Two roads diverge in a yellow wood (both lead to spiders, btw)
How's that poem go again? "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both?" It's obvious that Robert Frost wasn't playing the upcoming indie game Road Not Taken, because if he had, he'd be pretty happy he didn't need to travel both. Because in this roguelike puzzle game, you'll want to travel as little as possible to accomplish your goals.
You play as a nameless ranger, sent into the forest to rescue lost children and reunite them with their parents. But despite being a ranger, this hooded hero isn't equipped with weapons--instead, he can only pick up nearby objects and throw them. That's where the puzzle element of Road Not Taken comes into play. To navigate, you'll need to throw things around the randomly generated levels, making your way to your targets without running into any foes. Thing is, you'll need to be careful what you throw where--toss the wrong object (let's say a Red Ghost) into the wrong thing (a Rabbit, per chance) you might end up causing some unforeseen trouble (a giant Demon Rabbit oh god it's chasing me). This can be used to your advantage, too, as there's an incredible crafting system where even the most troublesome objects can have positive results if used effectively.
But, as it's a roguelike, one death and you're sent back to the start. This is especially troubling if you've worked to build up your town--and even get married--as you progress through the 15 year timeline of the game. There are a ton of moving parts, and you'll definitely want to see how they all click into place when the game releases this summer.
Check out the following slides for additional images and more information.
Crafting is as simple as throwing objects together (and remembering what those mixtures do).
Take too much damage and you die--game over.
You need to plan your moves carefully, since everything moves at the same time.
You've a home you can build up and return to, but it all gets washed away if you die.
Hollander Cooper was the Lead Features Editor of GamesRadar+ between 2011 and 2014. After that lengthy stint managing GR's editorial calendar he moved behind the curtain and into the video game industry itself, working as social media manager for EA and as a communications lead at Riot Games. Hollander is currently stationed at Apple as an organic social lead for the App Store and Apple Arcade.
