A Memoir Blue
A Memoir Blue
Game
Game2024
Open Roads
Developer Open Roads Team
Open Roads is a 2024 adventure mystery-thriller video game developed by Open Roads Team and published by Annapurna Interactive. The game was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on March 28, 2024. Open Roads stars Keri Russell and Kaitlyn Dever in the leading voice roles. The game received mixed reviews from critics. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
268 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Nov 4, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
80
LovedLoved
155 positive · 39 negative
95% range 74–85%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 155 | 39 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 22 | 5 | 43 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 4 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
182 of 226 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
80% recommend · 154 yes, 39 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 193 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Positive (283 of 364 positive).
Players praise the voice acting and art style. [1][2][3] Many find the game too short for its price. [4][5][6] Some reviewers note the story feels incomplete. [1][7][8]
Liked
Representative posts
- [6]
Well, I finished Open Roads in about an hour and a half, and honestly, I was left pretty disappointed. The art style is super charming and I liked the overall vibe of the mother&daughter road trip story, how they uncover old family secrets, but it just felt like it ended way too soon. Right when things started getting interesting, the credits rolled. Another big issue I had was the voice acting. The performances …
- [1]
I wish there was a third option to rate games on steam besides thumbs up or down. This game had a very troubled production. For anyone interested, this is a good read: https://www.polygon.com/22610490/fullbright-steve-gaynor-controversy-stepped-down-open-roads I think this is the reason why it feels incomplete and too short. I give it a thumbs up because it has some beautifully designed locations, great voice …
- [11]
open roads was a game that felt really good after playing many long games and it became a game that will stay in my mind for a long time. at the beginning of the game i thought i would just find old letters and secrets and finish the game, but as i played more i realized that the game was about much more than that. i think the relationship between tess and her mother was the best part of the game. seeing them slowly …
- [12]
Open Roads is a short, sweet experience, the kind of walking sim worth spending an evening on to get through in one sitting. The story is paced very well, the puzzle elements are simple but engaging enough to hold your attention, and the juxtaposition between the 3D environments and the 2D character sprites creates a unique visual identity that feels like it'll stick in my memory for a while. The voice acting is …
- [2]
I am 68 yrs. old and, unlike the other games I've played (mmrpg), I found this one relaxing. The only thing I didn't like was inspecting so too many things because I was afraid I'd miss something important. I enjoyed the story line, especially the ending.
Summarised from 34 of the 261 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
80% of the 193 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Open Roads. The complaint that keeps coming up: very short playtime for the price. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Open Roads received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic. Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received fair approval, being recommended by 37% of critics. CGMagazine gives it an 8 out of 10 for a heartfelt and captivating journey that was made more interesting by its mother-daughter leads with its endearing characters and a genuine sense of style.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 268 · most liked firstTitles leaving Game Pass in 2 weeks: -Yakuza 0, Kiwami, Kiwami 2, Like a Dragon (Y7) -Monster Hunter Rise -Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 -Lil Gator Game -MLB The Show 24 -Open Roads -The Lamplighters League
neutral · AI labelView post →New Game Pass Games - MLB The Show 24 (Console) – October 2 - Open Roads (Console) – October 2 - Sifu (Cloud, Console, and PC) – October 2 - Mad Streets (Cloud, Console, and PC) – October 7 - Inscryption (Cloud, Console, and PC) – October 10 news.xbox.com/en-us/2024/1...
