Open Roads will transport you right back to 2003 for a nostalgic road trip about family ties
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Every belonging has a story. They can represent our interests, act as a portal into our past, and serve as a memento for a certain person or place that’s meaningful to us. In the case of Open Roads, the possessions of protagonist Tess Devine, her mother Opal, and late grandmother do all of this and more. By examining objects, you open up a window into these characters' lives and their family ties piece-by-piece. From a beaded friendship bracelet tucked away in a drawer, to a dated (by today’s standards) PC monitor with pink paneling, and an off-brand stick of Lip Smackers balm, everything is so nostalgic.
It’s all in the details
In Open Roads, we follow the story of the mother and daughter as they set out on a road trip to learn more about their family’s past. As they uncover more, we’ll see how their relationship evolves as they gain a better understanding of themselves. In the opening of the game, which takes place in the family home and sets up the road trip to come, the objects and environment effectively help to establish Tess and Opal as characters, as well as their relationship.
As Tess, you’re first tasked with packing up your bedroom, but you’ll soon be exploring other parts of the house alongside Opal. Certain objects can spark conversations between mother and daughter, which are brought to life by the acting talents of Keri Russell (Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker, The Americans) as Opal and Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart,The Last of Us) as Tess. You’ll sometimes have different responses to choose from as Tess that can give you more insight into that object’s history. In one instance, for example, she comes across a plate that looks like it’s been glued back together, which prompts her to ask what happened to it.
The team has incorporated so much of themselves into the game. Art Director Noel Clark points out a drawing on the corner of a wall that was done by their 4-year-old daughter; Fincher highlights a leaflet from Pirates of Penzance in tribute to her late grandmother; engineering lead Aaron Freedman shows a chair that he had in his home growing up; and Gerard explains that every handwritten line we can see in-game was done by members of the team or those they know.
As executive producer Amy Fincher explains, what we choose to say may or may not open up the way to learning more about the mysteries we stumble upon from our mother. Opal will also make comments as you interact with different belongings - with her admonishing Tess for leaving the fridge door open at one stage. Exploring a game’s narrative through objects may feel familiar for those who’ve played the likes of Gone Home, Tacoma, I Am Dead, or Hindsight, but the team believes Opal’s input is what makes Open Roads unique.
“I think something that really sets Open Roads apart from other games in this genre is that your mother goes with you pretty much everywhere you do and a lot of the objects you can interact with you can get her take on,” Gerard says, “which provides a whole other level of narrative on top of what you can just glean yourself and it’s a really fun and interesting way of building up that relationship over the course of the game”.
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I started out writing for the games section of a student-run website as an undergrad, and continued to write about games in my free time during retail and temp jobs for a number of years. Eventually, I earned an MA in magazine journalism at Cardiff University, and soon after got my first official role in the industry as a content editor for Stuff magazine. After writing about all things tech and games-related, I then did a brief stint as a freelancer before I landed my role as a staff writer here at GamesRadar+. Now I get to write features, previews, and reviews, and when I’m not doing that, you can usually find me lost in any one of the Dragon Age or Mass Effect games, tucking into another delightful indie, or drinking far too much tea for my own good.
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