The Indie Informer

Anyone who’s been watching Open Roads‘ journey will recognize the game’s story is as about the people behind the project as what happens on the screen. What I didn’t recognize going into the hands-off preview was how much stronger that would make the experience.

Blundled in front of my screen — slightly bleary-eyed due to the morning hour and bad sleep choice during my winter break — I watched executive producer Amy Fincher, engineering lead Aaron Freedman, art director Noël Clark, and graphic artist Harrison Gerard introduce themselves.

By the end of the event, I would know which one of the creators shared my love of a fruity childhood eraser, which one discovered their four-year-old’s artistic talents sprawled over their home’s walls, and which one got splinters in an unfortunate place because of an ill-advised wooden office chair.

With pieces of these real world people tangled up so inextricably with the mother/daughter protagonists Opal and Tess, Open Roads’ story has a realistic weight and authentic feel — and that’s even before the titular road trip kicks off.

We began in a room that reminded me of Stoneskip’s Simpler Times. The dated decor, scattered polaroids, pastel walls, and moving boxes painted a strong first picture. We stand, as Tess, in a room we will soon be leaving behind. The game, I’m told, begins in the early 2000s, and walking through the space is like opening up a time capsule to my own teenage years.

A beaded friendship bracelet records the bond between Tess and her friend Fran — a relationship about to be tested as Tess packs to move away. The realness of the surroundings gives the game the power to make me care about that friendship, even though I’ve never seen Fran.

Perusing the possessions still left around the room, the developers point out handwritten notes — the penmanship for which comes directly from every member of the team — the excellent design option offered to the player to pop bubble wrap, and little treasures obtained during a scholastic book fair.

And I know that’s where they come from because, as I stare at a little rubbery watermelon in the desk drawer, I realize I had the exact same eraser in my own life around that time. Harrison Gerard lets slip that he, too, owned the silly keepsake, which made the small, missable detail a portal that transported me into Open Roads’ world.

That’s when they hit me with the demon dog portrait. Oscillating between a somber reality — that Tess and Opal are having their home, where they took care of their aging grandma/mom until her recent passing, sold out from under them — and a playful tone rooted in the protagonists’ close relationship, the game does an amazing job of displaying the multifaceted nature of real life. In this case, a painting depicting a wild snarl of dark hair provides a moment of levity amid the turmoil of their matriarch’s death and impending homelessness.

Like most adventure games of its ilk, Open Roads features dialogue options based on interacting with items in the environment. The choices related to the painting are excellent, but the developer on the sticks decides to compliment the little fuzzy monster portrait rather than calling a spade a spade and having Tess tell her mother the image is the stuff of nightmares.

The choice could have consequences later down the road, I’m told. Picking to delve into a matter my mom doesn’t want to talk about or ignore a seemingly insignificant detail can noticeably alter the narrative and Tess’ understanding of what’s happening. In the brief demo, we don’t get to see this process play out, so it’s hard to tell how impactful these choices will be.

Speaking of interacting with the environment, I feel I’ve gone inexcusably long without commenting on the game’s spectacular visuals. The characters are eye-catching 2D models that occupy an entrancing 3D space, with each capturing the charm of hand-drawn art. Seeing the game in trailers doesn’t do it justice.

Sadly, the preview ends just after Tess discovers a curious diary in her grandmother attic. This relic, the developers explain, will reveal a mystery powerful enough to get the main characters out on the Open Roads.