| 33bits |
Jose Antonio Calvo Ceniceros |
80 / 100 |
08-16-2021 |
Road 96 is an excellent storytelling adventure, earning the nickname 'adventure' better than others in its field. Various playable situations, monitor the parameters of the protagonist, make decisions with frank consequences, improve with each new attempt and keep traveling to find the desired freedom. |
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| Bazimag |
Sina Golabzade |
8 / 10 |
08-16-2021 |
As someone living in a country with similar situation, some of the story bits personally hit me really hard and I applaud the developers for going all in on a narrative like this. Thankfully, unlike most of the similar games, the gameplay is not just walking and choosing dialogue options and there is some real depth here. The musical choices also help to set the game’s mood in a very interesting way. |
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| Checkpoint Gaming |
Unknown |
7 / 10 |
08-16-2021 |
Road 96 is an emotional character-driven game that is unfortunately marred by heavy-handed attempts to evoke real-world politics. It is still very much an enjoyable experience with fun mini-games, a beautiful visual style and soundtrack, along with the interesting mechanic of having to make the trip to the border multiple times. It’s upsetting that the game loses itself when it tries to tackle politics when it really should have focused more on the relationships between the characters and their journeys on the road. Despite this, it was still great fun to play the whole way through. |
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| Chicas Gamers |
Pedro Peña |
Recommended |
08-16-2021 |
It is a curious game that will entertain you for a good handful of hours. It is not demanding even in terms of the computer you need, and offers a good opportunity to go little by little shelling and discovering what is behind each character and each event. Without a doubt, Road 96 will delight those who enjoy games for its music, its aesthetics and its history. |
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| COGconnected |
Jaz Sagoo |
80 / 100 |
08-16-2021 |
Road 96 is a brave step forward in the world of narrative-driven video games. The snippet style structure superbly interweaves the diverse cast of characters creating an incredible journey through an authoritarian world. Although there are performance issues, this is an experience like no other and a must for fans of story-based games. |
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| Cubed3 |
Athanasios |
7 / 10 |
10-21-2021 |
Toothless as political commentary, and with its, supposedly, big focus on choice being almost non-existent, it would be alright to assume that this isn't a big recommendation |
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| cublikefoot |
Chase Ferrin |
Not Recommended |
08-16-2021 |
Road 96 has some cool ideas and a unique plot setup, but ultimately falls victim to its shallow writing and one-dimensional characters – leaving me disappointed at what could have been. |
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| DarkZero |
Lewis Howarth |
8 / 10 |
08-21-2021 |
Overall Road 96 really surprised me, as I'm getting older, purely story driven games don't grab my interest as easily. |
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| Destructoid |
Zoey Handley |
7.5 / 10 |
08-16-2021 |
Yet, I can’t help but feel entranced by Road 96’s framework; the depiction of a journey as being a bunch of moments. Moments where you dig into a character’s psyche or just have fun playing air hockey. It’s lightweight, effective, and I can’t think of another place where it’s this well-executed. If you’re willing to stomach the rough patches and politics, there’s a rich game within. One that explores how people affect and are affected by the world. Personally, I think it’s worth the trip. |
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| DualShockers |
Rachael Fiddis |
7 / 10 |
08-16-2021 |
Thankfully, Road 96‘s mesmerizing landscapes, unique characters and chilled soundtrack will allow players to kick back and enjoy some really good storytelling in a world that feels strangely familiar to many. |
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| Eurogamer |
Christian Donlan |
Recommended |
08-20-2021 |
A road movie told in multiple border crossings and a narrative game to remember. |
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| Everyeye.it |
Gabriele Carollo |
7.5 / 10 |
08-17-2021 |
Road 96 is a difficult experience to frame, and perhaps lacks the emotional impact of Valiant Hearts or the artistic delicacy of 11-11 Memories Retold. However, some ideas remain worthy of being discovered, such as the courage to give the role of the protagonists to a small number of co-stars and the messing up of their stories along the lines of Pulp Fiction. |
