Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition

 Switch
Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition Image
Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 81 Ratings

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  • Summary: Kentucky Route Zero is a magical realist adventure game about a secret highway in the caves beneath Kentucky. An antique furniture delivery man trying to make his small shop's last delivery gets lost along the way and meets a haunted TV repairwoman, a young boy and his giant eagle brother, aKentucky Route Zero is a magical realist adventure game about a secret highway in the caves beneath Kentucky. An antique furniture delivery man trying to make his small shop's last delivery gets lost along the way and meets a haunted TV repairwoman, a young boy and his giant eagle brother, a pair of robot musicians, and dozens of other characters. Together, they explore the nocturnal highways and country roads of Kentucky, the storied Echo River by ferry, and the mysterious Route Zero, the secret highway that runs through Mammoth Cave.… Expand
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First 15 Minutes Of Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition Gameplay

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. Nintendo Enthusiast
    Feb 10, 2020
    100
    Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition is an overall landmark effort in the realm of video games. It explores various facets of the medium’s abilities with storytelling and evocatively shifts its gameplay and gorgeous visuals to keep things interesting. Paying dividends if you decide to input your own personality, it’s a work of art that I can’t recommend enough.
  2. COGconnected
    Jan 30, 2020
    95
    Kentucky Route Zero is a brilliantly told story that takes chances, and unapologetically is what it is. Sounds suspiciously like art to me. Damn good art.
  3. NintendoWorldReport
    Feb 4, 2020
    95
    Overall Kentucky Route Zero may not be for everybody, but those for whom it is for will find it an incredibly well put together experience. The dark and mysterious atmosphere and memorable locations mixed with well written and human feeling characters make this game something that players who value a narrative focused experience won’t soon forget. It’s a story about looking for that which you’ve lost, and maybe finding some new stuff along the way, whether you really mean to be doing so or not. Those looking for a challenge or something a bit more action packed won’t find what they’re looking for here, but those looking for a surreal and mysterious tale will have come to the right place.
  4. Nintendo Life
    Jan 27, 2020
    90
    Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition is the full and complete Kentucky Route Zero experience. A magical realist point-and-click adventure that takes you on a beguiling journey to a place that exists both below and beyond. It's a trip to be savoured, ruminated on; no need to rush. Each act here brings with it some new perspective, new places and people to forge deep connections with. You may be confused, even bewildered by your initial steps down into the subterranea that exists somewhere beneath this version of Kentucky but, by the end of your journey, you'll have made friends and memories and been escorted through a rich and beautiful experience that will stay with you much longer than you may expect.
  5. Washington Post
    Jan 31, 2020
    90
    As the video game industry experienced tumultuous change in the last decade, Kentucky Route Zero has felt like an anomaly, unconcerned with industry trends. Even as an episodic game, developer Cardboard Computer took years at a time to release acts — something most episodic titles try to avoid. It’s like Kentucky Route Zero was rejecting every rule, doing things its own way. Through that, it became one of the most important experimental games ever, establishing itself as a major player in the discourse of whether games are art. Kentucky Route Zero screams an emphatic and stubborn “yes” to that question.
  6. GameCrate
    Feb 28, 2020
    83
    Kentucky Route Zero tells a story unlike anything else you'll find in gaming. It uses a point and click adventure format that's pretty basic, but hits high notes with its dialogue, themes, and music.
  7. Game Revolution
    Jan 27, 2020
    70
    Kentucky Route Zero is a coffee table book of a game. I don’t feel like you’re really supposed to try and take it all in as a whole. Instead, KRZ, with it’s myriad of references and views, seems like it’s supposed to be taken a piece at a time. Some players are sure to absolutely love that, while others, like me, would prefer something more grounded...I don’t like Kentucky Route Zero, but I’m glad it exists.

See all 23 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 18
  3. Negative: 7 out of 18
  1. MrTusks
    Jan 12, 2021
    10
    More interactive novel than game, and that's a good thing. The depth of imagination on display is astonishing. A perfect experience.
  2. pockets6794
    Feb 9, 2020
    10
    This game is one of the most beautiful, artistic and tragic games I've ever played. It's more like a great book than a video game. I lovedThis game is one of the most beautiful, artistic and tragic games I've ever played. It's more like a great book than a video game. I loved every second of it and I can't wait to play it again.… Expand
  4. Gwz
    Feb 5, 2020
    10
    The David Lynch analogy has been played to death, but I think it's apt in this case. Playing "Kentucky Route Zero" reminds me a lot of seeingThe David Lynch analogy has been played to death, but I think it's apt in this case. Playing "Kentucky Route Zero" reminds me a lot of seeing "Twin Peaks" for the first time. I haven't seen something like this before, I'm not sure if it's "good" but I really, really like it. It tells a story in a way I haven't seen in any media. You KNOW that Kentucky Route Zero will change something for the game medium, but it will not spawn a lot of clones because it's to unique. Perhaps a different tone, a "feel" or just open up for new ways to tell a story, or even a new wave of art. You may very well tell your future kids about how you played Kentucky Route Zero back in the days.… Expand
  5. lowey
    Jun 30, 2022
    6
    I found it incredibly difficult to rate this game. I played it because I had previously played Mutazione and several reviewers of that gameI found it incredibly difficult to rate this game. I played it because I had previously played Mutazione and several reviewers of that game claimed that Kentucky Route Zero was a clear influence. I loved Mutazione so much that I paid the rather hefty price tag for Kentucky Route Zero but was ultimately disappointed to discover there's no real siilarity between the two games at all, beyond the fact that they are both essentially point & click adventures … which would be like saying that Monkey Island and Grim Fandango are similar games. They're really not.

    It gets even more difficult to review because, after a little while, I did start to get drawn into the game. I wanted to know more about the characters and what was happening. I was immersed, even if only for a short while. But sadly as the game went on it got more and more confusing, more and more abstract, until eventually I had literally no idea what was going on and it ultimately turned into a grind to simply reach the end.

    It was, however, very pretty in its own distinctive way. And the dialogue was compelling. It was just the story was so meta that my Switch nearly folded itself in half.

    A few other reviewers have compared Kentucky Route Zero to David Lynch's work, and I'm inclined to agree: I think that's a good comparison. If you enjoyed the likes of Rabbits, or the fever-dream inspired parts of Twin Peaks, then this game will be right up your alley. For everyone else, sadly, I'm not convinced there's very much to get excited about.    … Expand
  6. Hopwin
    Apr 3, 2020
    4
    Doesn’t even classify as a game. Clicker on a rail. It started out well written and promising but each subsequent chapter made it obviousDoesn’t even classify as a game. Clicker on a rail. It started out well written and promising but each subsequent chapter made it obvious there was never a vision for the project from the get to.… Expand
  7. SenDji
    Dec 30, 2020
    3
    I have a nagging felling gamers who are blown away with this game probably simply never read a book. Same as with "What remains of EdithI have a nagging felling gamers who are blown away with this game probably simply never read a book. Same as with "What remains of Edith Finch", this is not a game but a visual novel. KR0 might appeal to David Lynch fans - everybody else should approach it with suspicion.… Expand
  8. Docholliday504
    Dec 31, 2020
    0
    Bar none one of the worst games I’ve ever played. Pretentious annoying claptrap that could be forgiven if there was any gameplay to speak of.Bar none one of the worst games I’ve ever played. Pretentious annoying claptrap that could be forgiven if there was any gameplay to speak of. Horrible… Expand

See all 18 User Reviews

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Awards & Rankings

6
#6 Best Switch Game of 2020
68
#68 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2020