Open Roads | Xbox Review
All you have to do to sell a game to me is mention that it has a rich story. Add a mother-daughter bond and their respective emotional journeys to the mix for the cherry on top. The Open Roads Team has crafted a gem of a title with Open Roads. As my podcast co-hosts would say, this is an “Alyssa game”. It’s also an experience for anyone who enjoys an intriguing narrative adventure.
Beginning the Journey
Open Roads is set in the year 2003, and sees Opal and her teen daughter, Tess, packing up their home after the passing of Tess’s Grandma Helen. You play as Tess, and you’re tasked with combing through the house and the belongings of her beloved grandmother. During your search, a juicy mystery from Grandma’s past comes to the surface. Both Tess and Opal are intrigued and shocked, and decide to set out on a road trip through Michigan to try to uncover the rest of the puzzle pieces. What follows is a warm, emotional three hour journey that packs a punch, especially if you have a close relationship with your mom.
We’re Halfway There
The gameplay mechanics in Open Roads are extremely simple. This is a walking simulator where you interact with different objects you stumble across. You can read letters, pick up mundane objects, and sometimes find a key or tool to help you progress the story. You also have dialogue choices to make along the way. You can choose to be rude, kind, or probing towards Opal (or just drop the subject to avoid any emotional upset). These choices don’t really impact the story much, though, besides a few changes in dialogue. The ending remains the same no matter what you select. Choices don’t feel like they matter, which was a tad disappointing.
Despite the story largely remaining the same no matter how you choose to respond to Opal, it’s still an interesting bond to explore. It often reminded me of talking to my own Mom about her past and what she went through. Learning our family’s secrets and long-buried emotions is always an eye-opening experience. Open Roads brought forth a sense of nostalgia in me, and that doesn’t often happen in my gaming experiences. My only gripe with the story is that it ends somewhat abruptly, which clashes with the game’s more easygoing nature and emphasis on taking your time exploring.
The Scenic Route
This is a gorgeous game, both thematically and visually. The more photorealistic backgrounds really pop and bring forth even the smallest of details. It made picking up my umpteenth takeout cup or ashtray a worthwhile task, even if there weren’t any differences. I was always eager to see if there was a hidden message or story behind each object and leisurely spent my time looking at and rotating every object I could get my hands on. When I would trigger a response from Opal or discover a secret about either her or Grandma Helen, I felt richly rewarded and another piece of the puzzle was uncovered. Of course, you don’t have to look at the majority of items, but it really fleshes out the story if you do.
Tess and Opal are animated, which can be jarring when you see them placed against the more realistic backdrops. It was a cool juxtaposition, but it also felt off in a way. One thing I wasn’t crazy about was the lip-syncing animations. Whenever they would speak, their lips either wouldn’t move at all or they’d form an unintelligible word that didn’t fit any of the dialogue. This is a crying shame, since the voice acting is phenomenal. Keri Russell (The Americans) and Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart) are incredible as Opal and Tess, respectively. Their performances feel natural and add further emotional depth to the narrative.
The Final Stop
Open Roads is a warm, nostalgic game about the bonds with mothers and daughters. I felt richly rewarded by taking my time and investigating everything I could get my hands on, and the narrative gripped me immediately from the start. The more realistic backgrounds really pop and show off the tiniest of details, while the voice acting only enriches the experience further. The animation of Opal and Tess is a mixed bag, especially when it comes to their conversations with each other. The lack of lip-syncing pulls you out slightly, which is a shame. I also wished the story hadn’t ended so abruptly and that my choices had mattered a bit more, but these aspects don’t diminish the overall power of the narrative. I won’t forget this journey for a while.
To hear me talk more about Open Roads, be sure to listen to the April 3 episode of The Gaming Outsider podcast around the 50:21 time stamp.
This review is based on a Game Pass copy of Open Roads. It is also available on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.
Open Roads
$19.99
Pros
- Engaging Story
- Beautiful Mother-Daughter Bond
- Incredible Voice-Acting
- You’re Rewarded for Taking Your Time
- The Smallest of Details Pop
Cons
- Lip-Syncing Animations Are Lacking
- The Game Ends a Little Too Abruptly
- Choices Ultimately Don’t Really Matter
