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 Around nine years after the initial Kickstarter campaign, seven years after the release of the first act, and three and a half years after the penultimate act, the final act of indie devs Cardboard Computer's point-and-click masterpiece Kentucky Route Zero will finally be released, alongside a console port of the entire game produced by Annapurna, on January 28th. But what is KRZ, exactly? The official description says "Kentucky Route Zero is a magical realist adventure game about a secret highway running through the caves beneath Kentucky, and the mysterious folks who travel it", but I'm also partial to fellow goon Oxxidation's expanded description: Oxxidation posted:It's a magical-realist point-and-click adventure that takes place over the course of a long night in rural Kentucky, as a down-and-out deliveryman attempts to deliver some furniture to an address that does not appear to exist in conventional space. In order to reach his destination he has to take the titular Route Zero, which cuts "beneath" the country (in more ways than one), and encounters a series of colorful characters and scenarios tied together by their financial and spiritual ruin. Using inspirations as diverse as Southern Gothic fiction, Nam June Paik video art, early text adventure games, David Lynch surrealism, mathematicians, Rene Magritte paintings, theatre set design, Robert Frost's poetry and so, so much more, Kentucky Route Zero tells an enigmatic, profound, and deeply sorrowful tale about debt, regrets, spirituality, capitalist vampirism, spaces, and android musicians.  The main story, told in five acts, is the aforementioned story of the deliveryman, Conway, and his struggles to navigate the Zero in order to make the final delivery for an antiques store that is closing imminently. He meets several other characters, primarily TV repairwoman Shannon Márquez, who form a motley crew to try and assist with completing the delivery, while everyone deals with their own haunted pasts and uncertain futures. Gameplay is typical for a point-and-click, where you move around and interact with objects and characters by clicking on the screen, but is fairly stripped-down, with no inventory or anything to speak of. The dialogue is all text-based and has branching paths. There is also an overworld where you can drive between locations and also explore to find hidden, optional areas or descriptions. This takes the place of both a regular map, for the sections set in regular Kentucky, and a dense, circular, icon and location-based "map" for navigating the Zero. As well as the main game, Cardboard Computer have released free interludes between each act, all of which vary drastically in style, and all of which will be included in the TV edition: - Limits and Demonstrations is about three characters exploring a visual art exhibition. - The Entertaiment features the player as a silent character during a theatrical production, able to look around at the audience, crew, set, and cast (it was originally developed for the OG Oculus Rift). - Here and There Along the Echo is an automated phone line with information on Act IV's primary location, featuring voice acting by Will Oldham (aka Bonnie "Prince" Billy). - Un Pueblo De Nada follows the broadcast of a strange public access news show during a thunderstorm. (this was also actually shot)  Even unfinished, this has been one of my favourite games of all time since I first played through the initial acts in 2014. The visuals, dialogue, and sound design are all some of the most effective I've ever seen in the medium, and the set pieces and story resonate with me very much. I'm obviously not the only one, as both Polygon and Paste Magazine listed it as one of their top five games of the 2010s, and there are a plethora of fantastic pieces of writing to find about it online. Kentucky Route Zero's official website The Consolidated Power Company (wiki and fulltext) A compilation of strong pieces of writing about KRZ Why Kentucky Route Zero is the most important game of the decade, on Polygon The first four acts of Kentucky Route Zero are available on Windows, Mac, and Linux now, with the final act, as well as PS4, Switch, and Xbone editions, coming out on January 28th. 
Escobarbarian fucked around with this message at 16:59 on Jan 26, 2020 |
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Jan 26, 2020 12:29
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I'm glad I waited to play this. People were recommending it in the Disco Elysium thread.
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Jan 26, 2020 12:45
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I completed the first episode way back in the day, and loved it so much I figured I'd wait until the whole series was out before continuing. And here we are. One amazing detail I want to lift out without spoiling anything is one of the coolest interactive storytelling mechanics I've ever seen. There will be situations in the game, where you'll get to decide what parts of the story mean. For instance, your character looks out of the window and sees a dog in the yard. "Who is that dog", the game asks, and presents you with some options like "'He's my dog.', 'He's my neighbour's dog' and 'I have no idea, I have never seen that dog before'" and whatever you choose will be the truth from there on out. It's hard to explain why it's so cool, but my mind was loving blown the first time it happened, and I've been trying to figure out how to write an academic paper on the topic ever since.
