| But Why Tho? |
Kate Sanchez |
9 / 10 |
03-28-2024 |
It’s easy to say that Open Roads is cozy and simple. Truthfully, though, its simplicity is its strength… Everything you do feels personal, especially as a daughter who still has endless questions for her mother. |
Read review |
| CGMagazine |
Jordan Biordi |
8 / 10 |
03-27-2024 |
Open Roads is a heartfelt and captivating journey made more interesting by its mother-daughter leads. |
Read review |
| Checkpoint Gaming |
Bree Maybe |
7 / 10 |
03-25-2024 |
Open Roads is a very well-executed story about the relationship between a grieving mother and daughter. Both characters are incredibly likable and there is so much chemistry between the voice actors that it’s easy to relate to and care about both of them. While it’s a short experience and one that could benefit from further expansion and animation, Open Roads still has a lot to offer. It’s just a shame it finishes a little earlier than expected because the narrative is strong enough to carry beyond its credits. |
Read review |
| COGconnected |
Paul Sullivan |
55 / 100 |
03-27-2024 |
Though it packs plenty of nostalgia and a lovely art style, Open Roads lacks the most important part of a narrative adventure – at least for me – a memorable and impactful story. Genre regulars may want to take a chance as the time investment is low, but for my money I’d much rather replay What Remains of Edith Finch or even one of this team’s prior efforts like Tacoma. |
Read review |
| Digital Chumps |
Nathaniel Stevens |
8.5 / 10 |
03-29-2024 |
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. |
Read review |
| Eurogamer |
Robert Purchese |
Not Recommended |
03-27-2024 |
A gentle adventure into a family’s secrets that’s nicely crafted but over before it really begins. |
Read review |
| Forbes |
Kris Holt |
9 / 10 |
03-28-2024 |
Open Roads is a lovely way to spend 90 minutes or so. All of the elements by and large come together harmoniously in service of a story that had me hooked just enough, and the two strong central performances elevate the entire piece. I can’t ask for much more than that. Like all good road trips, though, it’s more about the journey than the destination. |
Read review |
| GameSpew |
Kim Snaith |
8 / 10 |
03-27-2024 |
It’s clear that Open Roads is a passion project, one filled with personal touches, love and its team’s personality. But it’s also a triumph: Tess and Opal’s story is gripping, and you’ll eat up every minute of their road trip mystery, hanging onto every word of their conversation. Add to that a unique and beautiful art style, some incredible voice performances and so many nostalgia-inducing objects to nosy at, and you’re left with a truly memorable experience. It’s just a shame that it’s all over so very, very quickly. |
Read review |
| GameSpot |
Jess Cogswell |
6 / 10 |
03-28-2024 |
Though Open Roads’ characters and attention to detail are lovely, the overall experience is lessened by its brevity and lack of depth. |
Read review |
| GamesRadar+ |
Rachel Watts |
3.5 / 5 stars |
03-27-2024 |
Open Roads’ mother-daughter travelog about discovering long-buried family secrets is heartfelt, but this lightweight driving adventure doesn’t reach the momentum of the mystery it so carefully maps out. |
Read review |
| Gaming Nexus |
Eric Hauter |
8 / 10 |
03-27-2024 |
Engrossing and enjoyable for its brief run time, Open Roads tells a quiet, witty story of discovery that spans three generations of women. Though it never veers into melodrama, I found the narrative to be engaging and intriguing. Great performances lend a realism to the well-written characters. If you think Open Roads seems like something you might enjoy, you are likely right. |
Read review |
| GamingBolt |
Shunal Doke |
7 / 10 |
03-28-2024 |
It’s a great thing that Open Roads is an incredibly short experience, because when it comes to actually playing it, there just isn’t much there. Thankfully, its story and characters do more than enough to make experiencing Open Roads worthwhile, at least once. |
Read review |
| GamingTrend |
Corvo Rohwer |
75 / 100 |
03-27-2024 |
Open Roads takes you on a delightful road trip as you seek out the truth behind granny’s secrets, even if it’s over quite quickly. Exploring abandoned summer homes and enjoying late night motel chats was pleasant, even if rather simple in premise. It’s a nice diversion if you’re looking for a relaxing narrative-focused game, but it’s one that doesn’t do much to make you deeply invested in the story. |
Read review |
| God is a Geek |
Chris White |
9 / 10 |
03-27-2024 |
Open Roads offer a window into being a parent and growing up. It’s emotional, insightful, and beautifully designed with an engaging story. |
Read review |
| Hardcore Gamer |
Callista Mayberry |
4 / 5 stars |
03-27-2024 |
Open Roads is a touching love letter to grief, the breaking of generational cycles and the complexities of family relationships. Dever and Russell’s performances are at once invigorating and heart-wrenching, demonstrating a genuine passion for acting throughout the game. The interactive environment feels lived-in and authentic to the early 2000s, adding another layer of immersion to the player’s experience. While the voice acting is impressive, the characters’ appearance and facial movements become repetitive around the thirty-minute mark, diminishing some of the emotional beats in the story. Overall, Open Roads is a must-play poignant experience for fans of visual novels. |
Read review |
| IGN |
Sarah Thwaites |
6 / 10 |
03-27-2024 |
