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. SearchBy
    Aug 12, 2023
    3
    Inconsequential, drab, and unsubstantial story that hopes people will misread its disorganized ramblings as something deeper that it is.
  2. MindWanderer
    Apr 25, 2023
    1
    I can't say that I understand all the hype about this game. For being an interactive narrative ("walking simulator"), there's no coherent plot to speak of, and the vast majority of it is stream-of-consciousness rambling that makes no sense at all. Along the journey of these poorly-established characters, expect to deal with scenes revolving around the life cycles of bats, extinct PuebloI can't say that I understand all the hype about this game. For being an interactive narrative ("walking simulator"), there's no coherent plot to speak of, and the vast majority of it is stream-of-consciousness rambling that makes no sense at all. Along the journey of these poorly-established characters, expect to deal with scenes revolving around the life cycles of bats, extinct Pueblo peoples, whiskey factories, feral horses, incomplete text-based video games, arcane phone help lines, a modern art exhibit, an incredibly long and boring scene from a play, a small restaurant's unusual menu, and more. None of it connects to anything. None of it makes sense. The "story" has no real ending, the characters have no real resolution. Your choices are, of course, meaningless. Even the art is crude and low-poly. There's some good voice acting, though.

    If you're into trippy art experiments that you have to work to find meaning in, you may enjoy this. I did not.    … Expand
  3. usercriticism
    Apr 24, 2023
    9
    Who ever says the game is boring, then this is not for you. I guess this isn't your tastes in game. The game is a journey. A journey which we create ourselves. People with the taste for a minimalist story telling will enjoy it. If you want something else, buy that rather than berating all the negativity which you couldn't enjoy. The game has its beauty. If you don't like it, don't buy it then.
  4. zahthris
    Nov 24, 2022
    1
    Choices don't matter, there are no mechanics that make it a 'game', and the characters are mostly boring and uninteresting. Most of the early reviews really loved the first two Acts, but the only thing that they had going for them was that they were short. The first thing that I would call a plot point doesn't happen until chapter 3, and even then is pretty weak. Ugh. I finished this game,Choices don't matter, there are no mechanics that make it a 'game', and the characters are mostly boring and uninteresting. Most of the early reviews really loved the first two Acts, but the only thing that they had going for them was that they were short. The first thing that I would call a plot point doesn't happen until chapter 3, and even then is pretty weak. Ugh. I finished this game, and regret wasting my time. Watch the Zero Punctuation review, I did after I played it, and my feelings were aptly summed up there.

    Avoid.    … Expand
  5. philzlz
    Oct 5, 2022
    3
    An absolute slog to get through and way too artsy for me. I would rather read a good book. While I understood most of the themes the characters did not do it for me.

    You really have to be in synch with the writers to get something out of this and I clearly wasn't.
  6. jfrisby
    Feb 15, 2022
    0
    metacritic wont update my score unless i type something out apparently. Very annoying. The game is also overrated, go read books.
  7. Juciferus
    Dec 21, 2021
    0
    Ultimately, a waste of time. Incoherent. boring. wall-of-text red herring ramblings with minimal playability or plot. Suffered through it only to find out nothing got solved in the end.

