Open Roads

76%
Game Brain Score Based on 126 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • emotional
Open Roads Game Cover
Open Roads offer a window into being a parent and growing up. It's emotional, insightful, and beautifully designed with an engaging story.
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In Open Roads, players join Tess and Opal Devine on a road trip to uncover family secrets. By exploring abandoned properties and uncovering hidden memories, they'll reveal a dark mystery and strengthen their bond. The game features notable performances by Keri Russell and Kaitlyn Dever.

  • Cloud
  • x_box_cloud_gaming
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Reviews

76%
Audience ScoreBased on 126 reviews
story55 positive mentions
character development2 negative mentions
  • Open Roads features beautiful graphics and a unique art style that combines 3D environments with 2D character sprites, creating a visually appealing experience.
  • The voice acting is top-notch, with strong performances that enhance the emotional depth of the story, particularly the relationship between Tess and her mother, Opal.
  • The game offers a heartfelt narrative that explores themes of family, nostalgia, and personal growth, making it a touching experience for players who enjoy story-driven games.
  • The game is notably short, with many players feeling that it lacks depth and leaves several plot points unresolved, making it feel incomplete.
  • The gameplay can feel repetitive and linear, with limited interactivity and exploration, which detracts from the overall experience compared to other walking simulators.
  • Some players found the character animations jarring and poorly synchronized with the voice acting, leading to a disjointed experience that undermines the emotional impact of the story.
  • story148 mentions

    The story of "Open Roads" centers on a mother-daughter relationship as they embark on a road trip to uncover family secrets, blending emotional depth with a cozy atmosphere. While the narrative is praised for its engaging voice acting and visual style, many reviewers feel it is too short and lacks the depth and complexity found in similar titles like "Gone Home." Overall, the storytelling is seen as heartfelt but somewhat predictable, with a mix of positive and critical feedback regarding its pacing and emotional impact.

    • “The art is wonderful and the atmosphere really helps you feel like you're actually experiencing the events happening within the story.”
    • “The voice acting is crisp and enhances the script, really selling the complex relationship between Tess and her mother, and the way they circle around each other as the story picks up is very well done.”
    • “It's touching, incredibly well-written, and an engaging story about a family, told through the lens of the women of that family.”
    • “There might have been a decent story under all the dialogue, but I just could not be bothered to go digging for it.”
    • “The story pretends to be a mystery or a detective tale but reveals itself as a simple parent-child drama with no deep moral or philosophy.”
    • “The story isn't explored in any depth at all.”
  • graphics27 mentions

    The game's graphics feature a unique blend of hand-drawn aesthetics and 3D environments, which some players found visually appealing, while others criticized the static character animations and occasional visual glitches. While the detailed environments and beautiful art style received praise, the lack of fluidity in character movements detracted from the overall experience for many. Overall, the graphics are considered charming but inconsistent, with a mix of stunning visuals and less impressive character design.

    • “The graphics for the environments were highly detailed and quite stunning, but the character animations in this environment just felt odd to me.”
    • “The mixed art styles are very unique and beautiful to look at, the ambient/background sounds were amazing, and the voice acting was great.”
    • “The graphics are nice to look at, and the environments look realistic.”
    • “I got a bit dizzy with the blurred graphics when moving and looking around, but maybe that's just me.”
    • “I was put off by the art style as well.”
    • “Also, I found it technically lacking with a lot of juddering visuals as I moved around (full disclosure: I played this on launch day, so this may have been patched by the time you read this).”
  • emotional17 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the games reviewed is characterized by a mix of heartfelt narratives and charming storytelling, particularly in titles from Annapurna Interactive, which often evoke warmth and connection. While many players find the stories touching and engaging, some critiques highlight a lack of depth or emotional intensity, with certain games failing to fully resonate despite their appealing visuals and writing. Overall, the emotional experiences vary, with some games delivering impactful moments while others leave players wanting more.

    • “It's touching, incredibly well-written and an engaging story about a family, told through the lens of the women of that family.”
    • “The way this game provides both an emotional and mental impact is unlike anything I have witnessed before.”
    • “What a lovely heartfelt, wholesome, turbulent and thought-provoking little adventure.”
    • “The story failed to evoke any real emotions, leaving me feeling disconnected from the characters.”
    • “I expected a deep emotional experience, but instead, I was met with a lackluster narrative that fell flat.”
    • “The game tried to be emotional, but the execution was so poor that it left me feeling indifferent.”
  • gameplay12 mentions

    The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many users feeling that it is overpriced for the limited 2-3 hours of content offered. Critics have pointed out that the mechanics are often boring and lack depth, with some interactions feeling cumbersome. While there is recognition of the effort put into the game, the overall experience is seen as lacking polish and substance, leaving players wanting more.

