Broken Roads is set to release on Steam in 2023 and is an RPG set in post-apocalyptic Australia. It is not uncommon if you encounter a kangaroo bouncing your way. The title promises the fusion of classic and novel role-playing elements from well-known RPGs.
What kind of game is Broken Roads?
- In Broken Roads, there will be an extensive story where we have to uncover hidden secrets and political intrigues
- The characters will be controlled from a “top-down view,” similar to what you know from Diablo 4
- The title offers a classless character system, allowing players to customize their avatars
- With the moral compass, the character is supposed to develop in a certain direction, which can change the relationships with NPCs
- During our exploration of the game world, we will experience strategic, turn-based combat
The uniqueness of Broken Roads is the moral compass. This is supposed to make each playthrough feel unique, as it changes the dialogue options and quest decisions (via steam.com).
As an example, the development team mentions on Steam that the character may be inclined towards utilitarianism. This means they prioritize the greater good over all else and are willing to sacrifice individual lives for the goal.
Additionally, the team states that, unlike other genre representatives like Baldur’s Gate, it completely avoids magical potions. Instead, it focuses on another beverage: “We have several kinds of beer.” The liquid gold will have different abilities depending on the type.
How Broken Roads looks in motion is shown by the team from Versus Evil with a trailer:
Broken Roads has many influences, but not
What has influenced Broken Roads? Game Director Craig Ritchie revealed in an interview with PC Gamer which games the title is inspired by. He admitted that the team drew inspiration from several titles.
These include well-known games like Fallout 2 and Baldur’s Gate. However, the team is accused of having copied its graphic style from Disco Elysium. Ritchie explains that they had already made up their mind about the visuals before they even saw the RPG:
We are unabashedly copying Fallout 2, Planescape: Torment, Pillars 2, Baldur’s Gate. Those are our “Yes, we borrowed them” games. Disco Elysium – we had already defined our graphic style, and people said: “Look, you are copying the graphics!”. I promise you, we were already nine months into development before we even saw the game.
However, Disco Elysium has influenced the game. Thanks to the title, the development team built in even more ways to solve certain quests peacefully.
Additionally, a mechanic had to be removed from the game because it was too similar to Disco Elysium. There would have been a similar feature to the thought cabinet, only with books. But the team discarded the idea.
Another influence came from Quest for Glory. The title can be found in one of the guilds in the capital. The team copied “100%” some elements from the adventurer guild from the original Quest for Glory.
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