Kentucky Route Zero
| Kentucky Route Zero | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio | Cardboard computer | ||
| Publisher | Cardboard Computer Annapurna Interactive |
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| Senior Developer | Jake Elliott Tamas Kemenczy |
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| composer | Ben Babbitt | ||
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
Act I: January 7, 2013 Act II: May 31, 2013 Act III: May 6, 2014 Act IV: July 19, 2016 Act V: January 28, 2020 TV Edition: January 28, 2020 |
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| platform | Microsoft Windows , macOS , Linux , Xbox One , PlayStation 4 , Nintendo Switch | ||
| Game engine | Unity | ||
| genre | Point-and-click adventure | ||
| Subject |
Magical realism Southern Gothic |
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| Game mode | Single player | ||
| control | Mouse , keyboard , gamepad | ||
| medium | Download | ||
| language | English | ||
| Age rating |
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Kentucky Route Zero is an episodic indie - point-and-click adventure which in a magical reality plays. It was developed by Jake Elliott and Tamas Kemenczy (Cardboard Computer). In order to finance the development, which was initially estimated at 6,500 US dollars (5,443.9 euros; 5,865.2 Swiss francs), both started a crowdfunding campaign on January 7, 2011via Kickstarter , which raised a total of 8,583 US dollars (7,188.4 Euros; 7,744.8 Swiss francs). A first trailer was released on October 17, 2012. The game is split into five acts and is about the van driver Conway and the mysterious people he meets while trying to find the fictional Route Zero to deliver a package.
The first act was released on January 7, 2013 on the official website and on Steam . The second act was published on May 31st. Almost a year later, on May 6th, 2014, Act III was published. Act IV only appeared more than two years after Act III, on July 19, 2016. The fifth and final act was published on January 28, 2020. At the same time, the TV edition ported by Annapurna Interactive was released for PlayStation 4 , Xbox One and Nintendo Switch , which includes all parts.
Gameplay
Kentucky Route Zero is a point-and-click game and has text-based dialogues. There are no puzzles or challenges as the main focus of the game is on the story and atmosphere. The player controls Conway with the mouse to move him to another location or to interact with other characters or objects. The player can also choose between different answer alternatives in the dialogues. In the first act, if Conway is finished in one place, you can drive his truck to another place. The player is shown a map on which Interstate 65 , as well as other streets and places can be found, to which he has to navigate, depending on the instructions. Kentucky Route Zero is divided into five episodes, called Acts in the game . The free mini-episode Limits & Demonstrations appeared between the first and the second act and The Entertainment after the second act . The third mini-episode Here and There Along the Echo was released on October 30, 2014. The fourth and final mini-episode was released on January 25, 2018 under the title Un Pueblo de Nada .
action
Conway, a truck driver , works as a delivery agent for an antique shop owned by a woman named Lysette. She hires him to deliver a delivery to 5 Dogwood Drive. Conway travels through Kentucky with his boss's dog (Homer, Blue, or no name at all, depending on your choice) to find the address. He stops at the old, dark Equus Oils petrol station to ask for directions.
first act
Conway arrives at the Equus Oils gas station and meets an old man, the owner of the station, named Joseph. He informs Conway that the only way to Dogwood Drive is via the mysterious Route Zero, and asks him to repair the circuit breaker at the gas station in order to find the way with the computer. Conway goes to the basement of the station and meets three people who are playing a strange game at a table, but completely ignoring him. He finds her lost cube, but the players have suddenly disappeared, clearing the way for the electricity to be restored. When he asks Joseph about the strange people, Joseph suspects that Conway may have had a hallucination . Conway uses the computer to get directions to the Marquez farm. On this he wants to speak to Weaver Marquez, who knows the streets better than the gas station attendant. Before Conway leaves, Joseph loads an old television set on the truck to bring it to Weaver. Conway drives to Marquez's house and meets Weaver there. She asks Conway a few questions and he asks for directions on how to navigate Route Zero, but he has to connect the television first. As he looks at the screen, he sees a vision of an extraordinary farm and passes out. When he wakes up again, Weaver informs him that her cousin Shannon is fixing televisions. She gives him directions to Route Zero and suddenly disappears.
