Kentucky Route Zero: PC Edition

I got this in a Humble Bundle a long time ago, but I waited until all the episodes were released before I bothered trying it. (Silly me, liking finished products 'n' all.) Having now given it a go (on Steam), I can safely say that letting a couple of months (or years) pass between each chapter is the right way to play it. I tried to do it all at once, and I was bored stiff halfway through. If you play each chapter one at a time, you'll probably have a series of lovely, surreal set pieces with a central narrative based around the theme of entropy, little boxes of pretty toys to fiddle with while waiting for the next chapter (however long that may have taken). If you try to play it all at once, you'll get a slow, meandering, *humorless* story that doesn't seem like it even *wants* to go anywhere (and, seeing as the main theme is entropy, that may be the point, but that doesn't mean everyone will enjoy it). Actual gameplay is minimal: it's a point-and-click that's very light on puzzles. The object of the narrative is to funnel you through the set pieces (which are lovely but, like everything else in this game, completely static). I feel like KRZ really would have shined if it had been in first-person, but it's in third-person and those people are very far away figuratively and literally. (The "characters" look and act like cardboard cutouts.) I hate reviews where the author's points all boil down to "this isn't a completely different game"; I believe each title should be judged on its own merits. But I can't help thinking of The Stanley Parable and how that game nailed unconventional narrative and surreality without sinking into the depths of rigidity and self-seriousness that KRZ has made a home. But, then again, maybe it's me: I tried to play it all at once, and it's clear that most of its fans had to wait. So I would say to give each chapter some breathing room; you may enjoy it more than I did. My three stars are for the superb soundtrack and art design.

tl;dr: initially intriguing, quickly turns into a boring slog. Detailed grievances: Three stars is a little charitable considering how sick I was of this game by the end, but it feels wrong to give less than that for a work (game/novel/film/album) that is technically competent, bears clear marks of effort and, especially relevant to games, works reliably. I approached the game with certain expectations, having the game recommended by several people and "content creators" as exceptional artistically and narratively. I enjoyed some of their earlier recommendations (including The Stanley Parable and What Remains of Edith Finch). Some terms kept being brought up in regards to this game, such as magical realism, Americana and the theme of entropy, but I didn't consider any of it to be warning flags. What I found certainly had a clear and consistent art-style and was initially intriguing, but any enthusiasm was gradually worn down through sheer relentless boredom. The glacial pacing, combined with the permanent night aesthetic of all but the final episode, meant I had to take frequent breaks to stave off literal sleep (granted, I mostly played the game late in the evening, but I never nod off playing anything else) and stall for weeks in between some of the later episodes just to force myself to finish the game. I found it particularly annoying how much of the narrative/writing is dedicated to disjointed stories of people and places that the game vomits at you at the slightest provocation or behind which the game hides story progress. Act IV was particularly painful in that respect, nearly all of this the longest of episodes being frankly pointless in terms of the overt main plot. It seemed to be little more than a gallery of quirky or melancholy anecdotes and vignettes. It made me question whether my misery with the game was my own fault. Am I to blame for being a dilettante who let games and modern life erode his patience and attention span?

The best way to describe what it's like to play KR0 is to say that it's like watching a choose-your-own-adventure play, but you read all the dialogue. There's lots of reading involved, but it is worth it. What I liked: -beautiful art, aesthetic. Every frame in this game would make a good wallpaper. -strong story, interesting characters -choices. You control the dialogue, without really taking the place of any one character. You direct this play. What I didn't like: -it only saves at the beginning of each scene, so don't exit half way through one, but scenes are short, so this isn't a big issue Other thoughts: -If you don't like reading everything (and I mean absolutely everything), then don't buy this game. Because you need to read everything to be able to follow the story. I think it is worth the read, but not everyone will have the patience. -There is *no* voice acting. I didn't mind this, but it is worth saying. -this game uses the Unity engine, and supports both MSAA and SSAA, which can be forced through the graphics drivers. I highly recommend doing this, as it makes everything look much better. Even on 4xSSAA I had a steady 60 fps, which speaks to the simplistic aesthetic used as well as the good optimization of the game.

I've played through episode 2 and loved every codger, every silhouette, every old dog, every eagle in the woods, every bango-playing hillbilly, every burning tree, every bear on the fax machine, every crab wearing office equipment, and especially every moment. It's like another reality. I've never played another game like this, and I can't wait for episode 3. Get this.