    Avoid if you like games.
  8. 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
  9. ticroo
    Dec 14, 2020
    3
    This is more of a semi-interactive cartoon than an adventure game. There's nothing to solve, the texts go on forever, dialogs are more often than not just boring and/or plain absurd and the story is apparently envisioned as a Twin Peaks meets Inside but falls far short of both aforementioned franchises respectively. What is it about? Everything and nothing. There's no real plot. It's justThis is more of a semi-interactive cartoon than an adventure game. There's nothing to solve, the texts go on forever, dialogs are more often than not just boring and/or plain absurd and the story is apparently envisioned as a Twin Peaks meets Inside but falls far short of both aforementioned franchises respectively. What is it about? Everything and nothing. There's no real plot. It's just as if the creators had no real script and were making it all up as they went along. Or better: as if they put their weird dreams on the paper and turned that confusion and nonsense into a motion picture which they then improperly christened as "the game". The execution of such surreal ideas really puts developers' immaturity into perspective. The product is nice-looking, the atmosphere is captivating but is wasted on the very basic interaction with it and , for most of the time, lines and lines of pointless and off-putting text. I suppose the game works better if you're high. In other case, however, I cannot recommend it.… Expand
  10. mohammad-gh
    Oct 30, 2020
    10
    nice and good game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  11. 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
  12. Riibiax
    Apr 4, 2020
    3
    Kentucky Route Zero is a boring animated comic book. Although the graphic design is appealing, the most interesting thing in the story is to discuss with the dog Homer...
    Nothing to solve and the interaction is basic.
  13. 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
  14. Javichuck
    Feb 29, 2020
    2
    Jugados dos primeros actos e interludio. No puedo continuar, siento que estoy perdiendo el tiempo. Mientras que el estilo me gusta, la interacción me resulta tediosa e inútil. La historia no existe y lo poco que te cuenta lo tienes que interpretar sin mucha ayuda. Leí y escuché reviews que hablaban de obra maestra que era para todo el mundo y sinceramente me cuesta pensar quién podríaJugados dos primeros actos e interludio. No puedo continuar, siento que estoy perdiendo el tiempo. Mientras que el estilo me gusta, la interacción me resulta tediosa e inútil. La historia no existe y lo poco que te cuenta lo tienes que interpretar sin mucha ayuda. Leí y escuché reviews que hablaban de obra maestra que era para todo el mundo y sinceramente me cuesta pensar quién podría disfrutarlo, yo personalmente no.… Expand
  15. Mandulum
    Feb 27, 2020
    1
    Playing Kentucky Route Zero makes me feel like I'm back in high school reading a book no human actually wants to read and I'm expected to write an essay afterwards on the actual meaning. In this case I'm not so sure there is a deeper meaning. Kentucky Route Zero stays intriguing after the first chapter, falls off a bit during the second and third chapters then quickly loses any semblancePlaying Kentucky Route Zero makes me feel like I'm back in high school reading a book no human actually wants to read and I'm expected to write an essay afterwards on the actual meaning. In this case I'm not so sure there is a deeper meaning. Kentucky Route Zero stays intriguing after the first chapter, falls off a bit during the second and third chapters then quickly loses any semblance of a coherent story.
    If I hadn't known it was such a short game I would have abandoned it after the first couple of hours. As it was, I struggled to have the desire to finish it.

    Date Completed: 2020-02-27
    Playtime: 7h (feel asleep while playing a few times)
    Enjoyment: 1/10
    Recommendation: Please, no, don't.    … Expand
  16. pinismenshox
    Feb 23, 2020
    8
    the whole act together is quite strange and if you dont like too much abstract concepts then this game is not really for you. the second to third acts are all very surreal and strange specially when you reach the end of an abandoned mine with people and a funky computer living in it. till the end of act iv till act v which is a lot more than other acts combined together the story unveilsthe whole act together is quite strange and if you dont like too much abstract concepts then this game is not really for you. the second to third acts are all very surreal and strange specially when you reach the end of an abandoned mine with people and a funky computer living in it. till the end of act iv till act v which is a lot more than other acts combined together the story unveils and you are still left wondering what went on about. a good game with a rather weird story but worth it.… Expand
  17. PublicNuisance
    Feb 7, 2020
    8
    I had first heard about this quirky game called Kentucky Route Zero a couple years after the first episode came out. I don’t like playing my games spread out like that so I decided to wait until the whole game was finished and to binge it then. Luckily I got the game for a good price in the mean time and years later I was able to complete it from start to finish without waiting. One thingI had first heard about this quirky game called Kentucky Route Zero a couple years after the first episode came out. I don’t like playing my games spread out like that so I decided to wait until the whole game was finished and to binge it then. Luckily I got the game for a good price in the mean time and years later I was able to complete it from start to finish without waiting. One thing I am not too worried about is spoiling the plot to Kentucky Route Zero because truth be told I’m not sure I really know what it is. Do you like games that make sense ? Well this one doesn’t. That may sound like a slur or insult but I look at this game as the closest thing to a video game made by David Lynch or David Chronenberg as I have ever played. I may have not always understood why what was happening was happening but I couldn’t look away and was immersed all the same. The characters are interesting, the locations full of lore and detail; the soundtrack awesome; and the story so odd that I am almost glad the strangest bits went without explanation because it may have ruined it.

    You begin the game as a delivery man who is trying to find an address he has never heard of. He gets pointed to a route called the “Route Zero” and directions to someone who can guide him to it. From there begins the strange journey where you will slowly add more and more people to your group all with their own stories to be told. In travelling this mystical route you will fly on the back of an eagle; find an underground computer to play a video game within a video game that is kept by people who have a giant fire they keep going; discover some of the most realistic government buracracy I have seen and much much more. At different points of the story you will have dialogue options in terms of not just what you say but who says it. You can kind of tailor the story based on who you want to follow and interact with although I am not sure just how much control over things this gives you or how it branches the main story. The game is like a combo of a 2D adventure game and a visual novel. You take control of different characters at different times depending on the parts of the story. There are no puzzles to solve; no enemies to defeat; I am sure some will say no real “gameplay”. I’m sure that there are those out there that will appreciate the game for what it is: a wild ride that has a very entertaining plot. The graphics are a weird mix of a low detail with a good art style. The audio to the game is great, the soundtrack setting the mood very well. There is no voice acting aside from a couple parts where you’re watching video or listening to answering machine messages but I didn’t mind this.