When Conway arrives at the location, he discovers that it is an abandoned mine shaft . He meets Shannon Marquez, who is looking for something in the mines. Conway decides to help Shannon and together they both go deeper into the mine. To do this, they use a public address system to measure the exact depth. Unfortunately, the sound waves cause a collapse. Conway's leg is injured and Shannon uses a trolley to get out of the shaft with Conway. If the pocket light is turned off while driving, ghostly visions of miners wandering around can be seen. Before they both leave the mine, Shannon leaves Conway alone and goes a little further down the mine shaft. There she discovers a pile of miner's helmets. Shannon then comes back quickly, but tells Conway nothing about her find. Both drive to Shannon's workshop and then back to Marquez's farm. There Shannon reveals that the Marquez family's loan debt caused Weaver to flee. When Shannon tries to fix the old TV, Conway looks back inside. This time the image of the farm begins to distort and leads to the opening of Route Zero. This ends the first act.
Second act
The second act begins with an introduction in which Lulu Chamberlain (a fictional installation artist whose work can be seen in the Limits & Demonstrations section of Kentucky Route Zero's additional content ) receives a letter of rejection from the Gaston Trust for Imagined Architecture. After reading the message, Chamberlain goes through a series of proposals for restructuring places apart from their current function, such as changing from a basketball court to a dog breeding station.
After this introduction, the focus of the story returns to Conway, Shannon and the dog with the chosen name of the respective player. You arrive at a five-story building that is home to the Bureau of Reclaimed Spaces. At the front desk they are told that they will only receive directions to Dogwood Drive if they receive a notice of admission from the office. The receptionist suggests they see Lulu Chamberlain, who is currently the office manager. After a series of bureaucratic detours, the three Chamberlain manage to meet. You learn that the office building is a converted cathedral. In fact, the architecture of the building is very reminiscent of the Neviges pilgrimage cathedral designed by Gottfried Böhm , and you also come across an office worker named Böhm. Finally, Lulu explains that the directions to Dogwood Drive are in another storage facility that the parish has now moved to. In addition, she advises Conway, because of his injured leg, to see Doctor Truman. At the repository, Conway chats with the building's caretaker about hobbies and hears a recording of a sermon on the virtue of hard work. Meanwhile, Shannon finds the file they're looking for. As they leave the building, Conway collapses from his injury, and Shannon decides that the top priority is finding Doctor Truman for treatment.
Upon returning to the office, the receptionist tells that Doctor Truman can be found in the Museum of Dwellings. The group exits Route Zero and returns to Route 65. While searching the museum, they come across a boy named Ezra. He tells them that the doctor now lives in the forest and offers them to fly there with his huge eagle Julian. The group accepts his offer. After walking through the strangely illusory forest, they find Doctor Truman's house. Doctor Truman explains to Conway that his injury is serious but treatable. He prescribes him an anesthetic called NeurypnolTM. The second act ends with Conway losing consciousness from the drug and the walls of the house pulling back in a vision to reveal the forest behind.
Third act
The third act of Kentucky Route Zero begins with a dream of a past conversation between Conway and Lysette, his boss. They both remember a tragic event with Charlie, Lysette's son. Lysette informs Conway of a new delivery that must be made, which will also be the last for Lysette's antique shop. Conway wakes up from sleep caused by Dr. NeurypnolTM drug. Truman fell. It's in the doctor's house. When Conway looks down at himself, he sees that his injured leg has been exchanged for a strange skeletal limb that glows yellow. After returning to the Museum of Dwellings, which is closed at night, Conway, Shannon and Ezra continue to search for Lula Chamberlain in Conway's car. A little later, the truck's engine fails. While Shannon calls a tow truck, the musicians Johnny and Junebug pass them on a motorcycle team. After a short discussion they decide to help the group and get their truck running again. In return, have them follow them to Lower Depths Bar to see their performance. Together they travel to the bar and Harry, the bartender, gives them directions back to Route Zero. After the performance, Johnny and Junebug decide to continue with Conway, Shannon and Ezra on their journey.