neutral · AI labelView post →I wish there was a third option to rate games on steam besides thumbs up or down. This game had a very troubled production. For anyone interested, this is a good read: https://www.polygon.com/22610490/fullbright-steve-gaynor-controversy-stepped-down-open-roads I think this is the reason why it feels incomplete and too short. I give it a thumbs up because it has some beautifully designed locations, great voice acting, a nice soundscape and an interesting story idea. That idea is however not…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Well, I finished Open Roads in about an hour and a half, and honestly, I was left pretty disappointed. The art style is super charming and I liked the overall vibe of the mother&daughter road trip story, how they uncover old family secrets, but it just felt like it ended way too soon. Right when things started getting interesting, the credits rolled. Another big issue I had was the voice acting. The performances themselves were good, but the lipsync was totally off most of the time. It’s a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I loved Gone Home, I loved Takoma, but I was disappointed with Open Roads. As a walking simulator, I found the story and setting less interesting. The game feels dull and unnecessarily slow. The setting feels empty and superficial. For example, many of the objects I wanted to explore were non-interactive, which took me out of the mystery exploration. As for pacing, I found the dialogue system too distracting from the main experience I expect from this type of game. For example, all the car…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The price point for the game is way too steep, completing it in just a few hours. And that was with taking my time and exploring everything. The game play is pretty, but it's not enough to make the game worth it. There are only a few maps to explore and most of them are pretty small. The hand drawn characters look very nice, but with lips not moving and facial expressions not changing mid sentence, it dilutes the emotional connection to the characters. The story isn't anything special.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I am 68 yrs. old and, unlike the other games I've played (mmrpg), I found this one relaxing. The only thing I didn't like was inspecting so too many things because I was afraid I'd miss something important. I enjoyed the story line, especially the ending.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A walking sim with lots of cinematics. Voices are top quality, a good thing since you spend half the game listening to them. The game is very short however: 3.5 h and that's without following a guide, listening to every dialogs, and searching for and reading all letters and documents. The story is not too bad.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've had this game on my wishlist for a while now and was so excited after watching the trailer. I really like how professional the voice acting was and the visuals were nice. I liked the mother-daughter relationship between Tess and Opal. The initial storyline was a bit mediocre and some cut scenes did feel like it was filler. The ending had a twist I didn't expect, but the build up towards that could've been executed better. The choices didn't really feel like it was necessary since they…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It tries hard to appeal to your emotions and sense of melancholy to make the experience feel meaningful, but it doesn’t really deliver. The gameplay feels empty. There’s little real mystery or challenge. It mostly comes down to walking around, finding an item, and then moving on to the next, without much depth or engagement. Sorry...😢
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I’m disappointed. I LOVE Annapurna, I probably own 10 games published by them. I also enjoy story rich walking sims, even if they’re on the shorter side so I loved Tacoma and Gone Home. Extremely cozy games with storylines that pull you in. I officially finished this game in 58 minutes, I don’t understand how this took anyone 3+ hours. They even delayed release of this game so I just expected more meat and more gameplay given how long I’ve been waiting for it to be released. The storyline was…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A beautiful narrative experience that managed to suck me in! It starts simply enough: exploring your late grandmother's house, but quickly spirals into a captivating mystery when you stumble upon a hidden secret. From there, the questions just keep piling up. The game takes you on a nostalgic journey through beautifully rendered, once loved and full of life, "urbex" locations. Digging through old family belongings feels authentic and serves as a poignant reminder that nothing is ever quite…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I usually love games like this. The game was technically fine but the art style is not my favourite but it was also fine. It reminds me of art style to As Dusk Falls where characters lips and faces don't move with their speech. The real problem? It was boring. Maybe it just wasn't a story that resonated with me. But I'm pretty easy to please alternatively. Maybe you'll like it. But I don't think it's worth spending $25.00 CAD to find out.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Okay, I don’t want to be a hater — I understand that people really tried to make this game. You can feel it while playing, but the game is terrible. First of all: using hand‑drawn 2D characters in a 3D world turned out to be a bad idea (or badly implemented). It looks inconsistent. It would have been better to use 3D characters in a 3D world. Or to draw the entire world in the same hand‑drawn style as the characters, so that everything fits. The second option would have made the game much more…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Well, that was kinda disappointing. I don't know, maybe my expectations were a bit too high for this one since I had been following its development ever since they announced it. It's so short, and feels like it's unfinished. The way they chose to do the animation for the characters feels very off. If the game world was 2D as well, it would have fit better, but when you're surrounded by 3D objects and watching 2D characters talk, it just doesn't fit exactly right. After awhile, I got more used…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Open Roads is an amazing adventure game with a beautiful story where you play as a girl named Tess and travel with her mom to discover family's secrets... The story is well written, the graphics are very nice and the ambient is relaxing. It's a little expensive for 2h of playing so it's better to buying in sale. I highly recommend it!!! 🧡❤️
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really like this genre, but sadly, this game is not fun for me. The story should be interesting, but there are too many boring dialogues and useless 3D models that you pick up and just look at. Also, the mix of 2D cartoonish characters with more realistic (rather than cartoonish) 3D environments breaks the atmosphere a lot.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →open roads was a game that felt really good after playing many long games and it became a game that will stay in my mind for a long time. at the beginning of the game i thought i would just find old letters and secrets and finish the game, but as i played more i realized that the game was about much more than that. i think the relationship between tess and her mother was the best part of the game. seeing them slowly open up about the things they had kept from each other made their relationship…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →With roughly 30 minutes left in the day! November Gaming Wrap Up! Until I get WoW out of my system, it's really going to dominate. But I finished a game at least! I played Open Roads for Microsoft Points and actually really loved the story that was told.