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| Explosion Network |
Dylan Blight |
8 / 10 |
09-07-2021 |
Road 96 is a game about rebellion, the road and most of all, people; even if the politics feel too childish to be helpful at times, it’s a conversation starter and a well-meaning one. |
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| FingerGuns |
Toby Andersen |
7 / 10 |
08-20-2021 |
Road 96 is an atmospheric experiment in procedural storytelling that is successful more often than not. A dynamite retrowave soundtrack and some interesting characters don’t quite excuse a story that lacks a cohesive framework and too many minigames. |
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| Gameblog |
Thomas Pillon |
6 / 10 |
08-17-2021 |
Road 96 offers a non-Manichean adventure on the roads, looking for a brighter future on the other side of the border. Despite some uneven mini-games and some brutal cuts in its narration, the game still offers some interesting cast and landscapes, carried by a strong soundtrack with delightful 90's vibes. |
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| GameMAG |
Unknown |
6 / 10 |
08-16-2021 |
Road 96 is a game that fall short of its promises. Branching storylines all have the same outcomes, and subplots of many characters are to predictable, even if a little funny. |
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| GamesBeat |
Dean Takahashi |
80 / 100 |
08-16-2021 |
I like premise of Road 96. It sets you up for endless adventures on the road, where each situation can either get you miles further toward your goal or thrown into the slammer … or worse. While you’re vulnerable, your destiny is in your hands. |
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| GameSkinny |
Mark Delaney |
7 / 10 |
08-11-2021 |
Road 96 wears its political commentary like a badge of honor, and while its themes aren't always elegantly explored, it remains an interesting and unpredictable experience. |
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| GameSpew |
Kim Snaith |
8 / 10 |
04-14-2022 |
While Road 96 doesn’t have quite the level of freedom of choice that it advertises, it doesn’t matter. This is a moving, thought-provoking adventure that’s filled with obscure moments, dark comedy and characters you won’t forget in a hurry. Its heavy political slant won’t be for everyone, but if that doesn’t put you off, you’re in for one hell of a journey. |
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| GameSpot |
Alessandro Barbosa |
6 / 10 |
04-19-2022 |
Road 96's memorable character moments are overshadowed by a central narrative that requires you suspend your disbelief far too often. |
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| GamingTrend |
David Flynn |
90 / 100 |
04-14-2022 |
Road 96 is a politically charged piece of interactive art. Its themes of opposing fascism are depressingly relevant and conveyed through charming and funny characters. While the voice acting leaves a lot to be desired, this is a trip well worth taking over and over. |
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| GBAtemp |
Prans Dunn |
8.3 / 10 |
08-16-2021 |
DigixArt’s Road 96 is an impressive indie effort to deliver an interesting narrative-driven title with an original branching plot mechanic. |
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| Generación Xbox |
Luis Falcón |
8.3 / 10 |
04-19-2022 |
Road 96 takes us to a country ruled by a totalitarian dictator. While you run looking for a better life, you will try to change Petria's fate with your decisions. A title that is definetely worth playing. |
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| God is a Geek |
Chris White |
9 / 10 |
08-16-2021 |
Road 96 tells a poignant story of those trying to escape a corrupt and dangerous country through great gameplay and multiple playthroughs. |
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| Hardcore Gamer |
Kyle LeClair |
4.5 / 5 stars |
08-17-2021 |
It might be a stretch to call it a piece of work on par with that of some of the most-acclaimed film directors of the modern age, but Road 96 is an incredible adventure game that succeeds thanks to a strong narrative, a superb cast of characters, one of the year's best soundtracks and its unique procedurally-generated approach that might see you coming back after the initial eight hours or so, just to see what could possibly be on any other routes. |
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| Hey Poor Player |
Heather Johnson Yu |
4 / 5 stars |
08-20-2021 |
Road 96 started off a bit rocky for me but quickly became one of the best games I’ve played all year. It’s absolutely on my top 10 games list for 2021, and, given enough time with it, I’m sure it’ll be yours as well. The Switch is a fine home for this politically-charged narrative, and if you have a desire to overthrow corrupt systems or just cross the border for a better life, chances are you’ll feel the same way too. If you want to get lost in a dystopian world, then do everything in your power to leave it, hitchhike your way to Road 96. |
