GAME DEVELOPERS AND OPEN ROADS ENTHUSIASTS
"Open Roads" is a digital adventure title that has caught the attention of Swedish and international game enthusiasts with an interest in narrative-oriented experiences. The game was created by the Open Roads Team and is published by Annapurna Interactive, two players with a strong position in independent games with a focus on innovative narrative design. The title appeals to a broad audience, but especially to players who appreciate deep stories, emotional themes and strong character portraits-a group that often seeks games with slow, thoughtful tempos rather than adrenaline-fuelled competitive moments. Through its content and approach, Open Roads taps into a segment of gaming culture where the personal and relational are at the centre, and it is often this segment of the gaming world that is interested in titles with a so-called "walking simulator" character.
DEFINITION, MEANING AND CONTEXT OF USE
The term "Open Roads" refers here to an adventure game from 2024, which is placed in the adventure/thriller genre but in practice is designed as an interactive story where the player takes the role of a youthful protagonist. In the game, you control Tess, a 16-year-old girl, who, together with her mother, embarks on a road trip to search for her family's hidden secrets. Game mechanics are primarily about exploring environments, examining objects and engaging in dialogues where certain choices influence future conversations, albeit to a limited extent. The contextual use of "Open Roads" within the game world thus most often refers to an experience that foregrounds narrative, emotional processes and relationships rather than traditional game elements such as combat or advanced problem solving.
SCENES AND CONTEXTS OF USE
"Open Roads" is set in a contemporary North America in 2003, travelling through both Michigan and Ontario, Canada. This approach makes the game particularly interesting and suitable for use in engaged forums and gaming groups discussing contemporary themes, such as family relationships, secrets and the search for identity. The title is played on several major platforms such as PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X/S, Windows and Nintendo Switch, which contributes to the game's distribution and accessibility. In conversations between players, "Open Roads" is often mentioned as an example of the trend in recent years towards gaming experiences where slow storytelling and everyday context are used to create intimacy with characters and themes.
THE ATTRACTIVENESS AND RELEVANCE OF THE EXPERIENCE
The game has received mixed reviews but is generally praised for its empathetic characters and ability to create a strong bond between player and story. In particular, the relationship between Tess and her mother Opal is considered central: their dialogue, choices and emotional journey offer genuine themes of loss, redemption and growing up, which is often highlighted as appealing by reviewers. The hand-drawn aesthetic and natural dialogue, combined with poignant voice acting from Keri Russell and Kaitlyn Dever, make the game interesting for those looking to explore more emotional and story-based games. The fact that "Open Roads" anchors its plot in a road trip with the discovery of family secrets also offers a sense of mystery and curiosity, which often attracts lovers of both puzzles and narrative adventures.
[OPEN ROADS] IN PRACTICE
In the game's practical application, the player follows Tess and Opal on their journey, where everyday choices and exploration of the environment open up conversations and reveal new layers of family history. For example, an observed detail in an old house can trigger a thread of conversation where the choice of answer influences the next topic of discussion between mother and daughter. The player navigates through several different settings, including the childhood home in Michigan, an abandoned summer cottage, and finally a mysterious location in Canada, where each new scene provides the opportunity to explore and understand relationships and backstory. The game is thus an interactive novel where small discoveries lead to bigger revelations and where every decision, whether it is to examine a photo or to answer a question in a certain way, contributes to the overall experience.
DEVELOPMENT, RECEPTION AND FUTURE
Development of Open Roads was started by the team behind the acclaimed Gone Home but took a turn for the worse when Steve Gaynor, the original studio's founder, left the project following reports of health and safety concerns. The game was slightly delayed before it was finally released in March 2024. The reception from critics was mixed; on Metacritic, scores vary between 56 and 78 depending on the platform, with the PC version averaging 70/100. However, several reviewers, such as CGMagazine, emphasised the quality of the story and the emotional weight of the protagonists' journey. Among Swedish game enthusiasts, "Open Roads" is used as a reference when debating narrative and emotional depth in modern indie titles.
For more information on the game, see Open Roads at Wikipedia.
