Open Roads

77%
Game Brain Score Based on 142 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • gameplay
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.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Cloud
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
  • Xbox Game Pass
  • x_box_cloud_gaming
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

77%
Audience ScoreBased on 142 reviews
story62 positive mentions
gameplay3 negative mentions
  • The game features beautiful art and a unique visual style that combines 3D environments with 2D character animations.
  • The voice acting is top-notch, enhancing the emotional depth of the story and the relationship between the characters.
  • The narrative is heartfelt and explores themes of family relationships, nostalgia, and loss, making it a touching experience.
  • The game is very short, typically taking only 2-4 hours to complete, which some players feel does not justify the price.
  • The character animations are limited and often do not sync well with the dialogue, leading to a disjointed experience.
  • Many interactions with objects feel pointless, as they do not contribute to the story or gameplay, making exploration feel tedious.
  • story176 mentions

    The story of "Open Roads" centers on a mother-daughter relationship as they uncover family secrets during a road trip, offering a blend of emotional depth and personal exploration. While many players appreciate the heartfelt narrative and strong voice acting, some find the story predictable, lacking depth, and too short, with a linear progression that limits player choice. Overall, it is seen as a cozy, albeit brief, experience that resonates with fans of narrative-driven games, though it leaves some wanting more in terms of content and complexity.

    • “It's a sweet and comforting story about a mom and her daughter exploring family secrets.”
    • “The story is paced very well, the puzzle elements are simple but engaging enough to hold your attention, and the juxtaposition between the 3D environments and the 2D character sprites creates a unique visual identity that feels like it'll stick in my memory for a while.”
    • “The characters really pull you in and the story tugs on your heartstrings so much; it especially hit close to home for me.”
    • “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 isn't explored in any depth at all.”
    • “The story is unfortunately just a little bit on the boring/predictable side for me.”
  • graphics35 mentions

    The game's graphics feature a blend of hand-drawn and 3D styles, which some players found visually appealing while others felt it resulted in static character animations that detracted from the experience. While the environments are often praised for their detail and beauty, the lack of fluid character movement and occasional technical issues, such as blurred visuals during movement, have led to mixed reviews. Overall, the art style is considered charming but may not resonate with everyone due to its execution and animation limitations.

    • “The mixed art styles are very unique and beautiful to look at, the ambient/background sounds were amazing, and the voice acting was great.”
    • “Very cute cozy game, gorgeous artwork, great voice actors.”
    • “It reminds me of the art style of As Dusk Falls, where the characters' lips and faces don't move with their speech.”
    • “The graphics for the environments were highly detailed and quite stunning, but the character animations in this environment just felt odd to me.”
    • “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).”
  • gameplay18 mentions

    The gameplay is primarily focused on exploration within a few interconnected environments, with limited mechanics mainly revolving around item collection and dialogue choices. Many players find the experience lacking in depth and variety, leading to dissatisfaction with the overall value, especially given the short playtime of 2-3 hours for the price. While some appreciate the effort put into the game, the consensus is that it feels underdeveloped and fails to justify its cost.

    • “Gameplay mostly consists of exploring three mid-sized environments and picking up everything you can.”
    • “In open roads, the core gameplay remains true to form with optional commentary from player character Tess's mother when you interact with objects.”
    • “Expect about 2-3 hours of gameplay depending on how focused you are on achievements, overall exploration, and completion.”
    • “$13.99 for 2 hours of gameplay is a ripoff, and I would have been even less satisfied had I paid the whole 20 bucks.”
    • “Heavy on plot and detail, light on gameplay.”
  • emotional18 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the games from Annapurna Interactive is often highlighted for their charming narratives and heartwarming stories, with many players finding them touching and engaging. However, some reviews note inconsistencies in emotional impact, with a few games failing to evoke strong feelings despite their well-written characters and realistic motivations. Overall, while many players appreciate the emotional depth and meditative qualities of these games, there are mixed opinions on their ability to deliver a deeply resonant experience.

    • “It was beautiful, heartwarming, wholesome, and keeps you glued to the screen.”
    • “It's touching, incredibly well-written and an engaging story about a family, told through the lens of the women of that family.”
    • “What a lovely heartfelt, wholesome, turbulent and thought-provoking little adventure.”
  • music12 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising the soundtrack and overall audio effects for enhancing the experience, while others criticize the ambient flute music as lifeless and the absence of essential radio songs during car rides. Although the nostalgic elements from the early 2000s are appreciated, the execution of the music and its integration into gameplay is seen as lacking, leading to an overall rating of 7/10.

    • “Sound effects and music are appropriate; they are used sparingly but fit the occasion when they are present.”
    • “The game is nice; positive aspects are the soundtrack, overall audio effects, and art.”
    • “The music, locations, story, and characters were great.”
    • “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 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 have a great atmosphere of a bygone era.”
  • character development2 mentions

    Reviews indicate that while the 2D character design in the visual novel is somewhat effective against 3D backgrounds, there is a notable lack of animations during dialogue, which detracts from the overall character development experience. Users express a desire for more attention to physical 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 lack of variety in grinding activities makes it feel like a chore rather than an enjoyable part of the game.”
  • 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.

    • “The monetization in this game feels excessive and detracts from the overall experience.”
    • “I was disappointed to find that many features are locked behind paywalls, making it hard to enjoy the game fully without spending extra money.”
    • “It seems like the developers prioritize profit over player experience, which is frustrating.”
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 6 analyzed playthroughs

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