Broken Roads - Reviews

[HiddenX]

Here are some release day reviews for Broken Roads from Gameffine, Mortismal Gaming and I Dream of Indie Games:

Broken Roads Review @ Gameffine

While I try to stay detached from the games I'm to review, one or two slip by this self-imposed rule. I have been eagerly anticipating the release of Drop Bear Bytes' post-apocalyptic CRPG Broken Roads ever since I interviewed the game director nearly 4 years ago. After a last-minute delay in 2023 and a sudden publisher change, Broken Roads is finally coming out today. As someone who's been playing the game in its multiple stages of development, this review has been a long time coming. I'll be answering two major questions in this review -- did the game live up to my hype, and would I recommend it to the average CRPG enjoyer?

Moral Dilemmas
You can already deduce the answer to the first question from the title of this review. From the outset, Broken Roads had all the right ingredients in stock -- the ever-selling post-apocalyptic template, an unsaturated locale, 30 years' worth of inspiration, and industry veterans as consultants. But what I experienced was a run-of-the-mill, and at times buggy CRPG that fails to capture some of the most crucial elements of a CRPG. Broken Roads is not a bad game by any means, as it shows signs of brilliance occasionally. But there are a dozen modern CRPGs that do what Broken Roads does better and the bugs don't help either.

[...]

I won't deny that my anticipation for Broken Roads has affected my opinion of the finished product in one way or another. The idea of Broken Roads propagated by the mainstream press is a far cry from the game I played to completion. The game's witty Aussie charm and gorgeous visuals are let down by its underwhelming narrative, static game world, and barebones combat mechanics. But, if you're a newcomer to CRPGs, then Broken Roads may satiate your urge. Even then, my suggestion is to wait for the developers to clean up the remaining bugs.

Score: 60/100

Broken Roads - Review After 100%

Broken Roads Review - Heartbreaker

More information.

 

[mbpopolano24]

7-10 hrs is not an RPG, it's a demo or proof of concept. "Replayability" is not a plus, it's expected. Any good games, and certainly RPGs, are designed to be replayed many time. Hard pass.

 

[daveyd]

7-10 hrs is not an RPG, it's a demo or proof of concept. "Replayability" is not a plus, it's expected. Any good games, and certainly RPGs, are designed to be replayed many time. Hard pass.

I don't think that 7 hrs. is a typical playtime though. Maybe for a speed run that skipped side content. The developer was saying their playtesters were taking an average 30 hours to complete it.

 

[JDR13]

Seems a little underwhelming which is also how the demo made me feel.

Oddly enough, it releases in about an hour over here, and there's still no price listed on Steam.

 

[daveyd]

It's available on Steam for $31.49 with launch discount

 

[Redglyph]

'80 % of the population is decimated' (2nd video - a little weird, that one). Isn't it simpler to say 8% died?

Anyway, I was on the fence after the demo, but now I'm comfortable skipping that game.

 

[yemeth]

My first playthrough took about 12 hours and that was with 80% of the content completed. The next playthrough took around 20 hours.

 

[Vaelith]

I was kind of looking forward to this one, but 6/10 reviews and 7-20 hours of content doesn't sound very hopeful.

I'll have to reign my expectations, it seems.

 

[Vaelith]

I was browsing for more reviews to get a more solid idea of what the game is like before buying it, and ran into this one from Gamepressure: https://www.gamepressure.com/editor...ocalypse-for-the-very-patient-and-under/z16ef

Their conclusion is as follows:

Ultimately, we can talk about a flop. I'm playing an underdeveloped and thoughtless game, requiring boring, time-consuming tasks. Messy, both in terms of the script and gameplay. This poses further problems – because moving the plot requires wandering around the locations aimlessly, and we cannot direct the attack at the right enemy when in combat. However, if someone has a lot of patience and understanding and would like to spend many hours looking for secrets and delving into philosophical topics, they can give Broken Roads a chance. Nevertheless, I warn you, even after forgiving shortcomings, I would not see potential for anything good here.

They make it sound like a terrible game in every aspect.

 

[forgottenlor]

From all the other reviews, it comes off more as forgettable and mediocre than terrible. I'll get it when it hits a deep sale, which shouldn't be all too long if the reviews don't drastically improve.

 

[daveyd]

Yeah, I'll probably pick this up on a sale. By then at least the bugs will hopefully be squashed.

 

[Morrandir]

Oh, that's disappointing.

 

[Carnifex]

Ouch, well, I've read better earlier reviews, that's for certain.

 

[soola]

PCGamer: 64/100

Broken Roads review

Descartes before the horse.

www.pcgamer.com

 

[screeg]

Yikes! I worked with one of the BR writers on a different project. When he says the narrative was underwhelming, damn.

 

[daveyd]

Here's a few that are more positive: https://hardcoregamer.com/review-broken-roads/ (3.5/5)

https://www.thegamer.com/broken-roads-review-classic-fallout-still-has-a-place/ (4/5)

https://www.rpgfan.com/review/broken-roads/ 76/100

 

[Pladio]

The Steam reviews are more positive to be honest... Not great, but an ok game it seems.
With me playing so many other games though, it's not going to be a priority.

 

[JDR13]

Just a heads up...if you're a member at Green Man Gaming, it's only $25 there. I assume that price runs concurrently with the Steam launch discount.

 

[purpleblob]

$51 AUD (without release day discount) and it only has 10-20 hours gameplay? What a waste of taxpayer's money.

 

[connus]

$51 AUD (without release day discount) and it only has 10-20 hours gameplay? What a waste of taxpayer's money.

And are the problems with this game's development in spite of that funding---and likely interference---or because of it ?