Detours

Detours is a contemporary adventure and visual novel game where players assume the role of Daniella, embarking on a cross-country road trip with her ex-partner, Mish, as the only available driver against the backdrop of Midwestern United States. The narrative navigates rekindled relationships through witty dialogue, quiet human moments, and metaphorical road bumps, offering players meaningful choices that shape the journey’s outcome while exploring themes of identity, connection, and the quirks of long-distance travel.

Detours: Review

1. Introduction

The open road has long been a potent metaphor for transition, self-discovery, and the inescapable ghosts of the past. In Detours, a modest yet profoundly affecting indie title released in February 2021, this metaphor is given intimate, human form. Developed by the collective Mismatched Games (Autumn Raines, Kinsey Erickson, Roscoe Rappaport, Sam Ortiz, and Plum) during Code Coven’s 2020 Summer Program, this visual novel/adventure game tasks players with an excruciatingly relatable scenario: moving across the country with one’s ex-partner. Far from a simple road trip simulator, Detours operates as a deeply personal character study, using the claustroph intimacy of a shared car journey to dissect the fragile architecture of post-relationship dynamics. Its thesis is brilliantly simple: the most meaningful detours are rarely geographical, but emotional. By focusing on nuanced dialogue, subtle environmental storytelling, and a transgender protagonist, Detours carves out a unique space in gaming’s landscape, demonstrating how constrained mechanics can yield boundless emotional resonance.

2. Development History & Context

Detours emerged from the fertile ground of Code Coven’s 2020 Summer Program, an initiative designed to amplify underrepresented voices in game development. Mismatched Games—a quintet of developers hailing from diverse backgrounds—converged on this project with a shared vision: to capture the idiosyncrasies and emotional weight of Midwestern travel. Their ambition was not to reinvent the wheel but to perfect a specific wheel: the point-and-click narrative adventure. Technologically, the team leveraged Unity, an engine that allowed for rapid iteration and a cohesive 2D art style without prohibitive graphical demands. This choice underscored their commitment to storytelling over spectacle.

The gaming landscape of 2021 was dominated by blockbuster releases and a burgeoning indie scene hungry for authentic, character-driven experiences. Detours arrived amid a surge of interest in LGBTQ+ representation, yet distinguished itself by eschewing melodrama for quiet realism. Its development context—conceived during a global pandemic—added an unintended layer of poignancy, as themes of isolation, forced proximity, and the search for home resonated with heightened urgency. The game’s episodic structure, divided into “Acts” corresponding to in-game days, reflects both the constraints of a summer program schedule and the deliberate pacing of a real-life journey. This context is crucial: Detours is not merely a game but a testament to collaborative, passion-fueled creation, proving that profound narratives can blossom even within tight temporal and resource boundaries.

3. Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

At its core, Detours is a dialogue-driven exploration of relationship entropy. Players step into the shoes of Daniella, a trans woman embarking on a cross-country move, with her ex, Mish, as her reluctant chauffeur. The plot unfolds in a series of vignettes—gas station stops, roadside diners, and hours-long drives—where the narrative tension derives not from external conflicts, but from the charged silence between Daniella and Mish. The script, penned by Samantha Ivonne Ortiz, is a masterclass in subtext. Dialogue options range from sarcastic deflection (“I’d rather talk about the weather“) to vulnerable confessions (“I still miss your laugh“), with each choice subtly recalibrating the relationship dynamic.

The characters are archetypes made flesh: Daniella is a bundle of unresolved yearning and guarded optimism, while Mish oscillates between exasperation and lingering affection. Their history is implied through shared references inside jokes and the weight of unspoken apologies. The game’s genius lies in its refusal to offer easy redemption. Instead, it captures the messy, nonlinear nature of healing. Thematic threads are woven with delicate precision:
– Identity and Belonging: Daniella’s journey to her childhood home becomes a metaphor for self-acceptance. Her transgender identity is handled with nuance, referenced in dialogue and environmental cues (e.g., a photo of her younger self) rather than heavy-handed exposition.
– The Illusion of Control: The road’s unpredictability—flat tires, wrong turns—mirrors the uncontrollable nature of grief and growth. Mish’s role as driver symbolizes Daniella’s relinquishing of agency, a choice that echoes their past relationship.
– Midwestern Realism: The setting is a character in itself. Quirky locals (“a gas station attendant with a penchant for conspiracy theories“) and vast, empty highways ground the story in a specific cultural milieu, reflecting the solitude and stark beauty of the American heartland.

Multiple endings, determined by dialogue affinity, ensure that no two playthroughs feel identical, with outcomes ranging to bittersweet closure to unresolved tension. This mechanic transforms the game into a poignant exploration of how small conversational shifts can alter the trajectory of a relationship.

4. Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Detours employs a minimalist interface that prioritizes narrative immersion over mechanical complexity. Core gameplay alternates between two modes:
– Driving Segments: Automated travel, where players are presented with dialogue choices via point-and-click or keyboard controls (WASD/arrow keys). These segments are text-heavy, emphasizing character interactions over player action.
– Pit-Stop Exploration: At destinations like motels or diners, players control Daniella using directional keys, interacting with the environment and NPCs. Clicking or pressing spacebar triggers interactions, while the “Escape” key opens a simple inventory for managing found items (e.g., a map or memento).

The systems are elegantly integrated. Inventory items rarely unlock new pathways but instead deepen immersion—a key might open a suitcase, revealing a photo that sparks optional dialogue. The relationship meter, invisible to the player but tracked internally, governs branching narratives, rewarding attentive listening and punishing dismissive remarks. The UI is a study in restraint: a clean, unobtrusive interface that fades into the background, letting the artwork and dialogue breathe.

Yet, this minimalism is double-edged. Exploration is superficial, limited to a few hotspots per location, and driving segments lack interactivity beyond dialogue selection. For players craving agency, Detours may feel passive. However, this passivity is thematically intentional, mirroring Daniella’s reliance on Mish and the constraints of her journey. The game’s saving system—auto-saving at the end of each “Act”—creates a natural rhythm, encouraging bite-sized sessions while preserving emotional investment.

5. World-Building, Art & Sound

Detours world is rendered in a warm, stylized 2D aesthetic that evokes the nostalgia of hand-drawn animation. Created with Clip Studio Paint, the art direction balances cartoony expressiveness with grounded realism. Character designs are expressive—Daniella’s wide-eyed vulnerability and Mish’s slouched weariness communicate volumes without dialogue. Environments, from the worn leather of a car seat to the neon glow of a diner sign, are rich in detail, capturing the mundane poetry of road travel. The Midwestern setting is palpable: endless cornfields under overcast skies, retro motels with flickering neon, and the oppressive stillness of highway rest stops. These spaces are not backdrops but emotional barometers, reflecting the characters’ internal states.

Sound design amplifies this atmosphere. The original soundtrack, composed by the team, blends lo-fi acoustic guitar with ambient electronica, creating a sense of melancholic calm. Sound effects are sparse but effective—the rumble of an engine, the clink of a coffee cup—enhancing immersion without overwhelming dialogue. Silence, too, is a tool, used during driving segments to let players absorb the weight of conversations. The voice acting, absent in the release, is a missed opportunity, but the text’s rhythmic cadence compensates, with italics and punctuation conveying tone. Together, art and sound forge an atmosphere of poignant introspection, making the car feel both a prison and a sanctuary.

6. Reception & Legacy

Upon release, Detours garnered a cult following rather than mainstream acclaim. On Steam, it amassed 7 positive reviews, with players praising its “thoughtful and lovely” art and “wonderful music.” On itch.io, it holds a 4.6/5-star rating (13 reviews), with user comments like “a work of pure art” and “fuck it hurt at points” underscoring its emotional impact. Critically, it was lauded for its authentic portrayal of transgender experiences and mature handling of relationships, though its brevity and minimalist gameplay drew some criticism.

Legacy-wise, Detours occupies a unique niche. It exemplifies the power of small-scale indie projects to foster empathy, particularly in LGBTQ+ representation. Its influence is less about direct gameplay innovation and more about demonstrating how constrained narratives—built on dialogue and character rather than spectacle—can resonate deeply. The game’s success as a Code Coven alumni project also highlights the importance of incubator programs in diversifying the industry. Over time, it has been cited in discussions about “meaningful choice” in visual novels, proving that even minor interactions can carry thematic heft. While not a commercial juggernaut, Detours endures as a touchstone for intimate, character-driven storytelling.

7. Conclusion

Detours is a quiet masterpiece, a game that finds the universal in the profoundly personal. By distilling a cross-country journey into a series of intimate conversations and environmental vignettes, Mismatched Games crafts an experience that is both a love letter to the Midwest and a universal meditation on love, loss, and the detours that define us. Its strengths—authentic dialogue, striking art, and thematic depth—far outweigh its limitations in mechanical complexity. While it may not appeal to those seeking high-octane action, for players who value narrative nuance and emotional authenticity, it is essential.

In the pantheon of video games, Detours secures its place as a testament to the adage that less is more. It reminds us that the most compelling journeys are not measured in miles, but in the courage to confront the ghosts in the passenger seat. For this, and for its unflinching portrayal of transgender identity, Detours is not merely a game to be played, but a story to be remembered. Verdict: A must-play for aficionados of narrative-driven indies, Detours stands as a landmark in empathetic, character-focused game design.