Kentucky Route Zero: The Complete Season
- January 28, 2020
- Cardboard Computer
A magical adventure almost a decade in the making, Kentucky Route Zero is every bit as good as you’ve heard—and maybe more.
At twilight in Kentucky, as bird songs give way to the choir of frogs and insects, familiar roads become strange, and it's easy to get lost. Those who are already lost may find their way to a secret highway winding through underground caves. The people who live and work along this highway are themselves a little strange at first, but soon seem familiar: the aging driver making the last delivery fo…
Nintendo Switch
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- Kentucky Route Zero features a captivating narrative with deep, relatable characters and a unique magical realism setting.
- The game boasts stunning artwork, detailed animations, and a masterful grasp of atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
- Each act introduces new perspectives and locations, creating a rich and memorable journey that encourages reflection.
- Controls can be finicky and occasionally lead to frustrating navigation, particularly in 3D areas.
- The pacing can be slow, with some scenes dragging on or feeling padded, which may detract from immersion.
- The story's complexity and dense metaphor can be confusing, making it difficult for some players to fully engage with the narrative.
- story11 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 9 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The story of Kentucky Route Zero is widely praised for its unique and compelling narrative, rich themes, and innovative storytelling techniques, creating a surreal and thought-provoking experience. While some players note that certain sections can feel lengthy or drag on, the overall atmosphere and character development leave a lasting impression. The game's minimalist art style and effective use of sound further enhance its powerful narrative, though the dense world-building may occasionally obscure plot threads.
“Kentucky Route Zero is a masterful piece of interactive storytelling.”
“A compelling story about rural America that is both surreal and thoughtful, if a little disorienting.”
“Kentucky Route Zero is a fascinating story with a thick atmosphere and themes which will leave you thinking long after playing each act.”
“Some parts can be a bit boring or drag on too long; while options are there, the story still leads into itself.”
“The story takes a bit to build up; lengthy bits of text at certain points can break the immersion.”
“Major and minor plot threads can sometimes get lost in the dense world-building, and there's no way to replay previous scenes, making trying out alternative choices a slow process.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in the game is masterfully crafted, featuring stunning art design and a surreal setting that enhances its thought-provoking narrative. Players are drawn into a rich world filled with deep, memorable characters and intriguing elements, such as whimsical locations like a floor filled with bears, which contribute to its unique charm. Overall, the game's atmosphere leaves a lasting impression, encouraging reflection long after the experience.
“Kentucky Route Zero is a fascinating story with a thick atmosphere and themes which will leave you thinking long after playing each act.”
“A masterful grasp on atmosphere and art design, a thought-provoking narrative with extremely well-written characters and dialogue.”
“Thick atmosphere, intriguing surreal setting, deep, memorable characters.”
- graphics3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are praised for their richly detailed and beautifully crafted artwork, featuring a breathtaking minimalist style that enhances the surrealistic tone. The animations are noted for their quality, and the integration of sound and music effectively complements the visual experience, contributing to a powerful narrative. Overall, the game's visuals are described as uniformly excellent, making it a standout on the Switch platform.
“A richly detailed, beautifully written point-and-click adventure with an amazing cast of characters and bizarre and wonderful locations to explore. The uniformly excellent artwork, detailed animations, and top-notch music perform perfectly on the Switch, with some neat extras to boot.”
“The graphics evoke a surrealistic tone that makes you think, for better or worse.”
“The breathtaking minimalist art style, combined with the deeply effective use of diegetic sound and music, creates a powerful and contemplative narrative told using unique storytelling tools.”
“The graphics evoke a surrealistic tone, making you think, for better or worse.”
“The visuals are outdated and lack the detail expected from modern games.”
“Character models look flat and lifeless, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- music2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is praised for its top-notch quality and effectiveness, enhancing the overall experience with a powerful and contemplative narrative. The use of diegetic sound adds depth to the minimalist art style, contributing to the emotional impact of the storytelling.
“The use of diegetic sound and music is deeply effective, enhancing the overall experience.”
“The music is top-notch, perfectly complementing the richly detailed and beautifully written adventure.”
“The powerful and contemplative narrative is elevated by the unique storytelling tools and the impactful music.”
- gameplay1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The gameplay has been criticized for its lack of depth, featuring excessive padding and poor navigation mechanics, particularly when transitioning between 3D environments in a 2D format.
“Lacks much in terms of gameplay; there's a lot of padding, and navigating 3D areas in a 2D format is never good.”
“The gameplay feels repetitive and uninspired, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“Controls are clunky and unresponsive, which detracts from the overall experience.”
Critic Reviews
The game that defined (and was defined by) a decade
A magical adventure almost a decade in the making, Kentucky Route Zero is every bit as good as you’ve heard—and maybe more.
100%Kentucky Route Zero (Switch) Review
Road trips on strange roads to strange places.
95%Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition Review
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.
90%
