Every belonging has a story. They can represent our interests, act as a portal into our past, and serve as a memento for a certain person or place that's meaningful to us. In the case of Open Roads, the possessions of protagonist Tess Devine, her mother Opal, and late grandmother do all of this and more. By examining objects, you open up a window into these characters' lives and their family ties piece-by-piece. From a beaded friendship bracelet tucked away in a drawer, to a dated (by today's standards) PC monitor with pink paneling, and an off-brand stick of Lip Smackers balm, everything is so nostalgic.
The first 20 minutes of gameplay in Open Roads feels like it's not only telling us more about Tess and her family, it's also transporting us back in time. And that, as it turns out, is very intentional. The upcoming mother-daughter road trip adventure from the Open Roads Team takes place in 2003, and everything you see and hear has been designed to evoke the early 00's era. As graphic artist and designer Harrison Gerard explains, the game is home to a "mix of stylized, hand-drawn character art and realistic examinables to create this world that feels real, nostalgic, and lived-in".