On the way to Route Zero, the group passes a large cave with a rock needle , the "Hall of the Mountain King". There you will find different types of old-fashioned electronics, some intact, defective or burning. They meet an older man named Donald who seems to have completely focused on a large computer project. This " mold computer" increases its performance by using black mold that grows in it. The extensive simulation software "Xanadu" runs on the computer, an obvious reference to Project Xanadu . Donald claims that Lula, just like him, is one of the designers of Xanadu and that she left some time ago. However, there is a way to find it with Xanadu. The program does not seem to work correctly, however, since according to Donald the so-called strangers have committed sabotage on the machine. The group must travel to the place where the strangers come from and ask for their help. Conway and Shannon travel to the strangers, off the screen, and return to the Hall of the Mountain King to fix Xanadu, and track Lula. With Donald's help, Lula finds the route to Dogwood Drive and asks the group to Conway to meet her at the Bureau of Reclaimed Spaces.
After arriving at the office, Conway receives directions from Lula, which begins with a ferry ride on the river at the office. While the group waits for the ferry, Conway explains what happened during the conversation with the strangers. He and Shannon took a hidden elevator to an underground whiskey factory run by strange, blurry, glowing skeletons, much like Conway's new leg. At the factory, Conway is mistakenly mistaken for a new truck driver and pressured into drinking a very expensive whiskey. As a result, he is forced to work as a delivery driver for the strangers in order to pay off the drink. The third act ends with the arrival of the ferry, on which a woolly mammoth is apparently sitting.
Fourth act
The fourth act takes place on and around the Mucky-mammoth tug ferry takes around while she is traveling the underground river, which is known as The Echo. Conway, Shannon, Ezra, Johnny and Junebug travel downstream on the Echo with boat captain Cate, their assistant Will, and a passenger named Clara who plays the theremin . They make several short stops along the way - at a floating gas station, a tiki bar called Rum Colony, a waterfront phone booth, a psychological research facility called the Radvansky Center, and a cypress-covered island rich in edible mushrooms. Cate has to deliver a package to a switchboard that is in a flooded train tunnel, but the tugboat cannot pass through the area without disrupting a bat sanctuary, so Conway and Shannon agree to take a dinghy to reach the operator station. You will drive past a memorial to the disaster in the Elkhorn mine and then through the bat sanctuary. Conway, who has been drinking and whose behavior has become increasingly unpredictable, sees a boat full of glowing skeletons, similar to those in the whiskey distillery, and notices that he has seen them repeatedly on the river cruise. He tells Shannon he wants to take the distillery job and give her his van; she is troubled by his plan. Shannon delivers the package to Poppy, the only remaining exchange operator, and when she turns to get back into the dinghy, she finds that Conway has completely transformed into a skeleton and climbed onto a skiff with two other skeletons. He leaves with them.
Shannon continues down the river alone on the dinghy and meets with the rest of the Mucky Mammoth passengers and the crew at Sam & Ida's, a seafood restaurant. They eat and chat with the owners, then go to a houseboat area where Clara is giving a performance on the theremin. Your final stop is the Silo of Late Reflections, where Shannon, Clara, Johnny, Junebug and Ezra all get off and unload Conway's trucks. There is no clear way to get the truck from the silo to the surface; however, Shannon decides to keep trying to get Conway's delivery to Dogwood Drive.
