Mile 0, a good starting point

Road 96: Mile 0 will likely leave less of an impression than its predecessor, who brilliantly mastered choral playing and with its gallery of NPCs, each contributing their score to a corrosive symphony. Admittedly confusing with its musical mini-games, mile 0 provides a good supplement to find out how the daughter of an influential minister came to the streets. Likewise, Kaito, the other protagonist, pushes us to think about how to fight against a totalitarian regime without getting lost… What struck me the most is undoubtedly the visual and audio delirium of each mini-game. Some are true art experiences and delight the senses.

The Confusing Prequel

Road 96: Mile 0the apt name invites us to discover the starting point of street 96, who made an impression in 2021. In this captivating road trip, set in a not-so-parodic fictional totalitarian state, we followed the journeys of young teenagers fleeing dictatorship and seeking freedom. It was above all the pretext to meet a gallery of endearing or frightening characters, anonymous people or cogs in the system when, on the contrary, they are not rebels. street 96

With that “choral” side, each character had me seduced, each character bringing their stone to the solid building that was the background of street 96. The young Zoe played an outstanding role and attracted attenti on with her charisma, her mischievous spirit and her desire for emancipation…

Well, she’s the one taking the title role mile 0, with his childhood friend Kaito. Foreign, poor, forced to do hard labor and living in a ghetto, he stands in sharp contrast to Zoe, daughter of one of the dictatorship’s most influential ministers. With all the excesses that this entails, especially mile 0 just as its predecessor forces the line to reveal all absurdities. Suffice it to say that the two protagonists were not destined to meet, let alone be friends like pigs. And yet here they dream of running away together, discovering the world…

Here, no introductory road trip, mile 0 is confusing on this point for those who appreciated it street 96. No, here we go Find out how Zoe faced the harsh reality of the regime, and whether it limits itself to following it or, on the contrary, doubts it. For his part, Kaito will have to choose him as his camp, ideal prey for the rebels “Black Brigades”. Far from being Manichaean, mile 0 suggest as street 96 Thoughts to generalized brainwashing, how the very beginning of doubt is an act of rebellion and whether all means are good to bring down an illegitimate state.

The pleasure of the senses

Aside from the dialogues and little puzzles, the most destabilizing are those Musical mini-games what enamel mile 0. They replace the action phases or daydreams of two heroes. They often suffer from a lack of legibility but they are one overwhelming visual ingenuity. On their own, they are worth the detour. The sound part is also to be welcomed. So the minigames a feast for the senses, less for raw video game enjoyment. In any case, I think to myself that the gates are jerking and guitar hero-like can find their account there.

To find out how Zoe ended up on the street street 96, I put 5 hours on a first run. But since each of the two heroes has difficult choices to make, I think there’s a reason Replay a game or two to discover everything this adventure has to offer. Granted, it’s probably less flashy than its predecessor, but it all stays the same a good addition. Especially since the cameos with the characters from street 96 are always happy.

mile 0 is served by pretty deceptively naive graphics. The prosecutor takes all decency to the point of vomiting of a totalitarian regime: the massive and overwhelming architecture, the propaganda flooding the public space, and the mindless henchmen. The voices are in English, but the interface and subtitles are available in French.

I appreciated:

The protagonist duo
Some minigame backgrounds are beautiful!
The still corrosive message
Reunion with characters from Road 96
Voice in English, interface and subtitles in French

I liked least:

The lack of readability in some mini-games

accessibility criteria

visual impairment		hard of hearing
✘ High contrast (target reticle)		✘ Subtitles with mood hints
✘ Font color size		✅ Identification of the person speaking
✘ Tag enemies		✘ Customizable font
✘ Customizable user interface		✘ Customizable font color
✘ Customizable mini-map color		✘ Alternative alarm options (vibration, flash…)
✘ Color blindness option		✘ Ambient noise reported (presence notification)
✘ Text to speech option
✘ Game slowdown