Open Roads Reviews
Check out Open Roads Review Scores from trusted Critics below. With 19 reviews on CriticDB, Open Roads has a score of:
Open Roads often feels like a game at odds with itself, that probably would have been best served in a different genre. Whilst it starts off strong, it progressively loses what makes it good and feels more disconnected. Despite that, the two main characters have an engaging mother, daughter relationship that make the game worth playing, in no small part thanks to the excellent actresses, and their performances.
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Overall, Open Roads is a mixed bag. Although the game's performances are strong and the story at a high level hits the right notes, its smaller details may feel a little melodramatic and forced. Meanwhile, the game's very basic general gameplay is a step behind some of its walking simulator peers, which can lead to it feeling a little dated despite some of its clear innovations. It's a solid enough game that those interested in the genre should give Open Roads a try, but it won't appeal to anyone who doesn't already quite enjoy these sorts of walking simulator-style journeys.
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Long-lost family secrets. Hints of a hidden fortune. And miles to go before they sleep. Tess Devine’s relationship with her mom has never been easy, but they’re about to set out together on a journey into the past that they’ll never forget. Switch version reviewed. Review copy provided by company for testing purposes.
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It’s easy to say that Open Roads is cozy and simple. Truthfully, though, its simplicity is its strength… Everything you do feels personal, especially as a daughter who still has endless questions for her mother.
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Though Open Roads' characters and attention to detail are lovely, the overall experience is lessened by its brevity and lack of depth.
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It’s a great thing that Open Roads is an incredibly short experience, because when it comes to actually playing it, there just isn’t much there. Thankfully, its story and characters do more than enough to make experiencing Open Roads worthwhile, at least once.
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It can often be difficult to make characters feel instantly real and relatable. Sometimes it takes hours of gameplay to begin to emotionally connect with a character, so it’s always impressive when a game manages to do it in less than two. Published by Annapurna and from much of the team who brought us Gone Home, Open Roads is a road trip game following mother and daughter duo, Tess and Opal, as they follow a path of mystery starting in the attic of their house.
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Open Roads, in theory, should be another Gone Home-style success story. However, what we've actually got here feels strangely by the numbers, surprisingly short and very light on actual drama, mystery or thrills that genuinely compel. At around two hours long you won't need a lot of compelling to see it through, mind you, but overall this just feels like retreading the same sort of ground with much less of an effect. There's superb acting and it all looks great, but the narrative just isn't doing it for us this time, sadly.
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Things haven't been easy for Fullbright, the company that most famously produced Gone Home back in 2013, a slice of indie narrative heaven that won plaudits. After the excellent (but less virally successful) Tacoma in 2017, it's now back with another long-awaited game, Open Roads — except, in fact, the name Fullbright has been scrubbed from the final product after allegations of a toxic workplace culture sprung up a few years ago. The game's instead credited to the 'Open Roads Team'. Delays and slow progress have seen it slip years from its original release window, but the game is here...
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Beyond playful visuals, Fullbright's game doesn't do anything that Gone Home did as well or better over a decade ago. I hoped Open Roads might feature a more expansive story or more varied gameplay because, as it is, it's a short and serviceable adventure game rather than a particularly memorable experience.
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Open Roads is a heartfelt and captivating journey made more interesting by its mother-daughter leads.
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Engrossing and enjoyable for its brief run time, Open Roads tells a quiet, witty story of discovery that spans three generations of women. Though it never veers into melodrama, I found the narrative to be engaging and intriguing. Great performances lend a realism to the well-written characters. If you think Open Roads seems like something you might enjoy, you are likely right.
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Open Roads is a touching love letter to grief, the breaking of generational cycles and the complexities of family relationships. Dever and Russell’s performances are at once invigorating and heart-wrenching, demonstrating a genuine passion for acting throughout the game. The interactive environment feels lived-in and authentic to the early 2000s, adding another layer of immersion to the player's experience. While the voice acting is impressive, the characters’ appearance and facial movements become repetitive around the thirty-minute mark, diminishing some of the emotional beats in the story. Overall, Open Roads is a must-play poignant experience for fans of visual novels.
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A gentle adventure into a family's secrets that's nicely crafted but over before it really begins.
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Open Roads is the quintessential Annapurna Interactive video game. There are prominent actors giving authentic performances in a story that’s beautifully written, there’s a unique approach to art direction, and the music is top-of-the-line. I didn’t vibe with all of the design decisions, but it’s impossible to walk away from Open Roads without feeling at least a little contemplative about your own life journey and relationships.
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Open Roads' mother-daughter travelog about discovering long-buried family secrets is heartfelt, but this lightweight driving adventure doesn't reach the momentum of the mystery it so carefully maps out.
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Open Roads is a well-observed, empathetic story about families and secrets, wrapped up in some lovely art and with barnstorming voice acting performances at the heart of it. It's short but bittersweet.
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Open Roads lacks interactivity and its art style takes some getting used to, but this is a story you'll want to see through to the end.
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