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Jan 26, 2020 16:30
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I want to rewatch the Lower Depths performance on Youtube but I also want to wait a couple of days and experience it live in the game again :/ That bit and the encounter with Xanadu are really the only parts I have strong memories of by now so I'm glad this is giving me an excuse to start over from the beginning.
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Jan 26, 2020 16:51
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Just starting Act 4 in my replay. I’ve been using the wiki (I edited it into OP) to find things I missed on my previous several playthroughs and wow there have been so many great moments that I never caught a whiff of before. There’s a lot of cool secrets in acts 2-3 especially, even if most of them are just cool text.
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Jan 26, 2020 17:02
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This is my favorite game ever, the one that showed me that games/interactive fiction are the most mysterious and compelling medium there is. It's a bittersweet feeling that it's gonna be over, because as infamous as KY0 was as this example of the pitfalls of the episodic model (and waiting has not been painless obviously), keeping track of the long development cycle has honestly added a lot to the experience for me. It's a slow-paced game about feeling lost and forgetting that plays into the long wait time in some ways, and following the project's ARGesque side content and announcements as they came has kept me so involved, just to see what kind of crazy thing the devs will do next. Very few games announcements have matched the excitement I had for hearing Act V's release date announced and NONE of them measure up to the fact that I heard it by waiting for a countdown from a telephone messaging system. I don't know what to be excited for once there's no more of this game left to anticipate, but I am happy to be playing the ending soon. e: worth mentioning its 30% on steam and itch.io for the next 24 hrs, if anyone hasn't got it yet and is curious abt it Flac fucked around with this message at 18:56 on Jan 26, 2020 |
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Jan 26, 2020 18:32
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I don’t know a single plot point or gameplay element about this game and I’m heavily anticipating playing through it start to end. All I know is that enough people have mentioned it in the same breath as Twin Peaks so I guess I’m there.
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Jan 27, 2020 11:40
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The soundtrack is phenomenal, and if you hear singing you might want to just sit back and let the song play out rather than progressing and cutting it off.
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Jan 27, 2020 20:50
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I thought I was having deja vu but it turns out someone made a thread for this a week ago and it died immediately. Appropriate, really
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Jan 27, 2020 21:01
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Oh really? I searched before I made this and found nothing.
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Jan 27, 2020 21:16
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https://twitter.com/a_i/status/1221892313892315136?s=21 On Discord they said PC will probably also be 9am Pacific
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Jan 27, 2020 22:06
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They took too long. Interest has moved on.
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Jan 27, 2020 23:22
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absolutely not, word of mouth in some circles is really strong for this one
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Jan 27, 2020 23:25
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It coming simultaneously to consoles has definitely helped bring it into new conversations too, have a few friends who are gonna check this out because it's coming to Switch. Lots of people are replaying to prep for it, but something to be said for just going in with my old save I haven't touched since 2016. Hoping to see how certain choices I made back then are reflected in Act V.
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Jan 28, 2020 05:07
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Paracelsus posted:The soundtrack is phenomenal, and if you hear singing you might want to just sit back and let the song play out rather than progressing and cutting it off. Man the number in Act III goddamn Flac posted:
I was gonna say that it feels like thinking that things will be extremely reactive is setting yourself up for disappointment based on how most choices are about reflecting on the characters rather than shaping outcomes... but I was looking at some synopses earlier and it turns out I completely missed a recurring NPC that appears in multiple acts because I didn't meet him the first time lol
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Jan 28, 2020 05:18
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CharlieFoxtrot posted:I was gonna say that it feels like thinking that things will be extremely reactive is setting yourself up for disappointment based on how most choices are about reflecting on the characters rather than shaping outcomes... but I was looking at some synopses earlier and it turns out I completely missed a recurring NPC that appears in multiple acts because I didn't meet him the first time lol There are bits you only see if you don't encounter him as well, so it's more of a road not taken than something missed out on.
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Jan 28, 2020 09:18
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This is out and playable on Xbox One and the EU PS4 store now, btw
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Jan 28, 2020 11:00
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I mean, I got this in the sale because it's been on my wishlist forever, but I also bought Hades so..... It's gonna be a while before I get to it, let's just put it that way.
