Open Roads is filled with things to discover, even before players get in the car for the mother-daughter road trip that forms the game's central story. There are hidden trinkets inside drawers, under beds, and stowed away inside secret compartments.

In a conversation with Game ZXC, the Open Roads Team discussed how they deliberately created Open Roads as a game that rewarded "nosy" players with a tendency to explore every nook and cranny.

Players Should "Embrace Their Inner Nancy Drew"

When asked to describe a player who would enjoy Open Roads, graphic artist Harrison Gerard responded with a giggle, wanting players to embrace their "inner Nancy Drew" when exploring the world of Open Roads:

"The kind of person who likes to look in a medicine cabinet at a party. Open up cabinets! Look in drawers! Read things! Everything has text on it that is relevant!"

From the first moment players enter the home of Opal (Keri Russell) and Tess Devine (Kaitlyn Dever,) there are secrets to find. The house's items may be mostly packed in boxes following the estate sale after the death of Tess's grandmother, but much is still hidden within its rooms. Just in Tess's room, for instance, there is a yearbook decorated with fun messages from her friends, a radio that can be played to hear 2000s-inspired music, and a Tamagotchi that has sadly reached the end of its brief digital life.

The letters, photographs, and other items hidden throughout the game gradually reveal the many layers of its story. However, as executive producer Amy Fincher explained, it is the player's decision whether they want to dig under the surface. She gave as an example a letter that Tess can find while looking through her grandmother's items.

"You can just put it away if you don't want to get into her business...but you can read the whole letter, and you'll get a lot of insight into the relationship between Opal and her sister August if you do."

Slow Down And Snoop Around

Fincher's advice to players of Open Roads was two words: "Slow down." She encouraged players not to rush from objective to objective, explaining that the Open Roads Team deliberately chose to make a slower-paced game that encouraged thorough exploration. There's much to discover, but players have to want to find it - choosing not to open drawers, read letters, or pursue conversations with Opal will lead to many Devine family mysteries remaining hidden forever.

However, not every mystery holds a clue to the game's plot. "Tess...has an interest in the paranormal," Fincher explained, further clarifying that she imagined the character growing up watching shows from her own childhood, such as the X-Files. So some letters or photographs or hidden items might reveal more about the family's secrets, while others might just prompt an amusing conversation between Tess and Opal.

In one instance shown during a preview of Open Roads attended by Game ZXC, Tess steadfastly proclaimed to a laughing Opal that the letter she had found was a clue to the location of hidden bootlegger gold. Another search, however, had her find a diary that referenced key locations from her grandmother's past and served as a major impetus for Tess and Opal's road trip.

When asked if Open Roads was the sort of game that encouraged multiple playthroughs, engineering lead Aaron Freedman's response was instant. "Definitely! I think the fundamental story won't change, but you can definitely explore it in different ways." With the game's branching dialogue and the many hidden secrets buried within the world, Open Roads is the kind of game players can experience over and over again, discovering something new every time.

Open Roads is set to release on February 22 for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.