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| Hobby Consolas |
Alberto Lloret |
80 / 100 |
08-16-2021 |
Road 96 is an adventure that will delight those who put storytelling before gameplay. Good dialogues and situations, varied, with many minigames... It's playable and has some interesting ideas, though it often leaves the feeling of being somewhat corseted. |
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| IGN |
Tristan Ogilvie |
8 / 10 |
08-16-2021 |
Road 96 is a fascinating and frequently tense adventure that manages to keep its story on track despite the odd bump in the road. |
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| IGN Italy |
Davide Mancini |
8 / 10 |
08-16-2021 |
Road 96 is a brilliant and clever take on choose-your-own-adventure game. Thanks to its complex, but coherent narrative which works on multiple runs, Digixart succedes in telling the story of pride, revolution and hope through intimate moment and a interesting cast of characters. |
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| IGN Spain |
Álex Pareja |
9 / 10 |
08-16-2021 |
Inglés (EE.UU.) |
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| Impulsegamer |
Chris O'Connor |
4.1 / 5 stars |
09-24-2021 |
Making your way from point A to point B with a lot of personal exploration along the way. |
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| JVL |
French_Fantasy |
7.5 / 10 |
08-16-2021 |
Developed by a small team of about fifteen people, Road 96 is a narrative and artistic success. The title charms from the first moments with its mesmerizing atmosphere, its exotic environments and especially its characters as colorful as the game. Relying on procedural storytelling was a risky bet, but brilliantly taken up thanks to a mastered, funny and touching writing, carried by interactive gameplay and intelligent mechanics. |
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| KeenGamer |
Kenzie Du |
8.3 / 10 |
08-16-2021 |
Road 96 is a procedural narrative adventure that stretches across different protagonists and several miles. Travel through Petria’s corrupted landscape and make decisions that will determine your freedom and survival, and the fate of your country. |
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| LevelUp |
Víctor Rosas |
8.5 / 10 |
08-17-2021 |
ROAD 96 is so much more than an indie point-and-click. It's a solid recommendation despite its obvious limits. This small world created by Yoan Fanise and DigixArt, suggests that there is still a lot to see from the Indie scene. What else can I say about this game? Perhaps whoever has lived it will understand, because for me ROAD 96 is Jeremy by Pearl Jam; Something in the Way by Nirvana; Nutshell by Alice in Chains; Firestarter by The Prodigy and 1979 by The Smashing Pumpkins, all at the same time and made into video game form. |
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| Metro GameCentral |
GameCentral |
8 / 10 |
08-16-2021 |
A beautifully structured, poignant, procedurally generated road movie, that's packed with character and intelligence. |
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| New Game Network |
Eric Hall |
70 / 100 |
09-02-2021 |
Road 96 is an engaging and timely adventure, but the title's poor performance on the Nintendo Switch makes it a rougher go than it should be. |
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| Nintendo Enthusiast |
Chirag Pattni |
7 / 10 |
08-16-2021 |
Road 96 is a road trip that doesn't feel as procedural as it makes itself out to be, which is a compliment to its unpredictability and strong writing. Player dialogue decisions and actions shape the outcome of the teenage protagonists attempting to flee to the border and the wonderful characters you'll meet along the way. Varied and fun scenarios keep the game feeling fresh and engaging from one scene to the next. However, on Nintendo Switch myriad technical problems hold the game back from reaching the full potential that its fantastic premise and characters create. It's a journey worth taking, but unless you're willing to put up with its shortcomings, it's one that I'd recommend you play elsewhere. |
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| NintendoWorldReport |
Joe Devader |
8 / 10 |
08-16-2021 |
Whether I was being threatened by Jarod, having deep personal conversations with John, or being made audience to the circus that is Stan and Mitch, I found myself continuing to go back for more over and over with Road 96. If you want a deeply political and sometimes downright scary experience, this is the place to be. Add to that a fantastic soundtrack of both folk style music and electronic synthwave that really hits the '90s vibe, and Road 96 is an experience you will not soon forget. |
