Open Roads is a very short, first person game with an even denser narrative!
Leaving Xbox Game Pass on March 31, 2025!
The game is about 2-3 hours long, so you still have time!
[No spoilers]
This game has moments where the visual style and the environment come together to catch the eye. That is just the start.
When Open Roads was revealed at The Game Awards 2020, I took note of its developers pedigree. This is a game initially developed by Fullbright Studios- The devs behind Gone Home.
Gone Home was a hit with a smaller audience, and was nominated for many awards in its year of release.
This game was made by the same company as Gone Home, but is ultimately credited to an “Open Roads Team” due to complications that arose from one Steve Gaynor’s alleged toxic behavior in the workplace and subsequent business shakeups that resulted in Gaynor owning the Fullbright brand.
That is not so important today.
Today is approximately one week from Open Roads leaving Xbox Game Pass. I want to encourage anyone that is on the fence, to try the game.
It is a heavy narrative game, and admittedly that is a specific taste. For those with the attention span; the story offers a rich story of a mother-daughter road trip to both secure their future and answer the burning questions of our protagonist Tess. The story will span 7 chapters in several locations of significance to our protagonists. In all chapters, the gameplay consists of searching the environment for items, notes, or actions that each tell a piece of the overall story. I found these to have a satisfying pace of unlocking and uncovering secrets before moving on.
There are many times throughout where the player has some choice over what Tess says, often causing her mother distress. These moments come across as endearing as we try to bend Tess’ more immature attitude with her mother. Afterall, the subject matter being discussed can be emotional at times.
I have to admit that I started to fall off of the story in the later chapters. I was attempting to play the entire game in one sitting and my impatience, plus the volume of exposition was a bad match. As the story concludes, the conversation segments between our protagonists got longer compared to the speed at which I was skimming (& scanning) through environments.
I think it was a “Me” problem.
I recommend this game for a second reason- Achievements!
I am an achievement hunter (to be polite) and I love the opportunity to devour a quick 1000G!
Open Roads is a relatively short game for 1000G completion and it can be rushed and A-spammed through if you are extra impatient. Although I recommend playing the honest way and thoroughly appreciating the experience, there is a Chapter Select option in the main menu when you have reached the end. This means you can easily revisit locations or perform the right actions to mop up those cheevos.
I liked our characters, the environments and even though I rushed through the end, I liked the story and the achievements.
All said, I had a fun trip on the Open Roads,
& I hope you do too.