An earnest exploration of a family in turmoil, Open Roads has sharp teeth but ultimately lacks bite. |
Read review |
| Metro GameCentral |
Nick Gillett |
4 / 10 |
03-27-2024 |
A barely-interactive movie that follows a mother and daughter road trip that is disappointingly short on both drama and meaningful choices. |
Read review |
| MonsterVine |
Nick Mangiaracina |
3.5 / 5 stars |
03-27-2024 |
It wasn’t a gripping experience, I wasn’t enthralled playing Open Roads, but it succeeded in what it attempted narratively and gave me a pretty satisfying conclusion and truly, that’s all I could ask for. Open Roads may not be an exciting experience for all but it was for me and I’m pretty satisfied with it. |
Read review |
| Nintendo Life |
Oliver Revolta |
7 / 10 |
03-30-2024 |
If you’re interested in a three-hour narrative adventure in the vein of Gone Home and Tacoma, and you can justify the current price, then there’s a memorable-enough time to be had with Open Roads. There’s not a wasted detail in the game’s storytelling and there’s a lot to appreciate in the subtle and skilful way it leads you through its tale. We enjoyed the little moments of character growth that came from Opal and Tess throughout. By the end, we felt as if we knew them. The game’s ending also, genuinely, surprised us, which is an impressive feat. There’s a heartfelt originality to Open Roads. But, yes, the gameplay is also limited. The ‘pick up an object, have a conversation’ repetition only has a temporary appeal. Whether the game is for you or not depends entirely on how you feel about the genre as a whole. |
Read review |
| PC Gamer |
Jon Bailes |
56 / 100 |
03-27-2024 |
Pleasant but rarely compelling characters undermine this spiritual sequel to Gone Home. |
Read review |
| Press Start |
Brodie Gibbons |
7.5 / 10 |
03-28-2024 |
Although Open Roads gives no reason to make this game’s North American road trip an annual fixture on the calendar, the adventure itself is one worth experiencing. It’s a family affair that welcomes you into its inner sanctum and leaves you in a state of adoration over its leading ladies’ sincere performances. |
Read review |
| Pure Xbox |
PJ O’Reilly |
6 / 10 |
03-27-2024 |
Open Roads, in theory, should be another Gone Home-style success story. However, what we’ve actually got here feels strangely by the numbers, surprisingly short and very light on actual drama, mystery or thrills that genuinely compel. At around two hours long you won’t need a lot of compelling to see it through, mind you, but overall this just feels like retreading the same sort of ground with much less of an effect. There’s superb acting and it all looks great, but the narrative just isn’t doing it for us this time, sadly. |
Read review |
| Push Square |
Max Freeman Mills |
6 / 10 |
03-27-2024 |
If you’re hungry for a quick slice of narrative, one that’s well-acted and has some smart dialogue to explore, along with a few secrets to uncover, Open Roads will feed that craving. In an age where walking simulators can be derided, though, it’s a bit pedestrian in some regards, with a visual identity that doesn’t cohere as it could, and some plotting that feels less than inspired. It’s hard to escape the sense that the story of how this game was made will be told in detail at some point down the line, and that it might just be the most compelling part of Open Roads’ legacy. |
Read review |
| Rock, Paper, Shotgun |
Alice Bell |
Recommended |
03-27-2024 |
Open Roads is a well-observed, empathetic story about families and secrets, wrapped up in some lovely art and with barnstorming voice acting performances at the heart of it. It’s short but bittersweet. |
Read review |
| RPG Fan |
Jerry Williams |
80 / 100 |
03-27-2024 |
Open Roads is a rare title in that it captures humanity with respect and beauty without feeling saccharine. |
Read review |
| Shacknews |
Donovan Erskine |
8 / 10 |
03-27-2024 |
Open Roads is the quintessential Annapurna Interactive video game. There are prominent actors giving authentic performances in a story that’s beautifully written, there’s a unique approach to art direction, and the music is top-of-the-line. I didn’t vibe with all of the design decisions, but it’s impossible to walk away from Open Roads without feeling at least a little contemplative about your own life journey and relationships. |
Read review |
| TechRaptor |
Joe Allen |
7 / 10 |
03-27-2024 |
Open Roads lacks interactivity and its art style takes some getting used to, but this is a story you’ll want to see through to the end. |
Read review |
| Twinfinite |
Tom Hopkins |
3 / 5 stars |
03-27-2024 |
Beyond playful visuals, Fullbright’s game doesn’t do anything that Gone Home did as well or better over a decade ago. I hoped Open Roads might feature a more expansive story or more varied gameplay because, as it is, it’s a short and serviceable adventure game rather than a particularly memorable experience. |
Read review |
| WellPlayed |
Mark Isaacson |
7.5 / 10 |
03-28-2024 |
An engaging cast drives this short but ultimately sweet journey down a well-worn emotional road, though the chance to spend more time with Tess and Opal Devine on some detours would have been welcome. |
Read review |
| Worth Playing |
Andreas Salmen |
7.5 / 10 |
03-27-2024 |
Open Roads is a nice little narrative adventure that scores through its visuals, good writing, and excellent voice cast. It’s pretty short and linear, and not all aspects of the story were quite as well executed as others. Overall, it’s a great narrative indie game that feels like a natural extension of Gone Home. |
Read review |
