GAMES / REVIEWS
K
entuckyRouteZeroisa pointandclickadventure
gameinspiredbyAmericanliteraryfiction.It
beganlifein2013,whendeveloperCardboard
Computerlaunchedthefirstoffiveplannedepisodes.
Sevenyearson,it’sfinallycomplete.
Thestoryinitiallycentresarounda deliverydrivernamed
Conroy,whopullsuphisrustyoldtruckata gasstation
namedEquusOilstoaskfordirectionsto5 DogwoodDrive.
HediscoversthatgettingtoDogwoodDriverequireshim
totravelalongtheZero,a mysterioushighwaythatruns
througha cavesystembeneathKentucky’sInterstate65.
Sobeginsa surrealistadventurethroughtheforgotten
corners of American society. The game is heavily
inspired by famous American prose stylists, such as
John Steinbeck or William Faulkner, and the game’s own
writing is rarely less than excellent. While you can’t alter
the overall direction of the story, your response choices
during dialogue can affect how the story is told.
Kentucky Route Zero’s broader approach to narrative
storytelling is intriguing, revealing its story by
telling dozens of other, smaller stories.
Every character you meet has their
own tale to tell. Over time, it becomes
apparent that the community that
forms the Zero is under threat
from a local power company that’s
slowly eroding the infrastructures
upon which these people rely.Thisgamedelightsinthestrangeand eerie. As Conroy
searchesforandthentravelsalongthe Zero, he encounters
a smallboywholiveswitha gianteagle, discovers a
museumofhousinginwhichpeople still live inside the
exhibits,andstumblesupona subterranean distillery where
theemployeeshavealltransformed into glowing skeletons.
Thefirstcoupleofepisodesarearresting slices of
interactivefiction,althoughthenexttwo episodes
aremuchlonger,andthegame’spenchant for yarn-
spinningshiftsfrombeinginteresting to self-indulgent.
There’sonescenewherehalfthecharacters take
turnstalkingona phone,whicheasily could have been
cut out without making a difference to the story.
There’s also an interminable interlude between the
second and third episodes, which takes the form of an
entire three-act play. It gets lost in its own meandering
imaginings, losing sight of the key character relationships
that hooked your interest in the early game.
There are still great moments within these later acts,
and the whole game generally exudes style
and melancholy soul. However, with little in
the way of other interactions, Kentucky
Route Zero is entirely reliant on its
storytelling. When that storytelling
falters, the foundation is shaky,
and it falters a little too often
for us to recommend.
RICK LANE/VERDICT
An admirable
attempt to take
adventure games
in a different
direction, but at
times it’s a little
too smart for its
owngood.
OVERALL SCORE
65 %%
ZERO
+Stellarwriting
+Lotsofmemorable
moments
SUB-ZERO
- Narrativestyle
becomesself-
indulgent - Mechanically
very lightweight
KentuckyRouteZero/ £18.99 inc VAT
DEVELOPER Cardboard Computer / PUBLISHER Cardboard Computer