Open Roads

About

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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

77%

Audience ScoreBased on 310 reviews

story129 positive mentions

gameplay5 negative mentions

The art style is beautiful and creates a unique visual identity that enhances the storytelling experience.
The voice acting is top-notch, with strong performances from the lead actresses that bring the characters to life.
The story, while short, is heartfelt and explores themes of family relationships, nostalgia, and loss effectively.

The game is very short, typically taking only 2-3 hours to complete, which some players feel does not justify the price.
Character animations are limited and often do not sync with the dialogue, which can break immersion.
The gameplay is mostly linear and lacks meaningful interactivity, making exploration feel repetitive and less engaging.

story
374 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
61%
5%
The story of "Open Roads" centers on a mother-daughter journey to uncover family secrets, featuring heartfelt themes and strong character dynamics, particularly in the relationship between Tess and her mother. While the narrative is praised for its emotional depth and voice acting, many reviewers note that it feels short, linear, and at times predictable, lacking the complexity and interactivity found in similar titles like "Gone Home." Overall, the game offers a cozy, albeit brief, storytelling experience that resonates with some players while leaving others wanting more depth and engagement.
- “It's a sweet and comforting story about a mom and her daughter exploring family secrets.”
- “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 is unfortunately just a little bit on the boring/predictable side for me.”
- “The story isn't explored in any depth at all.”
graphics
77 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
39%
4%
The game's graphics feature a unique blend of hand-drawn and 3D styles, which some players found beautiful and nostalgic, while others criticized the static character animations and lack of fluidity. Although the environments are highly detailed and visually appealing, the mixed art styles can be off-putting, and the overall execution leaves room for improvement. While the visuals are generally praised, technical issues like juddering and limited character animations detract from the experience for some players.
- “The mixed art styles are very unique and beautiful to look at, the ambient/background sounds were amazing, and the voice acting was great.”
- “Loved the mystery and amazing visuals it had to offer, it kept me on the edge of my seat till the very end.”
- “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).”
- “The art style is a mix of Life is Strange with the characters being a drawn style of art; it's very nice but did bug me because you won't see the mother when you're walking around, only in the cut scenes.”
emotional
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
95%
5%
The emotional aspect of the games, particularly those from Annapurna Interactive, is often described as charming and heartwarming, with engaging narratives that resonate with players. However, some reviews indicate that certain titles may lack depth in emotional impact, with criticisms aimed at character development and storytelling execution. Overall, while many players find the experiences touching and intimate, others feel that the emotional connections could be stronger or more profound.
- “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.”
gameplay
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
78%
13%
The gameplay of the game is primarily focused on exploration within a few mid-sized environments, with limited interactivity mainly involving picking up items and making dialog choices. Players have noted that the experience is short, lasting only 2-3 hours, and many feel that the gameplay does not justify the price, describing it as repetitive and lacking depth. Overall, while some appreciate the effort put into the game, many reviewers find it underwhelming and not particularly engaging.
- “Expect about 2-3 hours of gameplay depending on how focused you are on achievements, overall exploration, and completion.”
- “In Open Roads, the core gameplay remains true to form with optional commentary from player character Tess's mother when you interact with objects.”
- “$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.”
- “Gameplay mostly consists of exploring 3 mid-sized (about half a dozen connected rooms) environments and picking up everything you can.”
- “Boring story, boring mechanics, boring game design.”
music
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
58%
17%
The music in the game is described as missable and somewhat inconsistent, with a mix of positive and negative feedback. While the soundtrack and sound effects are generally appropriate and enhance the atmosphere, some players found the ambient flute music to be lifeless and criticized the absence of essential radio songs during car rides, which detracted from the road trip experience. Overall, the music contributes to the nostalgic vibe of the game, but its execution leaves room for improvement.
- “The game is nice; positive aspects are the soundtrack, overall audio effects, and art.”
- “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.”
optimization
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
92%
8%
The reviews highlight that while the game's narrative may not reach the heights of similar titles, the optimization of voice performances by Kaitlyn Dever and Keri Russell significantly enhances the overall experience. The beautifully crafted dialogue and evocative environmental storytelling contribute to a compelling family dynamic, making the game enjoyable despite its narrative shortcomings. Overall, the optimization of character interactions and performances is a standout feature that elevates the game's emotional impact.
- “The actors' performances for the voice overs were top notch, and honestly that is what really made the game good.”
- “Despite that, the two main characters have an engaging mother-daughter relationship that makes the game worth playing, in no small part thanks to the excellent actresses and their performances.”
- “[Beautifully crafted dialogue, great performances from Kaitlyn Dever and Keri Russell, eye-popping art style, strong themes of family and grief.]”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is praised for its immersive quality, enhanced by beautiful art that evokes a sense of nostalgia, particularly for those familiar with the 80s. However, some players find the overall experience frustratingly brief, especially given the price point.
- “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 development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Reviews indicate that while the 2D character design in the visual novel somewhat complements the 3D backgrounds, there is a significant 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 immersion.
- “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.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highly praised, with players appreciating its clever interactions and amusing scenarios, such as a hilariously suspended vase. The combination of engaging characters, vibrant graphics, and professional voice acting further enhances the comedic experience, contributing to an overall top-notch presentation.
- “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.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Players find the grinding aspect tedious, particularly due to the inability to explore while engaging in conversations, which leads to repetitive interactions with the same animated characters. This limitation contributes to a sense of monotony in the gameplay experience.
- “Being forced to look at the same animated cartoony characters gets tedious really fast, especially since you can't explore once you start talking.”
- “The grinding feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
- “I find the constant need to grind for resources incredibly frustrating and it detracts from the overall enjoyment.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of Open Roads has received mixed feedback, with some users feeling that the game falls short of expectations, primarily offering a walking simulator experience rather than the depth they anticipated.
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game is noted for its brevity and lacks significant replay value, making it less appealing for players seeking extended engagement.
- “It's short and offers little to no replay value.”
- “Once you complete the game, there's no incentive to play it again.”
- “The lack of varied outcomes makes replaying feel pointless.”