Fifth act
Act five begins after Shannon and her fellow travelers haul the entire contents of Conway's truck to the top of the Silo of Final Reflections, which turns out to be a well in the middle of a mound in a small town. This town is located on Dogwood Drive, and much of the town was inundated by a flash flood that occurred while the characters were traveling underground on Route Zero and the Echo River. Travelers meet and chat with residents of this city, learn about their history and landmarks, including a cemetery, library, waffle restaurant, airport hangar and runway, and a public television station. Both travelers and residents are weighing whether to try to stay and rebuild the community or leave town in the hope of a better life. One of the residents, Ron, is digging a grave to bury "The Neighbors," two horses that were an integral part of city life and who died in the flood. An impromptu ceremony takes place in honor of the horses; the city resident Nikki reads a poem and Emily sings the song I'm Going That Way.
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Jake Elliott (2009)
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Tamas Kemenczy (2009)
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The development time of the first act was about two and a half years. Elliott and Kemenczy came up with the concept of the game because they both have family and friends in Kentucky and spend a lot of time there. Kentucky Route Zero is based on the Unity game engine. The animations were realized with the help of Blender and Ableton Live was used for the sound design . The music comes from the composer Ben Babbitt. There is also a song by The Bedquilt Ramblers. Kemenczy was mainly responsible for the design and Elliott wrote the plot. One of the main influences on the game was the works of David Lynch .
reception
| source | rating |
|---|---|
| Act I. | |
| Metacritic | |
| critic | 81 out of 100 |
| audience | 7.4 out of 10 |
| IGN | 8.3 out of 10 |
| 4players | 7.5 out of 10 |
| Act II | |
| Metacritic | |
| critic | 82 out of 100 |
| audience | 7.5 out of 10 |
| IGN | 9.1 out of 10 |
| Act III | |
| Metacritic | |
| critic | 91 of 100 |
| audience | 6.6 out of 10 |
| Act IV | |
| Metacritic | |
| critic | 90 out of 100 |
| audience | 6.2 out of 10 |
The first act of Kentucky Route Zero was consistently well received, earning 81 out of 100 possible points on Metacritic . The unique graphics and the atmosphere it conveyed became special. The short playing time and the relatively few opportunities for interaction and locations were somewhat criticized.
"The best moments arise when you stop to let it all sink in. It asks for attention rather than reflexes, and serves as a reminder that so few of these experiences exist."
“The best moments arise when you let everything affect you. It demands attention rather than reflexes and serves as a reminder that so few such experiences exist. "
“As far as a first episode goes, Kentucky Route Zero establishes the setting, tone and characters better than I could have expected. I love that I'm still thinking about what exactly happened to Conway and company, and that intrigue has left me longing for the next piece of the tale. "
“As for the first episode, Kentucky Route Zero sets up the environment, sound, and characters better than I thought. I love that I am still thinking about what exactly happened to Conway and the others, and this fascination makes me longingly waiting for the next part of the story. "
“What starts with a little riddle like a classic point & click quickly turns into a surreal reading trip for friends of the paradox. I am not yet able to make sense of this unreal, far too short trip. But something is lurking outside of reality for Conway and his old dog. And that makes me curious. "
Awards and nominations
| Award | category | Nominees & Award Winners | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independent Games Festival 2013 | Excellence in Visual Art | Act I. | Won |
| Seumas McNally Grand Prize | Act I. | Nominated | |
| Excellence in audio | Act I. | ||
| Excellence in Narrative | Act I. | ||
| IndieCade 2013 | Story & World Design | Act I. | Won |
| Visual design | Act I. | ||
| Rock, Paper, Shotgun Awards 2013 | Game of the Year | Act I. | Won |
| Game Developers Choice Awards 2015 | Best Narrative | Act III | Won |
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Mike Rose: Road to the IGF: Cardboard Computer's Kentucky Route Zero. In: Gamasutra . UBM Tech, January 29, 2013, accessed March 23, 2013 .
- ↑ Jake Elliott: Kentucky Route Zero, a magic realist adventure game. In: Kickstarter . Kickstarter, Inc., January 7, 2011, accessed March 23, 2013 .
- ↑ Kentucky Route Zero (IGF Trailer). (Video) In: YouTube . Google Inc. , October 17, 2012, accessed March 23, 2013 .
