When I saw Open Roads a month and some change ago, I honestly wasn’t too sure about it. The devs were banking on a good story and great acting but didn’t show much interactivity during the presentation. The hands-off preview was just a taste of what was to come, but it was obvious from the get-go that narrative and acting were leading the way with interactivity taking a firm backseat.
Now, the lack of interactivity can work sometimes. When a story is done well, meaning that it has great characters, wonderful dialogue, and a competent three-act narrative, then there isn’t a need for heavy interactive components. Simogo’s Sayonara Wild Hearts is a great example of a fantastic story with not much interactivity included but ends up being a memorable experience. Sometimes forcing interactivity into a great narrative can hinder the pacing and powerfulness of said narrative.
Where did Open Roads land in that simple equation? Well, it landed on the better side. Over the years, I have learned to trust the judgment of Annapurna Interactive’s publishing prowess in deciding what a good game can be. And they certainly have a good game with developer Open Roads Team mother and daughter road trip. Packed with the right emotion, superb acting, and just the needed amount of interactivity to keep the story going, Open Roads is another gem in the crown that Annapurna wears so proudly.
So, get the Rand McNally roadmap out, pack some snacks and tissues, and let’s work this game out.
Story blazes the trail
*MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD*
Open Roads is led by a young woman named Tess and her single mom Opal. The story begins with the pair packing up Opal’s late mother’s house while making their final goodbyes and eventually going their own way. While the beginning of the story doesn’t give away too much, it does give enough to show how much Opal and Tess gave up taking care of Opal’s mom. As every item that Opal and Tess run across in the beginning carries a memory that garnishes a heavy sigh or a breath of relief. It also puts together a picture of a tough aftermath where the pair needs to pick up broken pieces of their lives and figure out how to move forward. All this drama and more come with the beginning, and that’s before they discover the hidden life of Grandma. The latter part is where the story truly kicks off.
While exploring Opal’s mom’s house, they start to unravel a small mystery about her life. Opal’s mom had a lover. That lover was unknown to her husband at the time, and very unknown to her kids. That one mystery kickstarts a journey to go discover if there is more to this mystery. The journey leads the pair to an old vacation home in the country that brings more questions with its exploration than answers. Along the journey, Opal and Tess start unraveling their own mysteries, as Opal and Tess discuss the true reason for Tess’ parents’ divorce, which leads to secrets, lies, and deception. All of these are laid out during the journey and questions turn into hurtful yet revealing answers.
I won’t tell you more, as it would ruin the journey. And there is far more to the journey than the above description does justice. Most of the journey is driven by good writing, directing, and excellent acting. I was flabbergasted by how well Kaitlyn Dever (Tess) and Keri Russell (Opal) sold this story. Most celebrities get into gaming to go through the motions because it’s an easy platform to make money and move on to the next gig. That didn’t feel like the case here.
Russell and Dever became this mother-and-daughter combo and brought some very real and, at times, raw emotions to the characters. The pain of divorce, uncertainty, and false reassurance that everything was going to be okay was evident as the story rolled on with the pair. All that couldn’t have been delivered without two actors who believed in the story and who they were portraying. The story truly took a front-row seat and brought the right amount of raw drama that just kept building and building as the journey continued. If you have ever been through a rough divorce and have seen the sad side of the aftermath, then you will identify with how Dever and Russell deliver everything. So much regret, so much avoidance to relive the past, all of it well done and delivered. The story and the acting are quite impressive.
As usual, Annapurna knew what they had with yet another narrative-heavy game, and it didn’t disappoint in the story and acting department. It will be the reason you play this game and connect with it. Anytime you can connect with a game and its characters, generally, that is a good time.
Now, about that interactive part…
Interactive to a point
There are two ways you can look at how the interactivity of Open Roads works. The first is just having a means to an end, or at least a push to the next plot point in the story. You play as Tess, pick up items, and roll the dice that some are connected to a piece of the story. There are a lot of items to pick up, and most you interact with are just what they seem – an item. For example, in the first part of the game, as Tess and Opal are going through memorable items of Opal’s mom, you pick up items that serve no purpose to the story. They could be vases, magazines, or even more vases. For every item picked up, you only get what the item is and nothing more. Occasionally, you will get a piece of the narrative puzzle on an item, such as a picture with writing on the back, a note that shows off Opal’s mom’s younger life, or some message that simply points to the next step. You are randomly picking things up in hopes of progression. Again, that’s one way to look at it.
Another way is to see the game for what it is – a journey that requires mending, but also requires items to pave the way for mending. As the pair go through the house at the beginning, items launch small bits of story. Those bits of story could lead to more story and mystery, or could even lead to minor amounts of branching dialogue. All of this changes the complexity of the perceived narrative, and all of it serves a purpose to help build more depth and dimension for both characters. Every item snagged, means you get to know Tess and Opal’s life a bit more. And funnily enough, you want to keep searching everywhere to uncover everything because the story is so damn good. It’s weird how well the items and small inkling of interactivity dance with the story, and how valuable the payoff produced is from continually doing it. I was very surprised by how well it all worked and how it never felt like a huge chore. Typically, games like this would irritate me, as picking up item after item with no payoff meant I was wasting my time. But the story with Open Roads was so good that it never hit that ceiling or felt like I was wasting time.
Now, this doesn’t mean I didn’t wish there was more interactivity, because I did, but I didn’t need it to enjoy the journey of Tess and Opal. There was enough here to help the story but never disrupt it.
Overall, the game is driven by story and helps with a small amount of interactivity. It’s by no means perfect with its balance between the two, but it’s better than what a typical visual narrative delivers.
On that note, let’s wrap this review up.
Conclusion
Open Roads from developer Open Roads Team is a personal and powerful journey that is driven by a solid story and fantastic acting, and supported by small amounts of interactive moments.
