Kentucky Route Zero

 PC
User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 70 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 40 out of 70
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 70
  3. Negative: 19 out of 70

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  1. bancandrei
    May 14, 2020
    6
    Starts of great with the atmosphere and suggestion of possibilities and sense of mystery. However it only gets more whimsical and "mysterious" until I definitely stopped caring. I would say it is worth playing until the performance in the bar. Of course if you get that far you won't be satisfied that nothing is resolved... but nothing won't be later either. It is a commendable game forStarts of great with the atmosphere and suggestion of possibilities and sense of mystery. However it only gets more whimsical and "mysterious" until I definitely stopped caring. I would say it is worth playing until the performance in the bar. Of course if you get that far you won't be satisfied that nothing is resolved... but nothing won't be later either. It is a commendable game for doing something different… Expand
  2. AllNewSuperfake
    Mar 8, 2020
    5
    I can't recommend this as a game because it's more of an animated comic book. And I'm also not too impressed by the comic that is slowly unfolding. While I love the visuals and the atmosphere, both seemed increasingly wasted.

    Wasted on yet another narrative that is very keen to dazzle me by playing hide and seek, being oh so intricate and filled with heavy metaphors that it will find    I can't recommend this as a game because it's more of an animated comic book. And I'm also not too impressed by the comic that is slowly unfolding. While I love the visuals and the atmosphere, both seemed increasingly wasted.

    Wasted on yet another narrative that is very keen to dazzle me by playing hide and seek, being oh so intricate and filled with heavy metaphors that it will find it's usual audience among the easily impressed. And while there might be an actual Jesus on this toast that some can see while most people only pretend to spot him, I stopped being intrigued to find whatever Cardboard Computer was burying with their equally sophisticated, but mundane dialogue and plot. There are no actual conversations, only people monologuing in turns, and most of the time I get the feeling that I'm listening to the writer trying to figure out what the hell is going on and where all of this is going, just like the reader.

    There are however a lot of beautiful moments to be found, and even when I'd given up on the story itself, entering a new scene was always exciting because of the visuals. I'd recommend it for the art, if nothing else, so if you are looking at some screenshots of the game and don't feel at least a little enchanted, you should give this one a pass.    … Expand
  3. Vaxzan
    Aug 2, 2021
    6
    This one has been a long time coming, a very unique experience that ultimately doesn’t pay off very well.

    Gameplay There isn’t much in the ways of gameplay so for once this section will be relatively short. Most of the game is a fairly standard point and click adventure style gameplay most controls being clicking to move or to choose different dialogue and not much else. The main    This one has been a long time coming, a very unique experience that ultimately doesn’t pay off very well.

    Gameplay

    There isn’t much in the ways of gameplay so for once this section will be relatively short. Most of the game is a fairly standard point and click adventure style gameplay most controls being clicking to move or to choose different dialogue and not much else. The main focus of the game is on the story and subsequent themes. The point and clicking are smooth for its credit though and don’t feel clunky at all.

    Story

    The story initially follows Conway a driver of a delivery service for an antique shop out on a journey for the last delivery before the shop closes its doors, the first 4 acts center on his strange journey to find 5 Dogwood drive and the people he meets along the way. However, the antique shop journey in itself is more of a metaphor as the game is really about capitalism and its destruction of small-town America and many people’s lives, each main character is affected in a different way by some large corporation causing upheaval in their lives, this is, of course, best represented in the shuttering of an antique shop. The first 4 acts introduce a crew of characters in an often strange and mystic environment of roads that go in circles with some supernatural element and weird people who seem to not acknowledge our character’s existence. There is also some weird time stuff in here though it isn’t a large portion of the game. The theme is portrayed quite well in the game and is made very apparent but overall it rings hollow as by the conclusion of the first act much of what was there to be said is already said, the later acts just help to reinforce this idea by adding much of interest. The story takes a negative tone of the effects of capitalism which is fine, it doesn’t explore any positives and largely isn’t very groundbreaking in this aspect, while it certainly is different from anything other video games have been able to do it still doesn’t quite reach the level of another medium in its storytelling prospects. The first four acts feel like a journey, a bit of a slow and often depressing journey but something of interest and full of mystery and strange occurrences, the setup of these first 4 acts seems to be leading to something of note.

    [SPOILERS BEGIN]

    Act V was pretty disappointing and if that was the intention of the act then it did a pretty good job, the ending of the story is more of a whimper than a bang as it just kind of fades out without much resolution or exploration of the questions it asked. The structure of the act is even disappointing as it is one scene where you walk around like a cat having conversions with characters you know and strangers but in a town that is strange, the conclusion of the delivery without the before this act protagonist was so underwhelming and not worth it I feel that this has to be the point of the bleakness of it, that capitalism isn’t rewarding and that it is all bleak and depressing, in that instance the ending is kind of beautiful and telling of the message of the game. Conway who was the main character up until that point is just gone, at the end of Act 4 he was taking away and doesn’t show up again, his story is over. I think that what they were trying to go for just didn’t work too well in the end.

    [SPOILERS END]

    Graphics

    The graphics are nice, it has a pretty interesting art style that is really nice to look at and helps the mood of the game very well.

    Soundtrack

    The soundtrack is pretty good, there are a lot of nice songs on it to fit the depressing and small-town vibe.

    Conclusion

    Kentucky Route Zero is a strange game that isn’t really even a game, it has some flaws but overall it is an ok experience for the most part. I don’t know if you should play it, it has an interesting story.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

15
#15 Best PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. Gamer.nl
    Feb 18, 2020
    90
    This special Kickstarter project, which spanned five episodes over seven years, comes to an end. This point-and-click sequence is bursting at the seams with creativity and strange happenings. There is no better writing in video games.
    Read full review
  2. CD-Action
    Feb 18, 2020
    50
    Exceptional dialogue served even in most exquisite forms (mini-games, different perspective, mixed chronology) are still not enough for the story to be compatible with this medium or to be worth telling altogether. The result is slow and difficult to ingest and sometimes even unpleasant in its archaic mechanics. [03/2020, p.54]
  3. PCWorld
    Feb 12, 2020
    100
    A magical adventure almost a decade in the making, Kentucky Route Zero is every bit as good as you've heard—and maybe more.
    Read full review
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