Open Roads (2024)

J'ai eu Open Roads dans ma wishlist depuis que j'ai vu quelqu'un en parler sur Reddit. La direction artistique m'a tout de suite tapée dans l'œil.

C'est un jeu narratif où l'on suit le voyage de Teresa "Tess" et sa mère Opal sur la route pour découvrir des secrets de famille enfouis qui refont surface après le décès de la grand-mère de Tess.

J'aime beaucoup l'ambiance du jeu. Pour avoir fait de longs voyage en voitures au début des années 2000 et avoir eu un mobilhome un peu guez qui datait des années 1970, l'atmosphère est fidèlement retranscrite. Un peu moins dans le chara-design des personnage qui fait plus années 80-90 mais la direction artisttique est néanmoins cohérente et charmante. Il y a quelque chose de Disney dans les animations de Tess et Opal et, si je regrette un doublage passable et une musique trop discrète, j'ai vraiment flashé sur les couleurs Sepia du titre, une vraie invitation a la nostalgie.

Je me suis laisser entrainer par l'histoire de cette famille, plus que par les énigmes qui ne posent aucune difficulté. C'est presque cathartique de voir les filles faire la paix sur leurs relations et leur histoire familiale.

On pourra objecter que c'est peut-être un peu simple mais c'est doux et chaud comme un chocolat au lait avec sa maman un soir d'automne.

(side note, the stranglehold this Charmin tagline has had on my life how much I use the phrase regularly and immediately think of this

Nothing groundbreaking, or even particularly memorable... but it was a fun ride (ha!) and an interesting little mystery. I was kept interested from start to end and the run time felt pretty good about not wearing out its welcome.

I think the controls and the context sensitive stuff is a little finicky on controller (On Series X using GamePass) but never too much friction. Also, the last "chapter" is a bit too tidy and convenient.

One last note, I really liked the achievement integration. I got them all without guides on my playthrough just by playing a little creatively but nothing was tied to the choices you make. This is important to me as I usually want my choices in my one playthrough to be my "Canon".

This game really felt like playing an episode of a mystery show. The story was well-paced and structured and the performance given by the two voice actors for the main characters was authentic and kept me interested. I wasn't blown away by the twists and turns the story tried to take, but it did lead to a satisfactory conclusion and good character growth.

The gameplay itself fits the story well. It didn't do anything groundbreaking or new but it succeeded in being a very smooth walking simulator type of experience. I would say it feels similar to What Remains of Edith Finch. I also ended up enjoying the mix of animation/graphic styles. The characters looked more like 2D cartoon style while the environments you were exploring were more 3D. I think they really complimented each other and made for a beautiful visual experience.

Overall, this game does exactly what it sets out to do and doesn't overstay its welcome. It was just a very enjoyable, no pressure exploration of family, connections, the past, and how to move forward in life.