Evokes the feeling of old ghost stories told around a campfire. There's the familiarity of friends and family around a warm, man-made fire, but with it comes the unnerving tale of the strange and unusual. Kentucky Route Zero is beautifully bizarre and perfectly poignant, and most of all, deserves your attention.
Kentucky Route Zero is a weird and wonderful point-and-click adventure game that will leave you thinking long after you've stopped playing. Its unique and iconic art direction, coupled with a narrative that is intriguing and fresh, make it a game unlike any other.
Like To the Moon, and like Thirty Flights of Loving, it places significant emphasis on plot and storytelling, and the result is a first act that leaves the player reflecting on all the events that just happened and what they mean. There isn't much in the way of actual gameplay, although the point-and-click elements play a large role in fleshing out the character of Conrad; the story is told mainly from his point of view.
Kentucky Route Zero is not for everyone; that much is certain. Its strange narrative, point-and-click mechanics and lack of any sort of traditional gameplay makes it appear intimidating at first glance. Yet the game is so well-made, with such detail in its presentation and sound design, that it proves impossible not to be swept up in its magical tale. If you have any interest at all in games as a narrative medium, you owe it to yourself to play Kentucky Route Zero.
Indie for a reason- this game would have never existed but for a brave, minute dev team and its kickstarter funds. In a world where the mundane and profane overlap, KY0 brings out the poetry and unique advantage video game mechanics have to tell a story. Indeed as fellow users have commented reminiscent of Another World, this game is much more, can't wait for the next episodes (bought season pass right away). An effort well worth supporting, as its definitely a unique blend of art, adventure and poetry.
As far as a first episode goes, Kentucky Route Zero establishes the setting, tone and characters better than I could have expected. I love that I'm still thinking about what exactly happened to Conway and company, and that intrigue has left me longing for the next piece of the tale.
Kentucky Route Zero Act I is a marvelous travel between the future and the past of a strange man, with stunning visuals and an inspired OST. Many AAA developers could learn something about storytelling, playing this modern tale.
Its narrative is compelling, its writing thoughtful. The mechanics may be little more that a delivery mechanism for its story but Kentucky Route Zero's mysteries leave you wanting more. Fortunately, there's more to come.
Kentucky Route Zero is a pleasure to look at and interact with, brimming with anxious memories and begging you to peer into the distance. And yet it also comes across as a bit underdeveloped.
For those who fell in love with Dear Esther and Another World, this is one of those masterpieces that come up only once in decade. A must have. Stunning visual style and the sense of mystery drives you the whole time. Amazing. Simply outstanding!
Just finnished Act 1, and I'm excited to see where this is going. The game has a sort of poetic, mysterious, "ghost-noir" vibe to it. Something that I can't really say I've found in another games. It's not really scary, it's just... eerie? But also kind of cozy at times. Needless to say it's beatifully crafted visually, and mechanically it focuses completely on story-telling. While I am enjoying the story, I often feel like I'm mentally "one step ahead" of the twists. That's kind of a bummer, because if the game had managed to surprise me just a little bit more, I could really see myself being blown away by now.
This feels like a cross between an animated visual novel and an adventure game, interesting story telling if you can get into the storyline, a bit on the fence myself.
The first two acts of the game are fairly good. The artistic style is unique. The story and flavor is interesting. There is a real sense of mystery to the game. That's up until you finish act II. Where are acts III through V? If you believe the developers at this point, they're putting a great deal of effort into making act III so much more than the previous two acts.
It's starting to feel like a long series of excuses from these developers as to why they aren't delivering the promised other three acts. I could be wrong and they might be making something great and I just need to give them more time, but right now, I feel like I've been scammed. Because of this experience, I will never pay for a game before it is delivered ever again. I'm actually kind of grateful to these guys because it stopped me from buying into any Steam Early Access games as well.
A big capital M *Meh*.
Sure it's an indie game so it has a small budget, but can't you at least give it some voice over? The Stanley Parable showed us just how good voice over can be in a low budget game.
Sure it's dark an gloomy.... so what, what game isn't these days? Don't just make your game dark and gloomy and expect it to be an instant success.... that's just insulting.
So we explore some settings, we discover some new locations with our truck.... Oh Whoopie Doo....
I honestly don't see what's so special about this game and why people like it so much. The Stanley Parable or The Swapper are infinitely more deserving of our praise.
SummaryKentucky Route Zero is a magical realistic adventure game about a secret highway in the caves beneath Kentucky, and the mysterious folks who travel it.