The acclaimed narrative adventure Road 96 gets a musical prequel

Developer Digixart’s acclaimed narrative adventure, Road 96, is getting a prequel and is coming April 4th for Xbox, PlayStation and PC.

As a quick refresher, the original Road 96 served up a procedural road trip adventure – set during a long, hot mid-’90s summer – in which players would hitchhike across the ever-changing authoritarian nation of Petria in order to reach the frontier of a new life begin. We really liked it at Eurogamer and gave it a Recommended Badge.

Its newly announced prequel, officially titled Road 96: Mile 0, turns the clock back a little further to tell a story that takes place shortly before the events of the first game. This time, players can explore White Sands, described as Petria’s only luxurious community, and switch between two teenage protagonists from different backgrounds, Zoe and Kaito.

“Their journey in Road 96: Mile 0 will challenge their friendship and everything they believe in,” teases Digixart. “They say money doesn’t buy happiness or friendship. These teenagers are dreamers and they will learn where they belong. Will they stay friends?”

Alongside the more grounded road trip of the original Road 96 – which returns with a new cast of colorful characters – Mile 0 also introduces “beautifully psychedelic” playable music segments that pull players into the inner worlds of Zoe and Kaito. You can find a few teasers of this in Digixart’s newly released announcement trailer.

Road 96: Mile 0 will be released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch and PC (incl steam) on April 4th.