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Jan 28, 2020 12:43
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Less than one hour for EST time...CharlieFoxtrot posted:I was gonna say that it feels like thinking that things will be extremely reactive is setting yourself up for disappointment based on how most choices are about reflecting on the characters rather than shaping outcomes... but I was looking at some synopses earlier and it turns out I completely missed a recurring NPC that appears in multiple acts because I didn't meet him the first time lol It's not so much to see what will be affected in Act V, but if certain decisions I made based on how I thought of the characters will be recalled. I don't remember every instance of what I did back in 2016, but as silly as it sounds, I'd like to see if I'll be reminded of how I thought about things back then through this game. Flac fucked around with this message at 17:13 on Jan 28, 2020 |
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Jan 28, 2020 17:03
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I am pretty strict about deleting save files after a while because usually I won't come back to the game or if I do it'll be on a new game. KR0 is the only save from that era still on my hard drive. I thought it would stay there, an abandoned relic of more optimistic time and it felt wrong to erase it. It's going to be weird
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Jan 28, 2020 18:21
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Finished the game today. The final act was surprising: it was definitely melancholic but also was surprisingly sweet and hopeful at the end. I was really hoping for more Conway, but I completely understand why his story was already over, and how he serves as an example of the kind of tragic end many of the characters decide they want to avoid by rebuilding the town. I really hope a lot more people check this out now. It’s so wonderful.
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Jan 28, 2020 21:37
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Cactus posted:They took too long. Interest has moved on. I’ve literally been waiting a decade to pick it all up at once.
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Jan 28, 2020 22:08
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 Lots of nice little things with the UI in this update. Act 5 is a solidly unexpected, and delightful ending to the game. And you play from the perspective of a cat so GOTY right there.
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Jan 28, 2020 22:41
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So that's Dogwood Drive. Got that furniture delivered. Finally saw sunlight. Feels like watching almost all of a rare forgotten movie, losing the tape, looking for it for years, and finally getting to see the ending.
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Jan 29, 2020 02:44
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About Act 5: There was definitely a general trend since Act 4 (even 3) towards being a story about many people over just Conway with some side stories from his friends, but I'm still surprised by how radical of a step this act was. It feels practically self-contained, more like a continuation of Un Pueblo De Nada with guest appearances from the main game's crew. And it's hard to fully explain but the town reminds me alot of the Museum of Dwellings, which was this place where people uncomfortably lived in this simulacrum of a community (I think I remember it was built on top a town that got flooded too hmmm). I think the juxtaposition between the two is intentional, the museum being a sanitized, detached vision of a community while the town is more "authentic" I guess, one with history and struggle. I definitely have to replay this game from the top, still fixing my thoughts on it. Also there's preorders for a lot of good stuff. Physical versions for Switch and PS4 and the soundtrack on vinyl, as well as for a mystery LP which I'm gonna guess and say it's that Junebug album that was teased way back. Flac fucked around with this message at 03:18 on Jan 29, 2020 |
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Jan 29, 2020 03:15
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There's something about how they mostly steered clear of the word "ghost" until Un Pueblo De Nada. Not able to quantify how this fits in Magic Realism as a larger tradition.
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Jan 29, 2020 04:07
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I was slightly disappointed by how short Act V felt, but since I hadn't played Act IV until now, it didn't feel like I waited years for just an epilogue. And I assume from the structure of Act IV that I've only seen half of what it has to offer. Also, Act V had an odd-ish mechanic where you have to wait around for conversations to finish to progress the plot - kinda like in The Entertainment. Are there any things that majorly alter plot progression throughout the episodes? I met Carrington a few times, but didn't show up for his actual play (Can you actually watch his play?) but it did unlock the post-act V mini-episode. What's the requirement to "finish" Here And There Along The Echo? Listen to every sound clip available? Not sure how much more snake advice I can take.
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Jan 29, 2020 06:23
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Escobarbarian posted:Finished the game today. The final act was surprising: it was definitely melancholic but also was surprisingly sweet and hopeful at the end. I was really hoping for more Conway, but I completely understand why his story was already over, and how he serves as an example of the kind of tragic end many of the characters decide they want to avoid by rebuilding the town. They don't have to rebuild, though. They can move on like the old town. ...Huh. Still processing things, but... feels a bit like the place was meant to be Conway's, if he'd made it. Old man, on his last job. Ready to settle somewhere. Only he didn't finish the trek to the promised land. A bit like Moses in that, I suppose. Wonder if it was on the dev's minds. Odd ending. Odd game. Good, though. And beautiful.