- ↑ Jake Elliott: Just updated KRZ to Act 2 on Steam! Twitter , May 31, 2013, accessed June 1, 2013 .
- ↑ Kentucky Route Zero, Act III is available now! Cardboard Computer, May 6, 2014, accessed May 6, 2014 .
- ↑ Jake Elliott, Tamas Kemenczy, Ben Babbitt: Act IV Available Now! Cardboard Computer, July 19, 2016, accessed July 19, 2016 .
- ↑ Jon Porter: Kentucky Route Zero's fifth and final act arrives on January 28th. In: The Verge . Vox Media , January 7, 2020, accessed on January 28, 2020 .
- ↑ Andrey Yelbayev: Kentucky Route Zero - Mysterious narrative by Cardboard Computer. In: Creative Applications Network. CreativeApplications.Net, January 21, 2013, accessed March 23, 2013 .
- ↑ Limits & Demonstrations. Cardboard Computer, accessed November 23, 2013 .
- ^ The Entertainment. Cardboard Computer, accessed November 23, 2013 .
- ↑ Here And There Along The Echo. Cardboard Computer, October 30, 2014, accessed October 30, 2014 .
- ↑ Laura Hudson: Spend the night in a haunted TV station in this strange, lovely game. In: The Verge . Vox Media , January 25, 2018, accessed September 19, 2018 .
- ↑ Daniel Russart: Limits & demonstration. In: Superlevel. May 24, 2013, accessed June 3, 2013 .
- ↑ Jeffrey Matulef: Free Kentucky Route Zero spin-off Limits & Demonstrations is available now. In: Eurogamer . Gamer Network, February 12, 2013, accessed June 3, 2013 .
- ↑ Ben Babbitt: Kentucky Route Zero-Act One. In: Bandcamp . January 27, 2013, accessed March 24, 2013 .
- ↑ KentuckyRouteZero.com: The Music of Kentucky Route Zero. Retrieved August 15, 2020 .
- ^ Jake Elliott, writer and designer of Kentucky Route Zero. In: The Gamelogical Society. January 22, 2013, accessed March 23, 2013 .
- ↑ a b c Kentucky Route Zero - Act I. In: Metacritic . CBS Interactive, accessed January 28, 2020 .
- ^ A b Anthony Gallegos: Kentucky Road Zero Episode One Review. In: IGN . Ziff Davis , January 11, 2013, accessed March 23, 2013 .
- ↑ a b Jörg Luibl: Kentucky Road Zero Episode One Review. In: 4Players . Computec Media Group , January 23, 2013, accessed March 23, 2013 .
- ↑ a b Kentucky Route Zero - Act II. In: Metacritic . CBS Interactive, accessed January 28, 2020 .
- ↑ Marty Sliva: Kentucky Route Zero: Act II Review. In: IGN . Ziff Davis , July 9, 2013, accessed July 28, 2013 .
- ↑ a b Kentucky Route Zero - Act III. In: Metacritic . CBS Interactive, accessed January 28, 2020 .
- ↑ a b Kentucky Route Zero - Act IV. In: Metacritic . CBS Interactive, accessed January 28, 2020 .
- ↑ Ben Moore: Kentucky Route Zero Review. In: GameTrailers . Viacom , March 20, 2013, accessed March 23, 2013 .
- ↑ 2013 Independent Games Festival Finalists. In: Independent Games Festival . UBM Tech, accessed March 29, 2013 .
- ↑ Indiecade.com: Grand Jury Award ( Memento from June 30, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ The Amazing & Astonishing RPS Advent Calendar: Day 24. In: Rock, Paper, Shotgun . Rock Paper Shotgun Ltd., accessed July 25, 2016 .
- ↑ 15th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards. In: Game Developers Choice Awards . UBM Tech, accessed July 25, 2016 .
Web links
- Official website (English)
- Official Website of Cardboard Computer (English)
- Article about the background and artistic inspirations of the first act , second act and third act by Magnus Hildebrandt at Superlevel