Although we haven't had time to complete our second playthrough yet, from what we've seen the New Game + doesn't only focus on the sequences we haven't seen which means it also includes those we already know.
That being said, because we could play both the PC and Switch versions, we realized that whatever we choose to do in one scene doesn't always affect how it's going to play out. If you're anything like us, you're most certainly going to want to discover everything about all of them.
Reaching 100% with one of them means that you have seen everything there is to see about them and so that you know their whole story. In our case, we only reached 100% completion with three of the eight characters we met, which is why a New Game + is proposed once you have completed your first playthrough. Another consequence to that design is that no one will reach the end of the game after experiencing the same scenes. The procedural aspect in Road 96 either affects the order in which you'll play the different sequences but also the environment in which they will take place. It's very easy to get attached to the different protagonists and seeing that the voice of the people is indeed affected by our choices and actions is actually enough of an incentive to keep playing until Election Day, which marks the end of the adventure. The writing clearly is the main attraction here, as it is usually the case in narrative games, and we're happy to say it is good. Not all of them are easy to handle with a gamepad (let alone a Joy-Con), like the Shufflepuck Café mini-game for example, but they're not difficult in any way. You'll see some of them a bunch of times of course, but overall, they are pretty well-implemented in the narrative. There is a good number of mini-games to experience, with a good variety overall. Being a story-driven kind of game, Road 96 isn't going to blow your mind with its deep gameplay mechanics of course, but to anyone who's into the genre, it's sort of a given and not really something worth debating anymore. However, instead of playing to learn more about who you are, you're actually playing to find out more about those eight characters. The different teenagers you'll play will be empty shells you will fill when making specific decisions (will you support Tyrak's opponent Flores or the rebellious Black Brigades, or even the tyrant himself?) that will eventually affect the ending. Some will be just as anonymous as you, but there is a total of eight special characters to encounter, each with their own backstory to discover: Zoe, John, Sonya, Fanny, Stan and Mitch, Alex and Jarod. On your way to the border, you will meet many people. That's why you might need a bit of money, which can be acquired by doing people favors or by simply being lucky. Managing your energy will be very important not to collapse (which will take you right to jail) so you'll need to eat, drink and sleep whenever possible. Sometimes you'll be driving a stolen car but hitchhiking is another option if you don't have the money to pay for the bus or a taxi. Before that though, you will have to travel roughly 2,000 km through Petria. Crossing the border can be achieved in different manners, either hiding inside a truck, trusting a coyote with your money, trying your luck through underground tunnels or even taking the high road via the mountain's peak. Except for the first character you play as that you don't get to choose, you will always have to pick one among three possibilities, the only information about them being their energy status, the money they have in their pocket and the distance they need to travel in order to reach their goal. The teens you take control of have no real backstory and all you can really find out about them is whether or not they have the support of their family, should you decide to call them to give some news. With Tyrak as a leader, the country's youth is getting hopeless by the day, leaving those kids no other choice but to cross the border, or at least die trying. You see, their country Petria is apparently closer to a dictatorship than a democracy. In Road 96, you don't get to play one character only but a multitude of teenagers on the run.