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Jan 29, 2020 06:32
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Act V: my heart That was a beautiful ending. I hope people don't feel too disappointed by the length, and I admit I was a bit surprised by the abruptness of it because all the other acts have been about meandering journeys -- but on reflection it is the kind of coda that this story needed and it doesn't need anything after. It's not like they charged for each "episode" and playing all the acts and interludes over the past week it all feels like one cohesive experience. I really appreciated how over the course of the story, it became a kind of collective journey and not just Conway's, which lets the final act breathe even without his immediate presence. And yet with the funeral framing his ghost lingers -- figuratively at least. I was also really surprised how there are all these bits and pieces of Emily throughout the entire story and they were -- not comic relief, but felt somewhat tangential -- and with Pueblo and Act V she ends up emerging as a character I felt strongly connected to.
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Jan 29, 2020 08:04
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I could have sworn this came out like 10 years ago.
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Jan 29, 2020 09:02
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Cuntellectual posted:I could have sworn this came out like 10 years ago. Chapter 1 came out 7 years ago, so... close.
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Jan 29, 2020 09:58
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I could have sworn I played it when there were only 2 chapters. Gotta play it again now!
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Jan 29, 2020 10:16
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Can't wait to finish this game, I've loved it since the very first act came out. I'm replaying it along with my partner so I can experience it fresh. It feels weird going through it again and thinking about where I was in my life as each chapter came out, and how the scene hit different now.
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Jan 29, 2020 15:11
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Cardboard Computer uploaded the stuff they made from the WEVP database, related to Un Pueblo de Nada, to Youtube. The evening broadcast that was linked in the OP is up, but so are the Aunt Connie PSAs which were a little more conspicuously hidden, despite providing some pretty important context. Here's the first one of the 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftUqPQIw0z4 I'm...kinda tempted to collect info and links for all the meta stuff the devs did related to the interludes and beyond into one post, because it is loving wild how much stuff CC has done for the game OUTSIDE of the game, easily missable due to the years of production and out-of-the-wayness of it all. But it fits with KY0 as a game having so many variables and events that are practically designed to not be noticed, I suppose.
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Jan 29, 2020 20:10
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I started wondering about the timeline of things, specifically all of the Emily, Ben, and Bob moments especially since Conway was interacting (or not-interacting) with them, the Limits and Demonstrations interlude, etc. because I got the sense that those things were in the past but then the last act has it in the present? But then I just went with it because magical realism
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Jan 29, 2020 20:24
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https://www.polygon.com/guides/2020/1/28/21087151/kentucky-route-zero-how-to-unlock-intermission-act-5-death-of-a-hired-man Does anyone know how to unlock the final intermission? I tried following the steps in the link above, but it doesn't work....
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Jan 29, 2020 21:14
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Here is everything you can do with Carrington, I don’t know how much of it you need to do to unlock the final act though cos I had it all done already: • In Act I, go back to Equus Oils before heading to Elkhorn Mine. That’s where you talk to him for the first time. • In Act II, return to the Bureau of Reclaimed Spaces before you visit the Self-Storage. There, you can suggest one of three locations to him. • In Act III, visit the location you recommended to him in Act II.
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Jan 29, 2020 21:23
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I just played normally (which did make me meet Carrington the three requisite times in my case) two weeks ago and finished the game yesterday. Well, if the polygon guide didn't work, now you have an excuse to replay through the whole thing and test other choices.
Chev fucked around with this message at 21:43 on Jan 29, 2020 |
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Jan 29, 2020 21:34
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Escobarbarian posted:Here is everything you can do with Carrington, I don’t know how much of it you need to do to unlock the final act though cos I had it all done already: I could have sworn I did all those things already, but I think I might have lost my save somewhere along the way. Well, I was planning to replay the whole game from scratch anyway, so I guess I will make it there eventually. What is the intermission like?
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Jan 29, 2020 21:39
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SimonChris posted:What is the intermission like?
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Jan 29, 2020 21:43
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