Kentucky Route Zero: PC Edition

Kentucky Route Zero is a game that showcases the feel of the rural Kentucky country and all the supernatural stories that go on there. The game is all about the journey, not the destination. There is a surreal and magical quality that permeates everything but without too much attention drawn to it at all. The characters merely accept this stuff is happening, and they move on since they have stuff to do. The atmosphere and tone of the game is intriguing and worth the experience if you’re up for something slower paced and a bit rambling, as it life in the world of Kentucky Route Zero.

The game was released in episodes, and those episodes took quite a while to all come out. Fortunately, the game is complete now, so you can get the full experience with no more waiting.

Find it on Steam. Note that I was unable to capture any screenshots of the game. They came out in a wavy darkness. (Spooky!) So all these screenshots come from the official Steam page of the game.

You start off the game as Conway, an antique delivery driver off on one last delivery. Unfortunately, the address is someplace that’s not on a map, so he must start by asking the locals for directions. And one thing leads to another, and another, and off you go. The game is all about enjoying the world and the people that inhabit it. They’ll talk, a lot, and mostly not about where you’re going. But what they say is interesting and insightful, or humorous and nonsensical. It’s all the same to them.

You navigate the game primarily by pointing and clicking, though there are no puzzles or anything to solve. Rather, you talk to people and make choices. The choices are more than just what you want to say, though. One of the first choices you make is about the dog that’s following you. The dog can be named Homer and is a boy, or Blue and a girl, or it can just be a stray that tags along. This is one of many choices that allows you to build the world.

While the choices do affect the ending, really, it’s not the game telling you the result of your choices. It is you telling the game what kind of ending you want. In that sense, all the things you can choose in this game is more about you and what kind of narrative you want.

The game is divided into five acts along with minor intermissions in between each one. The intermissions are more random but do relate to the upcoming act. In each act, Conway is simply trying to get to his delivery destination. Along the way, more people join him, and the game sometimes switches control to the others. Each one has a story that is slowly revealed over the game.

To reach the delivery destination, Conway needs to travel along the mysterious route 0, a strange location that is seemingly a series of loops upon loops. Navigating the Zero is a cool experience. And there are even strange people down there.

Kentucky Route Zero is a game to be slowly engaged with. It is best played with the mindset of going along with the flow because there is a lot of random stuff that’ll happen along the way of your delivery. It is best to take your time and look around. There is lots of optional stuff to see and interesting dialogue to be had.

While the music in this game is rather low-key, the songs in the game are fantastic. The songs are a folksy and country as is suitable for the setting. The low-poly art style works nicely as well. The characters feel animated, even if they have no faces. The locations of the game are also really interesting to see. They are full of charm.

Kentucky Route Zero: PC Edition (and yeah, there are other edition but this is the one I have) is an interesting experience. Don’t go on the route for the end. Go on the route for the journey. Take your time, get to know the Neighbors, and let the characters you meet ramble for a bit.

Find it on Steam.