Kentucky Route Zero Review: a rough road trip about stops along the way

If I think Kentucky Route Zero, I think back to an unexpected barn.

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Back in 2016, my wife and I traveled around Iceland for snow.

Our plan was to drive the Road Road, which is an 800 mile stretch around the island countryside. Each day we finish off some of the traffic in our rented car, spending the night at a guesthouse or Airbnb.

Iceland, as you know, is very beautiful. Its plains, “recently” formed by volcanic eruptions, vary from flowing green valleys to light-filled waterfalls astronomers originally trained there before the arrival of Apollo for a month. I remember feeling a deep desire to get across the road whenever we rounded a hole, a guarantee that the magnificent view ahead of us would never be rewarded. Anyway I've been proven wrong, time and time again, another mile down the road.

At a certain point, it became clear that we would have to be responsible for something we found, as we were on the timeline and 800 miles away. We had more choices about our position.

One of the longest single lanes was between the small towns of Vik and Höfn, in just over three hours. We could not find a place to stay between the two towns, so we decided to cross that road, even though it was getting dark. We agreed to keep the barracks small at that time, but about halfway through, we needed a shower break.

With no petrol stations or miles of restaurants, we were devastated. But then we saw a long road leading to a dusty hilltop set up in the mountains of some black valleys. At the departure door, there was one small sign. “Music,” he read. Of course, where there is Music, there is also a bathroom

We took it a bit over the unpaved driveway, our junk rental fighting hard to keep up the art as the rocks dragged in and out. Pack it in front of the crib and go out. It was be quiet

. Just a whistle of air rushing across the side. No other passengers, no other people, and certainly no Music. But the door to the kraal is open. Internal: either help or guaranteed execution.

When our eyes became accustomed to the light, we found one bearded man, standing in the lounge, in a place that had been turned into a music venue. He was 30, painted on the body and on the rope, doing the things that management did when the place was empty: cleaning the glass, clearing the bar. He seemed to be very happy to be with his friends.

"Welcome! Are you hungry?" He asked. My wife apologized when I made a small speech.

There were ten small tables in the range, and the stage was built with toys. The bartender said the place hosts weekly bells in the summer, and asked me if I wanted to try one of its feral dogs. (Icelanders, as it turns out, are very proud of their hot dogs.) I agreed as my wife returned. We sat with the bartender, asking the usual questions of travelers. He told us about the way he played the drums and the guitar, but he couldn't sing the lick. We soon headed back to the tranquility of the area while chatting about a beautiful hot dog knife.

Then back on our way to Höfn.

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Kentucky Route Zero is a narrative play about travel, but it is also about debt, academic, fortitude, alcohol, and happiness. At first, there was a truck driver at the gas station trying to find the address (5 Dogwood Dray). The game uses a roll of text, much like what you see in the old click-and-click games of the 90s. It's very playful from a teasing point of view, allowing me to go explore things or talk to different people. According to Conway, the driver, I check my truck with a nearby dog ​​(“An old hound wearing a straw hat. Both have seen better days.”)

I spoke to a gas station attendant, who asked what the dog's name was. I was presented with three options:

• "His name is Homer."
• "His name is Blue."
• “Just another dog. I don't know his name. ”

These are the types of communication that exist throughout Kentucky Route Zero. The game has a story to tell, but as a player I can say moments to give this story a personal touch. These options won't have much effect on how the events of the game change, but they may allow me to learn something new about a particular character. In the case of a dog, his name will remain the same throughout the journey, depending on my choice.

I can't do anything at the gas station and just stop for a few minutes. The curtains are heard from the distance as the sun begins to fall over the nearby hill. At some point the car will move in the car, the asphalt riding noise in the pump lane slowly fades away. Kentucky Route Zero

it is filled with scenes like this, handmade to create silent meditation, like a breeze passing the stage.

Some of them are as familiar as a quiet gas station at sunset, but others are strange: a museum showing abandoned houses, a battlefield full of cats, or a pastoral office of quiet, hard-working bears. The how-to-be-here vibe makes each new road trip exciting and exciting. And at each place, there's a new person to talk to, who understands.

That's interesting Kentucky Route Zero it is not a game in the traditional sense. No puzzles to solve, or doors to unlock with private keys. The hardest challenges to ever throw at you have to do with road conditions and nothing else. The closest analog could be a high-quality visual novel, with minimal interaction embedded in the fine arts.

Without any traditional "challenge," you are left to reveal the way of this world and its people. The strange otherworldeness – D&D ghosts – playing with bluegrass omnipresent bands – has never been fully explained. It's not often that I give a clear answer as to what happened, or why, even after trying to get into these issues. People on this planet seem to guess what it means, as I am.

However, with the exception of the unconventional atmosphere, the health conditions of these individuals are re-aligned. An office worker dreams of earning money to support his artistic endeavors. The baby works with her parents leaving her. Couples fight under the weight of crushing debt. The governing company is destroying local communities and businesses to raise more wealth.

These themes only become darker and more amusing as the journey progresses, but there is also energy Kentucky Route Zero that prevents the feeling from becoming a full concentration room. I meet people who are able to keep up with the hardships of grief, finding happiness in small things.

There is a rocker duo, Junibug and Johnny, who just want to play their music, even if it's a terrible drag. They stumbled upon Conway and a small group of friends who joined his quest to find 5 Dogwood Drive. The duo is very happy to have a potential audience – so happy that the musicians agreed to fix Conway's wrecked truck so the group of players could sit and listen to them play.

By this time, the story has turned dark a few times and Conway's departure looks like it will be eliminated by a second one. While a large part of the game is almost silent, maintaining the existing sounds, it will occasionally sink into the accompaniment of music, such as Junebug and Johnny's electric guitar. The couple plays a dreamy song as the roof lifts the dive line and stars emerge.

These moments go hand in hand with global peace, bringing about an emotional sequence that elevates the spirits not only of the characters, but of myself as well. I can't help but shed a tear. I think back to the kraal.

While the traditional formatting of clicks and clicks it makes a lot of sense Kentucky Route Zero, solid parts of the game exist as transfers violate key issues. This sequence focuses on isolated characters and themes that will eventually matter in the main story, but by the time you encounter them, they seem completely disconnected from what is happening now.

In one of the artistic hobbies is one of the characters in the game. Other play is a stage where you can follow multiple paths (actors, director, viewers) at the same time. The rest happens from the perspective of the manufacturer of the communication system and access to the local cable cable. You can also get one of them by calling the number: 270-301-5797.

This addition works because they are taking existing formats in our real world and twisting them to match the amazing tone. Kentucky Route Zero.

On its face, Kentucky Route Zero It seems like a myth. The game begins; I was given a clear purpose; I'll see this. Along the way, I meet people who can help me in this quest. But the fact is that demand is not the point. For people, the world, it is the journey itself that makes the whole game spectacular.

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A complete program of Kentucky Route Zero will be released Jan. 28 on Linux, Mac, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows PC, and Xbox One. The game was updated on Nintendo Switch using the last "sales" code provided by Annapurna Interactive. You can find more details about Polygon's ethics policy here.