    I played Kentucky Route Zero on Linux. It never crashed on me once. There was one bug where when you are playing as a cat going around listening to peoples stories and meowing at them to get more details I had to check out a hole and the cat wouldn’t exit the hole making me reload the scene after which the cat would exit. Yes you play as a cat in one part, told you this game was odd. There were no graphics options at all to tinker with aside from choosing “modern or classic”. That simply ages the game back to the pixel era or keeps a more modern style. Alt-Tab didn’t work. The game doesn’t have a manual save option. It seemed to auto save at the end of each scene. There are three save slots but only one per playthrough so three people can be playing their own seperate saves but you can’t have more than one save slot for your game. During play the game used 14-85% of my GPU; 391-413MB of VRAM; 18-22% of my CPU; and 1.8-2.2GB of RAM. The game used up 2GB of disk space.

    Kentucky Route Zero was an experience I won’t soon forget. If you enjoy TV shows like Twin Peaks; movies like Videodrome; or games like Oxenfree or Night in the Woods then you will probably enjoy this. There were points that were a little slow paced but overall the game started strong and ended strong. It kept me wanting to know more and to know what the game would introduce next which is something many games these days fail to achieve.

    My Score: 8/10

    My Sytem:

    AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | 16GB DDR4-3000 CL15 | MSI RX 580 8GB Gaming X | Mesa 19.3.3 | Samsung 850 Evo 250GB | Manjaro 18.1.5 | Mate 1.22.3 | Kernel 5.5.2-1-MANJARO    … Expand
  18. TantFuriosa
    Jan 6, 2018
    10
    Very special, dreamlike and artful game centered around dialogue. You choose what your character says, but pretty quickly it becomes apparent that your choices does not affect the game outcome in any shape or form. The only thing you really choose is your own poetry, your own inner narrative. You have no control over where the game takes you. I found this absolutely fascinating and thoughtVery special, dreamlike and artful game centered around dialogue. You choose what your character says, but pretty quickly it becomes apparent that your choices does not affect the game outcome in any shape or form. The only thing you really choose is your own poetry, your own inner narrative. You have no control over where the game takes you. I found this absolutely fascinating and thought it elevated the game to greater heights. It's beautifully done. This game is for dreamers enjoying a mystery that maybe never will make sense.… Expand
  19. ns0l
    Nov 22, 2015
    1
    If reading is really nessecary then I'll read some books rather than getting blinded by this boring nonesence. I don't see any future for this bla bla.
  20. JohnnyGalvatron
    May 24, 2015
    9
    Incredible waltz into an eerie world of magical realism. A game of tremendous atmosphere and almost theatrical set design. The scene when Junebug begins his set in the dive bar is one of my most treasured moments in gaming. KRZ is not a game for button mashers, but for for players who want a thoughtful, compelling experience.
  21. Sinestauta
    Aug 24, 2014
    10
    Even though I have only played the first two acts, I have to say that Kentucky Route Zero is one of the most wonderful gaming experiences I've ever had. Apparently a point-and-click graphic adventure, this is actually much closer to an interactive graphic novel. It's really good literature, or art, or however you may categorize it. Obviously, though, the "game" dimension is only the methodEven though I have only played the first two acts, I have to say that Kentucky Route Zero is one of the most wonderful gaming experiences I've ever had. Apparently a point-and-click graphic adventure, this is actually much closer to an interactive graphic novel. It's really good literature, or art, or however you may categorize it. Obviously, though, the "game" dimension is only the method used to put the player in the middle of the story. The difficulty is trivial, and it consists merely in finding the way through the different locations on the map and sorting out the meaning of the quest, which is but an excuse for a compelling story about lonliness, frailty and oblivion.

    Now, about the script: it's more than excellent, it's really over the scale. Whoever has written the texts in this game has obviously read a lot and written a lot, and knows who Don Delillo or Faulkner are. Very often the choice of dialogues does not have any consequence on the development of the story --- it's just meant to let the player co-author the story, add and choose the details that frame the main characters.

    You won't like this game if you're looking for shiny entertainment and action, for real-time emotions where you can prove your gaming stamina. You will love this game if you enjoy art, design, reading a good story, and obviously if adventure games were your favorite genre. It's very hard to explain how fabulously original, simple, light and complex is the graphic aspect of this game. The map interface is a great idea and the medium by which minigames find their right place into the game, creating a spiraling sensation that destroys the common notion of space as the story approaches the zero. Slowly, also the environments lose features of reality and represent in a fascinating way the tricks of immagination, irrationality, oblivion and selflessness.

    Just play the game, you won't ever forget it. Especially if you like good literature and contemporary art & design!    … 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
See all critic reviews »