GamesAdventureOpen Roads will transport you right back to 2003 for a nostalgic road trip about family tiesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesAdventureOpen Roads will transport you right back to 2003 for a nostalgic road trip about family tiesWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Annapurna Interactive)
The first 20 minutes of gameplay in Open Roads feels like it’s not only telling us more about Tess and her family, it’s also transporting us back in time. And that, as it turns out, is very intentional. The upcoming mother-daughter road trip adventure from the Open Roads Team takes place in 2003, and everything you see and hear has been designed to evoke the early 00’s era. As graphic artist and designer Harrison Gerard explains, the game is home to a “mix of stylized, hand-drawn character art and realistic examinables to create this world that feels real, nostalgic, and lived-in”.
“One of the first things we did when making the game was sit down and come up with a list of, like, ‘what are things that really evoke that 2003 era?’,” Gerard says. “And so you’ll see those little scholastic book fair erasers and we have off-brand Lip Smackers on the desk, and a lot of other things to help convey that nostalgic feel. There’s been so many times when we’ve shown our game to people that they’ve said, ‘Oh, I used to have that exact thing, or that exact desk.’ And that’s been such a fun part of seeing people play the game.”
It’s all in the details
(Image credit: Annapurna Interactive)
Big in 2024(Image credit: Future)GamesRadar+ is exploring the most anticipated video games of the year withBig in 2024, with new articles dropping every day throughout January
Big in 2024
(Image credit: Future)GamesRadar+ is exploring the most anticipated video games of the year withBig in 2024, with new articles dropping every day throughout January
(Image credit: Future)
GamesRadar+ is exploring the most anticipated video games of the year withBig in 2024, with new articles dropping every day throughout January
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.
Image1of2(Image credit: Annapurna Interactive)(Image credit: Annapurna Interactive)
Image1of2(Image credit: Annapurna Interactive)(Image credit: Annapurna Interactive)
Image1of2
(Image credit: Annapurna Interactive)(Image credit: Annapurna Interactive)
(Image credit: Annapurna Interactive)(Image credit: Annapurna Interactive)
(Image credit: Annapurna Interactive)
(Image credit: Annapurna Interactive)
(Image credit: Annapurna Interactive)
(Image credit: Annapurna Interactive)
(Image credit: Annapurna Interactive)
(Image credit: Annapurna Interactive)
(Image credit: Annapurna Interactive)
(Image credit: Annapurna Interactive)
(Image credit: Annapurna Interactive)
(Image credit: Annapurna Interactive)
Personal touches
(Image credit: Annapurna Interactive)
“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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Through each exchange and object, we’re left wanting to know more and more about Tess and Opal. Some belongings give rise to questions about their family that will be exciting to delve into, and with so much attention to detail, it’s the kind of experience that just begs you to soak up everything you can when it releases on February 22, 2024. As Fincher says, “this is a great game for nosy people”.
GamesRadar+ is exploring the most anticipated video games of the year withBig in 2024, with new articles dropping every day throughout January.
GamesRadar+ is exploring the most anticipated video games of the year withBig in 2024, with new articles dropping every day throughout January.
GamesRadar+ is exploring the most anticipated video games of the year withBig in 2024, with new articles dropping every day throughout January.
GamesRadar+ is exploring the most anticipated video games of the year withBig in 2024, with new articles dropping every day throughout January.
GamesRadar+ is exploring the most anticipated video games of the year withBig in 2024, with new articles dropping every day throughout January.
GamesRadar+ is exploring the most anticipated video games of the year withBig in 2024, with new articles dropping every day throughout January.
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