Road Not Taken is a dark, whimsical puzzle game with endless replayability.
Challenging Play
Great Graphics/Art
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Story & Themes
Road Not Taken is about a tiny, robed person called referred to only as "the Ranger." As the Ranger, you arrive in a small village where the townspeople send children into the forest every winter to collect berries. Many children get lost in the forest, and it's your job to rescue them.
The Ranger's only ability is to levitate objects and throw them. You can open new pathways through the forest by putting same objects together, something which is easy in principle but increasingly difficult as the game goes on. You can also combine objects to get useful things, like potions or food. Or you can combine the wrong objects, and create something even more dangerous. If the Ranger runs out of energy, they will die. Usually levitating objects costs no energy, but walking with them will. So you have to find the most strategic way to throw objects into the right position, carrying them as little as possible.
The game takes place over the course of the Ranger's life--15 years, 15 levels. Between stints in the forest, you can build friendships and romances with the townsfolk. The game has a very circular quality. Every year your relationships progress until the end of your life, when the townsfolk that you've come to know visit your grave in the forest and then disperse. Then the game starts over again, with another Ranger.
Difficulty
Road Not Taken is easy to figure out how to play--there aren't many buttons to press, and moving around is easy. But mentally? Road Not Taken is a huge challenge. The puzzles quickly get very difficult. Each room is randomized, so you never know what to expect. There are several different game modes with varying difficulty.
Heads Up!
Violence There's no blood or gore in Road Not Taken. When the Ranger is attacked, the edges of the screen will briefly go a hazy red.
Scary Imagery There are some ghostlike creatures which pursue the Ranger. They are more eerie than frightening.
Discrimination The Ranger's gender can be left ambiguous, though at one point you get a chance to take off your hood, revealing a randomly generated face. One of the nicest touches of Road Not Taken is that, although the characters are the same, they change appearances with each playthrough--including skin color. In addition, your Ranger can marry any character regardless of gender.
Conversation Starters
- How far have you gotten in this game? What makes you want to keep playing?
- Do you like the villagers? Which is your favorite?
- How does playing this game make you feel?
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