positive · AI labelView post →It's a very lovely game - a walking simulator that's easy to get into, relaxing, and interesting. I actually liked the art style and the dialogue driven story with "mom". I also enjoyed the 'Gone Home' vibes, however it's definitely not as interactive as it could be, and there were many objects I wanted to select but wasn't able to. In all, this comes well recommended if you like this sort of thing. The game took me 3.9 hours taking my time to ensure I didn't miss anything.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Buyers beware. I, like many other people, have been waiting for this game for YEARS. So of course when it finally released I bought it. While the main story itself was entertaining, it still felt lacking like many other parts of this game. The animation when the characters were speaking felt weird. There was a bunch of things in the world that you could pick up, that had no effect on the story and the story itself, by the end of it felt like it was missing a huge chunk. Also the gameplay simply…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wanted to like this game so bad. I was excited for the release for months. The experience came and went and I'm left feeling so little. Ultimately, this game has so few environments I can't help but feel disappointed. I love the this genre of game, but so few choices mattered. The dialogue was amusing at times, but the constant tension between the characters usually led to fights that were neither entertaining, nor engrossing. I did enjoy exploring the few very detailed scenes, easily the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game had a really enticing trailer that raised the expectations of this game. Sadly its a very short game especially for the price. It is however is a beautiful game with an interesting story that had so much potential. This potential however wasn't really realized due to the games shortness. Which is sad, I wish the game was longer. There are so many things left unanswered or not really completed. Overall it feels rushed. The voice acting and soundtrack is great, though at some parts the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Me thinking Open Roads is a chill road trip of mother and her daughter game 😊 Meanwhile Google: actually, it's a thriller 🤓 Me: tarnation my life 😞 Sorry, Town of Salem 2 profanity filter is so funny to use 🤣
neutral · AI labelView post →*includes spoilers* The game is nice, positive aspects are the soundtrack, overall audio effects, art. But there are indeed more downsides: 1. The game is too short. feels like the story didn't come to an end. What did dad tell Tess, did he regret his decision? How did Tess feel about leaving Francine? Did they move in with August? I feel like a lot of questions left unanswered and 18 euro for a 3 h game with a very slow game play feels unfair 2. The game play is slow, character needs a minute…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I think the most important part to review is the story. Even though I think it has some great moments, they are buried in a sea of: 1) teen protagonist trope 2) trope of mom-daughter fighting 3) trope of eventually kissing-up with a "mom's always right" kind of theme 4) melancholic, dramatic monologue/dialogue *a la* the Pacific Northwest (I don't know a good name for this), except the game takes place in Michigan in 2003 Still, this game has some nice bonuses, i.e. hidden achievements and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So... Open Roads - the game I really wanted to enjoy, but unfortunately I did not really. To preface, the game is really short, which is not necessarily a bad thing if handled well, but important to note nonetheless. I really did not spend 5 hours on this, I fell asleep once with Steam Deck and had the game running in the meantime. I would say 2-3 hours were more fitting and I am definitely the kind of player that checks everything and interracts with every object I can find. Which leads me to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I am a big fan of walking simulators, with Gone Home and Tacoma being some of my favourite examples of environmental storytelling, so I was hyped to try Open Roads by the same developers. It’s hard for me to say how the development was influenced by the alleged toxic working conditions, but the result is both interesting and uneven. The game tells the story of a teenager, Tess, and her mother, Opal, who are moving after the death of Tess’s grandmother. The narrative is well thought-out and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Predictions for tomorrow’s direct New 3D Mario game but it’s a 3D Donkey Kong. Final Fantasy IX Remake Mario Kart Open Roads GC for NSO Switch 2 exclusive Forza Horizon 5 Rare Replay Star Fox NSO online multiplayer game
neutral · AI labelView post →A little story about family and cherishing those we love. The ideal afternoon game to enjoy while cozied up in a blanket with a cup of tea.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Jackal reviewed Annapurna Interacive’s latest : Open Roads. Lack of gameplay is sufficiently paved over by a well-written and believably acted exploration of relatable family tensions. Check out the full review. adventuregamehotspot.com/review/3233/... #indiegame #metacritic #adventuregame
