You could pass through Open roads, the new mystery game from publisher Annapurna Interactive. It's only about two hours long, and it's not the kind of game you're likely to get stuck in. There are no real puzzles to solve or obstacles to overcome. Instead, you inch your way through the story of a mother and daughter who discover long-lost family secrets while on a road trip together. But the game is packed with so many fun details and intriguing mysteries that it's hard not to get caught up in them.
“We really want players to feel compelled to search for things,” says executive producer Amy Fincher. “And if they do, they are rewarded, especially if they are curious by nature.”
Open roads is what is often derisively called a “walking simulator”. Similar to games like Fire watch Or The Invincible, it's a first-person experience that involves exploring an environment, reading notes, and chatting with other characters along the way. In the case of Open roads, you play Tess (voiced by Kaitlyn Dever), a 16-year-old who has just lost her grandmother. At first, she helps her mother Opal (Keri Russell) tidy up the family home.
From the start, you're encouraged to touch things; Tess's room is filled with rented VHS tapes that need to be returned, and there's a Tamagotchi stored in a drawer. (The game is set in the early 2000s and really wants you to know that.) Most items can be picked up and examined, and sometimes they come with dialogue. There’s even a “Hey Mom!” » button for items Opal might have something to say about.
While you begin in the family home, the story eventually moves to different locations as Tess and Opal uncover secrets about their family's history. Each is a small, self-contained space – a hotel room, an abandoned summer home – filled with things to look at. In between are scenes in a car, where you can't do much other than fiddle with the radio and check text messages on your flip phone.) There are things you to have to find to progress, like a key to enter a locked office or a… well, it's mostly keys. But there aren't many – and that was an intentional decision. “We tried to keep this to a minimum so that most of your actions are driven by curiosity,” says Fincher.
There are two main reasons to investigate. One is the narrative. While you get a general idea of who these characters are through the main storyline – I won't spoil anything other than to say that Opal's mother led a very interesting life with some shocking revelations for her family to discover – you will also learn a lot about the family through the documents they leave behind. Sometimes it's very obvious. Tess's grandmother seems to have saved all of her correspondence, so you discover a lot just by reading old letters.
Other details are more vague, leaving all the details to your imagination, like what items you find if you decide to rummage through Opal's suitcase. Put all these moments together and you'll have a better understanding of Tess and Opal and what they're going through.
“We want to make sure that the player finds everything they need to have a successful storytelling experience and that they feel like they understand what's going on,” explains Harrison Gerard, the game's graphic designer. “But everything that can be hidden, that adds more depth for someone who takes the time to find it, that's a huge bonus.”
Image: Annapurna interactive
It's also simply satisfying to touch and look at certain objects. For players of a certain age, Open roads can be very nostalgic. The graphic design of everything from coffee cans to cigarette packs to hotel shampoo bottles is perfectly suited to the times, and you can transform each item in your virtual hands. The same goes for period-appropriate trinkets, like hair clips and tubes of colorful lip gloss. There is also a playful side; in the opening scene you can find (and pop) a sheet of bubble wrap, and later you can get an achievement if you eat a whole hamburger. I couldn't resist checking every drawer I could open, just in case.
“We’re never going to pester the player to achieve what’s important.”
Since the game is relatively short, I never felt like I was wasting my time exploring. The areas are small but dense, with lots of detail but not so much detail that it seems overwhelming or exhausting. Once I checked everything I could find, I just continued. There are subtle hints about what you should do – Opal might suggest visiting a specific room and Tess keeps a notebook that serves as a simple to-do list – but I never felt rushed or pressured. “We're never going to pester the player to achieve what's important,” says Fincher.
And this is true even if you spend almost the entire game in Opal's presence. “We wanted to avoid the feeling that Opal is there as a manager, overseeing you as a player,” says engineering manager Aaron Freedman, “even though she's your mother.”
Open roads is available now on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch and PC.
