Road Not Taken begins with a brief cutscene showing the game's main protagonist walking through a snow covered forest before passing out an dying. The character seems to be immortal, as he soon awakens again and sets off walking through the woods before coming upon a group of individuals looking for help finding their missing children. The brief scene sets the narrative for the rogue like elements of the game that will have players experiencing one life of random encounters, puzzles and item drops over and over again with the same protagonist.
The puzzle elements of the game come into play once players enter the forest in search of the missing children. Each area of the game is made up of different characters and items on a square grid. Players and some of the other non-playable characters in the game move one space at a time, while other items in the environment never move. Players must learn how to interact with each item to manipulate the world and eventually allow the children to escape the forest. Children are rescued once they are returned to a parent or taken back to the beginning of the level where parents and the town mayor are waiting for the ranger. If a player fails to save at least half of the children more than once, it's game over and on to a whole new session starting from the beginning of the game.
The difficulty of the game comes in later levels when more items, characters and obstructions are added to levels of the game. Players control the ranger to only pick up items that are in the four different directions the in-game character can move. Picking up items and moving while holding the item drains energy, and the ranger dies when energy is fully depleted. Instead of carrying around items, players will need to learn how to throw items in the direction the item is facing in order to match items to create powerups or simply help clear out the area. The match system has been featured in several puzzle games in the past including Spry Fox's Triple Town, but Road Not Taken includes so many different items and recipes that it can be a bit overwhelming to take in all at once. Luckily, the game includes a book with all of the information a player could ever need to know about the different items in the game and recipes to create new items.
After all of the children are rescued in an area, the player will be allowed to return to town and unlock some new items and areas of the town. The mayor will reward the ranger with a key to a vacant home in the city after the first successful mission, and other rewards follow in the years after this. Inside the home, players can switch between the different Charms they've found in the field or unlocked through befriending townsfolk. Players only need to approach townsfolk and share items from their inventory such as berries, coins and rice in order to grow a friendship. When a new level of friendship is formed, the townsfolk will give a random item or information to the ranger that the player can use for new recipes in the field or receive new charms to equip for added benefits in the field.
The roguelike elements means puzzles will be randomized with each new session. The items received from friendships will change with each session as well. The randomized nature of the game keeps gameplay fresh and can lead to both overpowered runs where everything seems to go right for the player and others where there seems to be no chance at success no matter what the player chooses to do during the session. This up and down nature is at the heart of the roguelike genre but can be frustrating to deal with as a player sometimes.
Road Not Taken features the same artistic approach as Triple Town and even has some familiar appearances including the bears from Spry Fox's other puzzle game. The cute little designs help make Road Not Taken a game that evokes a happy feeling, though it also seems quite shocking to see a child devoured by a pack of spiders using the same cute characters. The game features easy to learn controls that should be fully mastered by the end of the first year of the first game session by most gamers, though the complex nature of the game's puzzles will still take a lot of time to fully comprehend. The game is complete with some nice themes that allows players to immerse themselves in the game and enjoy playing the game for hours at a time.
Road Not Taken is highly addictive and isn't quite the game most players would expect from Spry Fox. The developers have managed to create a unique gaming experience that can appeal to fans of both puzzle and roguelike genres with Road Not Taken, and for players that can overcome the game's tremendous difficulty spike, there is a lot to like about the game. The game is currently available for PlayStation 4 and PC and Mac via Steam, and the game is coming soon to PlayStation Vita. Download a copy of Road Not Taken on your platform of choice today and save those children!
Road Not Taken is now available for PlayStation Network and Steam. Road Not Taken is rated E by the ESRB. For more information on the game, check out the official Road Not Taken website.
Game Features:
- Single Player
- From the Creators of Triple Town
- Hundreds of Secrets
- Online Leaderboards
- Trophy/Achievement Support
Game Information:
Developer & Publisher: Spry Fox
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC (reviewed) & Mac
Release Date: August 5, 2014