"Road to Guangdong" is a narrative-driven game where players assume the role of Sunny, a young woman tasked with reviving her family's struggling restaurant. Accompanied by her aunt, Guu Ma, Sunny embarks on a journey to visit long-lost relatives and uncover family secrets that will help restore the restaurant's success. The game also features vehicle management elements, requiring players to maintain their car to reach their destinations. Throughout the adventure, players will face challenging decisions that will impact Sunny's relationships and future.
Nintendo Switch
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Xbox Series X|S
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Reviews
- The game features a beautiful art style and engaging soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
- The story is interesting and offers character development, providing a narrative that some players find enjoyable.
- The game is optimized for lower-end PCs, with short loading times and intuitive controls.
- The gameplay is overly simplistic, lacking the interactive elements and challenges that made Jalopy enjoyable.
- Players cannot exit the car or upgrade it, leading to a feeling of confinement and reduced engagement.
- The game is filled with excessive dialogue and loading screens, which disrupts the pacing and makes the driving sections feel tedious.
- story89 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The story in "Road to Guangdong" is generally regarded as more engaging than its predecessor, "Jalopy," featuring character development and a narrative that, while not unique, offers a calm and tranquil experience. However, many players find the execution lacking, with excessive dialogue and a slow pace that detracts from the driving elements, leading to a feeling of imbalance between storytelling and gameplay. Overall, it appeals to those who prioritize narrative in their gaming experience, despite some criticisms of its depth and interactivity.
“As an early access game, I totally recommend this, because in my short experience it has shown not only more storytelling than other similarly graphic games, but also nicer and more diverse environments/scenes as well.”
“I'm enjoying the story so far, although it's certainly not unique and follows the trap of usual conventions; thankfully, Sunny and Guu Maa's characters are likeable and you can see them evolve throughout.”
“Nonetheless, I enjoyed the story and look forward to future updates which will add more to Sunny’s adventures and hopefully allow us to explore this region of China and create a truly unique road trip!”
“Developers are focused on adding more useless features like interaction with your aunt while driving rather than finishing the story and continue selling this excrement for full price.”
“The story in the game is dry and unimaginative, with no emotional connections formed.”
“I suppose part of it is my fault, as I came to this expecting a sequel to Jalopy, but the only real improvement they've made over their similar previous title was the addition of a story that consists of nothing but dialogue.”
- gameplay33 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Road to Guangdong" is criticized for being overly reliant on menus and mouse-clicking, with much of the experience feeling like a walking simulator rather than an engaging road trip game. While the driving and repair mechanics are intuitive and the story is rich and character-driven, players express a desire for a more hands-on, open-world approach to enhance the overall experience. The game lacks polish and often feels tedious, detracting from the potential excitement of a road trip adventure.
“But in a lot of ways, the mechanics of this game lend to a more enjoyable experience - I don't have to loot through my boot to get to my oil/petrol (nice that in this game they go in separate tanks!), I just know that I have x amount of oil and I need to add y amount.”
“But it has a story with characters that actually have some personality, it looks decent graphically, and the controls and mechanics of the game work fine on a gamepad, which is what I play with in most games.”
“The core driving, repair mechanics, and level generation were very fun and intuitive; however, the game lacked overall polish (to be generous).”
“Unfortunately for a road trip game, the overall gameplay is rather boring and not what one would expect with that in mind.”
“The gameplay barely reaches walking simulator.”
“The majority of the time you'll be repairing the car at the mechanic, which is just a menu.”
- graphics26 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their vibrant, minimalist art style and low poly design, which enhance the storytelling and character engagement. While some players note that the environments can feel repetitive, the visuals are described as aesthetically pleasing and well-executed, contributing positively to the overall experience. However, there are suggestions for improvements, such as crisper icons and larger inventory graphics, to enhance clarity in the minimalist design.
“A vibrant, minimalist art style echoes the balance of the game, allowing the player to maintain a focal point while taking in the scenery and not feel overwhelmed with sensory details.”
“Aesthetically it is great, looks and sound are both top notch.”
“But all of it doesn't need to be corrected like the visuals and the music both are beautiful and a joy to experience.”
“The roads all seem very similar with some new surrounding visuals.”
“While the visuals are decent, it is not enough to detract from the boredom.”
“Redesigning the parts icons to have a 'crisper' appearance and perhaps a larger inventory graphic (in a minimalist game, the tiny, barely visible details stand out on the petrol and oil, for instance).”
- music12 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in the game is praised for its variety and quality, featuring a mix of genres such as ambient, rock, jazz, and folk, which enhances the overall experience. However, some users feel that the music feels disconnected from the game world, lacking integration with the environment. Overall, it is considered beautiful and enjoyable, complementing the visuals effectively.
“But all of it doesn't need to be corrected like the visuals and the music both are beautiful and a joy to experience.”
“Music is pretty good yet disconnected to the world by not coming out of the radio.”
“Better music (I don't love my Laika)”
“The soundtrack is varied (ambient/new beats, rock, jazz, folk, and traditional) and gorgeous.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is largely criticized, with reviewers noting a dry and unimaginative story that fails to foster any emotional connections, resulting in a lack of engagement despite the game's visual appeal.
“The story is really boring, despite the game's beautiful visuals.”
“The narrative fails to engage emotionally, leaving me feeling disconnected.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's visuals effectively capture the essence of China, creating a compelling atmosphere that resonates with players. The well-crafted optics contribute to an immersive experience, successfully conveying the cultural setting.
“The visuals in this game are well crafted and successfully deliver the atmosphere of China in a simple yet effective way.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game has received mixed feedback regarding its replayability, with many users noting that despite improvements, it offers limited incentive to replay once completed.
“Now with all of the improvements, I would actually recommend playing the game, although it has little replay value.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is reported to be significantly buggy, with users emphasizing that these issues need urgent attention, as they are the primary factor hindering overall performance and enjoyment.
“It's buggy, which definitely needs to be fixed; it's the only thing holding it back.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has been heavily criticized, particularly regarding the publisher's practices, which include false advertising and poor support for developers. Reviewers express frustration over the game's state and suggest that the issues stem from the publisher's mismanagement rather than the game's potential. Overall, there is a strong recommendation to seek alternative publishing options for indie developers.