neutral · AI labelView post →I'm sorry, ex Fullbright, but this game missed the mark for me. It's the first game from the studio that I can't say I enjoyed. The premise of a mother-daughter road trip to uncover a hidden family secret was very intriguing to me and fits perfectly with Fullbright's style of storytelling through letters and environmental cues. With the back-and-forth between the two characters, some of the magic of discovering things for yourself is lost. About 80% of their conversations are just exposition…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wanted to like this game but it is not for me. I do hope it serves as a gateway into gaming for people that don't have much experience otherwise. Open Roads delivers on its advertisement; I guess I was just hoping for something more than a walking simulator and conversations with mom.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Cute little walking sim with some emotion. It's very slow. I never found myself bored, but I would've like a sprint button or something. The walking speed is just a bit slow for my preference. One of the more subtle emotional tales in Annapurna's archive. It's relatively short length and grounded characters make for a more adult handling of emotions, making it feel smaller, but more genuine. Best part about the game was going through other people's stuff and reading their mail. Scratched the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is not worth it, so boring and souless, don't even buy it with on sale, for real, just watch the walkthrough video of it and that would be more than enough for a tasteless plot. Technically poor, though the artist did good job as well as voice actresses, but nothing else good to say about it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is like a solid 5.2/10. It has just enough interesting character work and story progression to angle my thumb just barely above the horizontal, but it's also got extremely cringe dialogue that feels like a 60-year-old's imagining of how a 16-year-old would interact with the world (seriously, who rummages through their mom's laundry just to dish with their friend about how mommy wears a "bedshirt" or whatever she called it lol), and bizarre frame rate issues where no matter what I do, every…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really enjoyed it though I wish there had been more to it. 1-2 hours of gameplay doesn't justify that $20 price tag so buy on sale! 9/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Honestly, I was more mixed for this one. You could get bored, but it was more of that you could get a little tired of the storyline. Ending was sort of expected, but the vibes and animations are great. Maybe it didn't suit my taste, it tried but it could not.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Last call to play Open Roads on Game Pass, it's leaving in 5 days. It's a chill & engaging interactive fiction / adventure. I'm enjoying the combination of hand-drawn characters for dialogues, mixed with 3D environments for exploration. It's a short game you can wrap up in just a few hours.#Xbox
positive · AI labelView post →This game just feels like another walking simulator and not a particularly interesting one at that. Most of the game is just picking up random stuff and going "hey mom". This game also has an intriguing (at first) art style with a hand drawn aesthetic over a 3d background but the allure wears off quickly once you realize the characters are hardly animated and are little more than 2d sprites that don't actually add all that much. There might have have been a decent story under all the dialogue,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →"Open Roads" is a short (5h for a VERY thorough playthrough), decent, slice-of-life narrative game that focuses on the relationships within a small family and their past. It also features exploration of detailed environments, but no puzzles. The story never really grabbed me, but I still enjoyed my time with it. 1. Story & Setting You play a 16-year old teenager whose grandmother has died. While clearing the lady's house (which will be sold) together with your mother, you discover mysterious…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →7'5/10. I waited for this for years. Was so excited when it first got announced, and then I went into doom mode thinking, with all the issues that arose in Fullbright, that his would never see the light of day. But I'm so glad I was wrong! It's exactly what I wanted it and expected it to be. It scratches the same kind of itches Gone Home did (And I LOVED Gone Home, AND Tacoma), but the voice acting in this one definitely made the experience different enough, but still exactly as sweet. I…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Short and sweet. Open Roads is relaxed and feels a little like a visual novel. Felt the central mystery was interesting and resolved in a satisfying way. As Tess you explore your environments and examine items to learn more about your relationships and family history. After exploring an area, the story progresses based on chats with your mother, Opal, and texting on your phone. You will usually have several different dialogue options in conversations. Choices don't seem to impact the overall…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a lovely story, although at $25 of 4 hours of game play it's overpriced. My main criticism is that there are too many things to click on that do not advance the story, so it's almost impossible to locate all of the things that have something interesting to add. I was pretty careful at searching and clicking on everything, but still missed about 25% of them, according the the achievements. At least one item that was hard to see and click on prevents the main story from proceeding. FYI,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Open Roads • truth be told, this is a “one-and-done” sort of game, but the relationship between mother & daughter is what made this game hit for me. it was absolutely beautiful, and i recommend checking it out. 🎮👏🏻
positive · AI labelView post →New game(s) for the "Stream your own game" feature on Xbox Cloud Gaming: - Lil Gator Game - Open Roads - Planet Coaster 2 - Planet Zoo - Shredders - The Lamplighters League - The Thing: Remastered
neutral · AI labelView post →Open Roads It's a short narrative game that has some fantastic VA work and anintriguing family-focused story. I enjoyed the somewhat messy family history that you both as the main storyline and the passive storytelling you get from looking around the environments.