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| Noisy Pixel |
Ian Goudelock |
8 / 10 |
08-16-2021 |
The randomizing order of narrative sections mixed with the more traditional choice-based elements of Road 96 made for a compelling experience. Adding in wacky but ultimately human characters really fleshed out the world of Petria and gave some moral dilemmas weight. The occasional mini-games were also enjoyable to break up the dialogue. If you are looking for a narrative adventure that deviates a bit off the normal path, Road 96 is definitely a trip you should consider embarking on. |
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| NoobFeed |
Kurtis Seid |
65 / 100 |
08-16-2021 |
The journey to Road 96 is filled with bumps, detours, and tedium. Players looking to complete the game’s presented objective of leaving Petria will find Road 96 an extremely short and inconclusive experience. |
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| Oyungezer Online |
Ali Sezgin |
8 / 10 |
08-26-2021 |
If your country is a burden to you, like ours is to us, playing Road 96 might lighten the load by reminding you that, there are always people who can make a difference. |
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| PlayStation LifeStyle |
Jason Faulkner |
7 / 10 |
04-14-2022 |
Adventure game lovers will have a good time with Road 96, though. The cast is a lot of fun, and it has enough twists and turns to make for an entertaining play. It’s definitely unique, and I hope that DigixArt continues experimenting with the genre. |
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| PlayStation Universe |
John-Paul Jones |
9 / 10 |
04-14-2022 |
Deeply emotive, intimately crafted and bursting with freedom, Road 96 takes interactive storytelling to a whole new frontier and provides players with a timely reminder that developer Digixart is one of the most underappreciated studios in the industry today. |
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| PSX Brasil |
Francisco Maia |
80 / 100 |
04-26-2022 |
While Road 96 lacks consistency in its quality and its approach to politics is occasionally superficial, it's a necessary game that raises an important topic of discussion. There are few products that deal with politics and its consequences so directly in this media. The innovative take on the theme highlights this game amidst an avalanche of good offerings, justifying the experience. Road 96 isn't perfect, but it has great ideas and a spectacular soundtrack! |
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| Push Square |
Liam Croft |
7 / 10 |
04-17-2022 |
A small amount of texture pop-in aside, a very strong visual style makes Road 96 a delight to look at. Striking character art enunciates facial features, while environments and background vistas look beautiful. With a great soundtrack to boot, the game has an incredibly strong style. When the characters you meet along the way are just as striking in their conversations and political and social beliefs, Road 96 succeeds at weaving multiple tales through the lives of teens that just want to get the hell out. |
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| Rapid Reviews UK |
Squashpickle |
5 / 5 stars |
08-16-2021 |
I’m on my first of many road trips in DigixArt’s “procedurally generated road trip” game Road 96. I’m trying to cross the border of the authoritarian country of Petria and I’ve found myself in the passenger seat of a young hacker’s car. His name is Alex and he’s making a new arcade game: “Furious Tanks”. We play a few rounds; I make some suggestions on how to improve the game and we go our separate ways. I run out of fuel and my escape attempt comes to an end. |
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| Rock, Paper, Shotgun |
Alice Bell |
Recommended |
09-13-2021 |
This political road trip is rendered an exciting and entertaining time by its cast and the deliberately piecemeal nature of its storytelling, rather than the story itself. |
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| Saving Content |
Evan Rowe |
4 / 5 stars |
09-10-2021 |
Road 96 is a great deal of fun, and is incredibly charming. I came into it cautiously optimistic about the premise, and I have found myself delighted by its character, heart, and the way it depicts people and places with such love and attentiveness to detail. I don’t know whether it’s the next big thing in narrative games, but it delivers on most of its promises and offers an experience that truly feels unique among its peers. Plus, it’s a good old fashioned adventure of the kind that frankly I didn’t realize I’d been hankering for. It’s not a perfect game, but it’s a darn good one, and as with all good stories, the journey of playing Road 96 really is the best part. |