    • “In Open Roads, the core gameplay remains true to form with optional commentary from player character Tess's mother when you interact with objects.”
    • “It feels like an unpolished diamond that with a few more iterations of both story and gameplay could have been great.”
    • “A little pricey for 2-3 hours of gameplay, but I can see the team put in a lot of work on this one, so I'll let it pass.”
    • “Boring story, boring mechanics, boring game design.”
    • “Heavy on plot and detail, light on gameplay.”
    • “The price per hour of gameplay is, arguably, quite high compared to some other games.”
  • music10 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising the soundtrack and overall audio effects for enhancing the nostalgic atmosphere, while others criticize the ambient flute tracks as lifeless and the absence of essential radio songs during car rides. Despite the strong voice acting and nostalgic elements, there are complaints about poor synchronization and pacing issues related to the music. Overall, the soundtrack is rated around 7/10, reflecting a blend of appreciation and disappointment.

    • “The story, the surroundings (takes you into believable worlds of 2003 and 1968), the cartoony graphics, the two likable main characters and all the ones we get to learn about over the course of the game, the music, the professional voicing, humor, everything is ten out of ten here.”
    • “The music, locations, story, and characters were great.”
    • “This game is set in 2003 and hits some fun nostalgia beats from that era (flip phones, soundtrack, easter eggs, etc.) but does not smack you over the head with 'the year is 2003, aren't you entertained by that?' like some titles would.”
    • “The flute ambient soundtrack is annoyingly lifeless and lacks emotion.”
    • “They even missed playing the essential radio songs during the car rides, which is a must-have for a road trip experience; why not add some nice early 2000 indie tracks?”
    • “Running around watching 3D models of various junk while looking for the important bits is a time sink and doesn't help the pacing of the story; the music was handled poorly, both with radios and at the end.”
  • optimization4 mentions

    The optimization aspect of the game is not explicitly addressed in the reviews, but the focus on the high-quality voice performances by Kaitlyn Dever and Keri Russell suggests that the game's audio elements are well-executed, contributing positively to the overall experience. However, it falls short of the narrative depth found in titles like *Gone Home* and *Firewatch*.

    • “The actors' performances for the voiceovers were top-notch, and honestly, that is what really made the game good.”
    • “Though falling short of reaching the narrative heights of 'Gone Home' or 'Firewatch', the fantastic performances from both lead actresses and the simple yet enticing mystery at the heart of 'Open Roads' still make it a family trip worth taking.”
    • “Kaitlyn Dever and Keri Russell voice the two main characters, and I enjoyed both of their performances very much.”
  • atmosphere3 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is praised for its beautiful art and immersive quality, effectively drawing players into the story. While the calm and nostalgic ambiance resonates with those familiar with the 80s, some users express disappointment over the short duration of the experience, questioning its value.

    • “The art is wonderful and the atmosphere really helps you feel like you're actually experiencing the events happening within the story.”
    • “I grew up in the 80s, so a lot of things are familiar and create a great atmosphere of a bygone era.”
  • character development2 mentions

    Reviews indicate that while the 2D character design in the visual novel is visually appealing against 3D backgrounds, the lack of animations during dialogue detracts from the overall character development experience. Users expected more attention to detail in character design to enhance engagement.

    • “You would expect more attention to physical character design, as it is a visual novel.”
    • “The 2D character design against 3D backgrounds kind of works, but the lack of animations during dialogue is very noticeable.”
  • humor2 mentions

    The humor in the game is highly praised, with users appreciating its integration into the story, characters, and interactions within the environment. The cartoony graphics and professional voice acting enhance the comedic elements, creating memorable and amusing moments, such as the humorous scene involving a suspended vase. Overall, the humor contributes significantly to the game's charm and enjoyment.

    • “The story, the surroundings (takes you into believable worlds of 2003 and 1968), the cartoony graphics, the two likable main characters and all the ones we get to learn about over the course of the game, the music, the professional voicing, humor, everything is ten out of ten here.”
    • “With the way I could interact with the objects, I had one very funny scene where a vase hung awkwardly suspended in the background that I particularly enjoyed.”
  • grinding1 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect tedious, particularly due to the inability to explore while engaged in conversations, leading to repetitive interactions with animated characters.

    • “The grinding feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
    • “I find myself doing the same tasks over and over again, which really drains the fun out of the experience.”
    • “The forced grinding takes away from the exploration and enjoyment of the game world.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization aspect of Open Roads has received mixed feedback, with some users feeling that the game falls short of expectations, likening it to a walking simulator with limited engagement beyond dialogue.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

67% average critic score

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Play time

3hMedian play time
3hAverage play time
2-4hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs

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