The relationship between Tess and Opal is at the heart of Open Roads.
There’s little I love more in fiction than a family mystery well told, and Open Roads certainly has one of those. This engrossing tale from developer Open Roads Team and publisher Annapurna Interactive has a clear vision and executes that well without overstaying its welcome.
You play as Tess, a 16-year-old who is packing up her belongings ahead of her and mom Opal moving out of their home after a death in the family. The story is anchored in their relationship and those with other family members. Since Open Roads is so dependent on its plot, I won’t say too much more about the narrative other than to note that there’s a road trip involved.
You piece together the story as you explore each environment and pick up items, such as photos, trinkets, postcards and letters. There are clear echoes of Gone Home (that game’s designer was formerly the creative lead of Open Roads, but it’s complicated). However, having Opal around to explain the family connection to many of the items Tess picks up means you don’t have to figure things out for yourself.
Annapurna games often feature well-known actors and Open Roads is no exception. Keri Russell (The Americans, The Diplomat) and Kaitlyn Dever (No One Will Save You, The Last of Us) star as Opal and Tess, respectively.
Those supremely talented performers expertly flesh out their characters and their often-uneasy relationship. Tenderness, love and tension run through their conversations as both hold onto secrets that are bubbling just under the surface. The game wouldn’t work nearly as well without Russell and Dever rooting it with a deep sense of humanity.
Open Roads has a lovely art style with hand-drawn character animations set against 3D environments. It’s a slightly disorienting effect, and it evokes a sense of hyperrealism that actually works.
Open Roads nails the details of its early 2000s setting.
Open Roads Team has done an excellent job of rooting the game in the early 2000s. The details are spot on, from the old-school flip phone Tess uses to the music on the radio and printed MapQuest (sorry, “RoadBuddy”) directions.
My only real qualm is that the lip sync animations end after just a word or two of each line reading. It felt a little jarring, but I also completely understand that choice. Animation is expensive, especially when it’s hand-drawn.
Open Roads is a lovely way to spend 90 minutes or so. All of the elements by and large come together harmoniously in service of a story that had me hooked just enough, and the two strong central performances elevate the entire piece. I can’t ask for much more than that. Like all good road trips, though, it’s more about the journey than the destination.
Rating: 8/10
Open Roads is out March 28 on PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. It’s on Game Pass day one on cloud, console and PC.
Disclaimer: I was provided with a Steam review code.
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