positive · AI labelView post →Open Roads is a short, sweet experience, the kind of walking sim worth spending an evening on to get through in one sitting. The story is paced very well, the puzzle elements are simple but engaging enough to hold your attention, and the juxtaposition between the 3D environments and the 2D character sprites creates a unique visual identity that feels like it'll stick in my memory for a while. The voice acting is crisp and enhances the script, really selling the complex relationship between Tess…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Cute graphic styling but this game was literally 2.3 hours long, fairly boring, and not worth the money, even 30% off. $13.99 for 2 hours of gameplay is a ripoff, and I would have been even less satisfied had I paid the whole 20 bucks. When I read the credits it said that it was developed over years... for what? I don't see how this could have taken so much time and resources for what little was delivered. Buy it if you have money to waste and are easy to entertain, otherwise spend it elsewhere.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Open Roads is a nice storytelling game that came out in 2024, and I thought it was a fun game overall. The game is short, but enthralling for its story. It features two women, Opal (Keri Russell) and her daughter Tess, are packing up their house, and getting ready to move on after the death of Tess’s grandmother. They discover a secret that could change their view on grandma. They suddenly feel the urge to drive to Michigan and find secrets. It turns out Opal’s father is a person who has…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wish there was a neutral option instead of positive/negative on steam. I didn't like this game, but that doesn't mean this is necessarily a bad game. Or that you won't enjoy it. It just wasn't for me. I loved Gone Home, Tacoma, and other similar games. So much so that I bought the official merchandise when the storefront still existed. Gone Home and Tacoma both felt like they brought something novel to the already saturated genre of exploratory, story-rich "walking simulators". I've…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A well written interactive novel with an interesting story, performed by top notch actors. A satisfying cozy playthrough from beginning to end.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The story is not too consequential, but it gets interesting and has a nice ending. Good voice acting and dialogue. I didn't like it as much as Gone Home or Tacoma, the previous Fullbright games. This one doesn't have the same level of tension that those do as you uncover the story. I played it on the deck where it runs great.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Beautiful short game about reconnecting with loved ones and solving a family mystery. Most of it is just searching for certain items. That little clay bowl reminds me of when I did something like that. I also noticed an Easter Egg in this game that made me giggle as a Mass Effect fan. The combination of 2D characters in a 3D setting is odd and unique. But the animations of the characters during dialogue gets repetitive quickly. Overall solid game, short but sweet.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A lovely little story but it was very short. Wait to get it on sale.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Open Roads is a narrative adventure game developed by Open Roads Team and published by Annapurna Interactive, known for its strong portfolio of emotionally resonant titles. This particular game fits well into their lineup, offering a deeply personal story driven by intimate character dynamics and quiet discovery. At its heart, Open Roads is a road trip through the past—a journey taken not just across highways and abandoned houses, but through the fragile and often complicated layers of a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great walking sim with pretty art style which gives off cozy nostalgic vibes and tells you that some people are just scumbags in life and you shouldn't get involved with them and that you should be glad where you are right now unless you could live things the worse way. Despite these lessons and game looking nice, the level with the boat bugged out which prevents me from finishing the game, so I had to watch the rest on YouTube. That disappointed me, so remember do objectives one after the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love mystery games and walking sims, and I loved this game! It's kind of in the middle of the two. Not quite as open as a walking sim (you have one location per chapter of the game) but not as boring either since you have your mom to interact with and you're solo in most walking sims. Not quite like mystery/detective games where you'd interview others (besides your mom) and make deductions. You just find more evidence and the mystery pieces together. Normally I'm a bit turned off by this…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have just 100% completed Open Roads😊 It was a nice relaxed game, with a pretty interesting backstory for the characters. It's only a short game, but I found it interesting and more fun than I expected
positive · AI labelView post →A rare find. Not top-notch, but near it, definitely worth the buy. Seldom do I find such believable characters, their reactions are appropriate, the dialogue is near-perfect... strong, but fitting personalities. The gameplay is not too shabby either, careful searching will get you through and the story was great! Go on this road trip!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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