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| Screen Rant |
Rob Gordon |
4.5 / 5 stars |
04-14-2022 |
As such, Road 96 is incredible. It was an indie hit on its release for PC and Switch last year, and that success has easily converted over to other home console platforms. This is a fascinating, compelling, and immensely replayable experience that is certainly worth exploring. |
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| Shacknews |
Donovan Erskine |
8 / 10 |
08-16-2021 |
Road 96 is an adventure game that’s stuffed with fascinating characters. Everybody has a story, and the game does an excellent job at weaving those stories together in an interesting way. The use of music and the game’s art style also helps to elevate the experience. Road 96 is a bit bogged down by some UI issues and framerate drops, but that didn’t stop me from really enjoying the complete product. |
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| SpazioGames |
Unknown |
7.7 / 10 |
08-16-2021 |
Road 96 is an intriguing on-the-go experience with interesting characters and a well crafted sense of adventure. |
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| TechRaptor |
William Worrall |
5 / 10 |
08-16-2021 |
Strong themes and good writing can't save the game from itself. Procedural-generation ruins what would otherwise be a great narrative adventure. |
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| The Escapist |
Will Cruz |
Not Recommended |
08-28-2021 |
Video Review |
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| The Games Machine |
Claudio Magistrelli |
8.3 / 10 |
08-16-2021 |
Road 96 is a nice revelation. The slow start gives the wrong impression of a game similar to many recent narrative adventures: well written, but without that peculiar something that can make it shine. Instead, its formula based on the repetition of the paths and on the procedurality of the encounters proved to be a great strength in the long run, capable of adding depth to the game and distinguishing it from its (valid) predecessors. More than this, it's the perfect game for summertime: a good song on the radio, the long road ahead of us, sunglasses on and a future where plenty of choices await. |
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| Twinfinite |
Chris Jecks |
4 / 5 stars |
08-16-2021 |
Road 96 is a special title well worth checking out for anyone with an itch for adventure. |
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| Video Chums |
Mary Billington |
7.6 / 10 |
04-24-2022 |
Road 96 is a road worth travelling as you'll meet an interesting blend of characters and learn their stories while living in a corrupt dictatorship as you fight to escape and avoid becoming another missing teen. It's a very cool adventure indeed. |
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| Washington Post |
Christopher Byrd |
Not Recommended |
08-17-2021 |
As it stands, “Road 96” feels like a preview of a better future in which another game grafts more sophistication onto its sturdy template. |
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| WayTooManyGames |
Heidi Hawes |
9 / 10 |
04-21-2022 |
I simply had to know everything about each each character and wanted to see just how different the endings were. I can attest that in each of my playthroughs, no run was ever the same. With so many games being essentially carbon copies of one another, a game like Road 96 is a remarkably refreshing surprise. Don’t let it escape your notice, it’s well worth your time. |
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| Worth Playing |
Chris "Atom" DeAngelus |
9 / 10 |
08-16-2021 |
Road 96 shows that it is possible to do a "roguelike," narrative-focused story and do it well. It's a shockingly engaging and well-written game with likeable characters. It's sometimes funny, sometimes terrifying, and sometimes thought-provoking, but no matter what, it never gets boring. Each setback or revelation made me eager to see the next, and my ending felt like a satisfying resolution to the plot that I'd been building. If there were ever a game that defined, "It's the journey, not the destination," it's Road 96, and if you're a fan of quirky, narrative-driven games, then this is well worth a shot. |
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| Zoomg |
علی گودرزی |
7.5 / 10 |
09-02-2021 |
Road 96 is a high-quality and problematic work that I recommend you to experience! why? Road 96 in its opening two-thirds is so great and exemplary that with characters, stories, unpredictable events, challenges of endurance management for travel, managing different ways to reach your destination (using a bus, stealing a car, using a taxi, walking and more) and managing the challenges that may determine your life or death, you arrange a sweet experience of "a road trip". |
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