KENTUCKY ROUTE ZERO: TV EDITION / DEVELOPER: CARDBOARD COMPUTER / PUBLISHER: ANNAPURNA INTERACTIVE / PLATFORM: PC, PS4, SWITCH, XBOX ONE (REVIEWED) / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Kentucky Route Zero is a text-based point and click adventure game whose five acts have been released sporadically on PC since 2013. To coincide with the arrival of its final act in January this year, this all-in-one “TV Edition” brings the entire saga to home consoles for the very first time.
Playing as a truck driver called Conway, your job is to make one final delivery to an address whose exact location seems to be rather elusive. Your journey begins at a gas station in the middle of nowhere, where the proprietor points you towards the mysterious Route Zero highway which itself may or may not even exist. The game’s strange beginnings take in an encounter with a group of D&D players in the gas station’s basement, a 20-sided die which may or may not be vital to your quest, a broken circuit breaker and a particularly treacherous experience in an old mine. From there, the game introduces a bizarre cast of characters that come and go as you make your way along Kentucky’s highways and byways.
Divided into acts and scenes rather than levels, KRZ‘s main focus is on creating an engrossing episodic narrative, much like the movies and TV shows that serve as the game’s main inspirations. Each act will take around an hour and a half to complete, taking you to various backwater locations filled with kooky, eccentric and sometimes tragic characters. The bold and clean yet understated art style allow the backdrops to burn their way into your subconscious, encouraging players to use their imagination to fill in the gaps while simultaneously leaving plenty of room for you to focus on the story.
Sound design is equally minimal, mostly consisting of background noise like wind rushing through the air, crickets chirping and owls hooting away during the night, the soft hum of electricity from a worn-out neon signpost. There’s some excellent use of music to be found though, coming in right on cue to add some tremendous impact to the scenes that unfold. Considering we don’t really get to see much detail in the game itself, it’s incredible how effective the use of sound can be at creating such an atmospheric and memorable experience.
Its gameplay might not suit those who favour full-on shooting and looting but, for those with an interest in games with a more introspective and thoughtful narrative, Kentucky Route Zero is difficult to top. Anyone looking for a slow-burning text adventure should absolutely pick this up as soon as possible.
