Review of the Game Slowroads.io: The Experience of a Journey on Slow Roads

In October 2022, a game called Slowroads officially launched in browsers. It was developed by the independent developer Anslo over the course of 16 months.

At first, I did not understand why the game was called Slow Roads. It was only after playing it that I realized that in this fast-paced world,we truly need to slow down and take a look around.

Slow Roads gives me the feeling of being alone with a single car, slowly carrying me away from the noise of the city toward a quiet and leisurely place.

I turn on autopilot and simply watch as the car drives forward at an unhusrried pace.

I do not know where it is taking me, nor do I know what kind of scenery awaits beyond the next mountain. All I know is that it is helping me escape—escape from this noisy world. There are no worries, no thoughts, only waves of warm wind gently healing my soul.

I hate predetermined routes. I hate corporate rules and regulations. So I turn off autopilot, disable the speed limit, and leave this endless road.I no longer let it decide where I go—I want to choose my own path.

I control this snow-white car, driving through forests and over mountain ridges. I constantly press the Q key to switch between different landscapes: spring, summer, autumn, winter; rain, snow; sunny, cloudy; day and night. All of it changes with a single thought.

Yet everything is endless. On the other side of the mountain, there is still another mountain. After passing through one forest, another forest appears. As the speed keeps increasing, the car loses control again and again. I repeatedly press the R key, returning to the starting point.

Is this a bit boring? Endless? No matter how long or how far I drive, it feels as if nothing has changed—everything remains the same as before.

I begin to wonder: what is the meaning of this game?

In the end, I press the F key and scroll the mouse wheel, watching this snow-white car from the sky as it returns to that familiar yet unfamiliar road, continuing along this endless journey, gradually fading into the distance.

This game is very much like life itself. At the beginning, even when alone, one is full of passion and determination, charging forward without hesitation, believing that beyond the forest or over the next mountain lies a completely new view.

It is only after repeated failures and painful crashes that one’s mindset quietly changes. One begins to enjoy being alone—with just one car. And in doing so, one is healed.

Perhaps I should slow down and take a good look.