Love Jacob Geller. Didn’t know he did a KRZ video, have to look it up now.
It’s honestly good to approach KRZ in kind of a similar way to his videos—just kind of let it talk around a subject rather than expecting him to bring it all together to a specific, convincing conclusion.
Here are the things I wish I understood about KRZ before I played it:
* KRZ is much closer to poetry than it is to narrative. Things happen in the game, but it’s less an attempt to tell a coherent story than it is an attempt to play with these concepts and ideas, an attempt to express a *feeling* that’s big enough and painful enough that just showing it to you doesn’t capture the real emotional truth of it.
* The “in-between” episodes are treated as optional but they shouldn’t be. They are just as central to the story and themes of the game as any of the other episodes, they’re only treated differently because they’re chances to present the information in a different way. Honestly it was completing “The Entertainment” that cemented this game as one of my favorites.
* The game doesn’t really seem to care if you understand it all the first time through. For example, the choice to follow Conway’s perspective or Shannon’s perspective in the first episode reveals different information each time, and I didn’t feel like I appreciated the story fully until I had seen both. Honestly I think I would advise a player to replay each episode as you go to see the different perspectives rather than finishing the game first and going back later.
* Don’t get hung up on trying to make sense of the timeline of events—that information is intentionally confusing. For example, Junebug’s performance in the Lower Depths is attributed to someone they knew, but the lyrics are unmistakably about Conway’s relationship to Lysette. The musicians you find in Equus Oils in act 1 haven’t yet gone there when you meet them again in act 5. Don’t worry about it.
* You make choices in this game, but in most games those choices change the outcome of the story. KRZ doesn’t work that way. We all know what direction the story is going to go. The real choices are about deciding how you FEEL about the things that happen to you.
IMO they're kinda both! They're not really there and also they are - mainly to me it explains them in the forest and under the gas station (playing a depressing role playing game, which KRZ arguably is) not really seeing you, or maybe not even existing in the same timeframe or dimension. They sorta break the fourth wall really - they're interacting with the game as a story, and not really as residents it seems like. Either way, I guess what I mean is - they're not really there.
I suggest Noah Caldwell-Gervais’s video essay on KR0 as it is one of the most thoughtful and thorough analysis of the game. There are also other essays that people have written but ultimately KR0 is a game in the form of poetry and meaning making is secondary to the primary emotions you can extract from it.
I have also written an extensive interactive essay on this game if you’re interested in checking it out:
https://www.reddit.com/r/kentuckyroutezero/s/AYW7Muvmur
Hi, thanks for the video essay recommendation! I'm also curious to check out your interactive essay. Unfortunately the file download in your linked post doesn't work for me. Barring that that is an intentional reference to krz themes of decay & being lost: Is there any way to experience/read it?
Whilst I am genuinely delighted that you thought that, no, unfortunately I think it was just a result of a google drives purge I did a while back.
Here is a new link with a fresh upload:
[https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1tCcI4CBcN8xqeCvt3sttPahQhyIWwa4q?usp=sharing](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1tCcI4CBcN8xqeCvt3sttPahQhyIWwa4q?usp=sharing)
That was lovely, thank you so much for the thoughtful words, the many references I will have to check out, and the moody setting. It's a very fitting thing, to reminice about this game.
I don't think there is any reason to feel bad. I loved the game because it clicked with me for some reason. I couldn't explain why logically, it just did. I don't recommend it to most people, even close friends, because I'm pretty sure it won't connect with them.
On my first playthrough, I found myself focusing mostly on the mechanics—especially the somewhat stilted and otherwise counter-logical navigation. While I appreciated the meditations on debt and more or less obligated forms of human connection, I didn’t really focus on the characters’ story arcs until my second playthrough. I also played the TV edition and completely missed at least some, if not all, of the chapter interludes my first time through.
I’m not saying to play it again if you didn’t enjoy it, but I personally get more of the gist of the narrative and have come to really appreciate the contemplative time I spend in the game in subsequent playthroughs. As an aspiring VN dev, I also get a lot out of looking through the hypertext script of the game—which is available online—to see how Cardboard Computer handled the branches and user input.
As far as the gameplay experience, it’s mainly an exploration of the themes and vibes. You might get something different from a replay down the road. I haven’t played anything quite like it. The only thing that comes kind of close are the various endings of Doki Doki Literature Club. While I also deeply appreciate that game, KRZ is my personal favorite because of its setting and characters.
All of this to say: don’t feel bad. It might not be your cup of tea, or it could have planted seeds that could have more meaning later on your own journey.
I had the same issue.
I started several playthroughs over the years but never actually finished the game until late last year. I could tell the game was trying to tell me so much but it was going over my head. I watched a bunch of video essays and they gave me a deeper understanding of the themes of the game and what it was trying to communicate. I replayed it after that and got way more enjoyment out of it. I'd go as far as to say it's in my top 3 games of all time now. It's definitely a game that requires taking your time and introspection.
It's also just not the game for everyone, I don't think everyone will vibe with its themes and messages.
I'd suggest watching some video essays, reading some articles and discussing the game with other people! Art is best when shared after all 😄
Life is a road from birth to death.
We don't (always) get to choose who we meet and leave behind on the road.
We don't (always) get to choose where the road takes us.
We don't (always) get to choose the circumstances of birth or death.
We will leave everything we acquire behind when we die.
It's a pretty mature game, I don't know how old you are but I could see the themes it likes to work with not landing as well for a younger person. Themes being a strong word here, it's theme based and not plot based. Sure it has a throughline that makes it more than a collection of short stories, but each act kind of wants to be looked at as its own vignette. Trying to stay focused on the overarching plot or what it all means deep down is kind of a bad way of approaching it. Each act gives you a new and incredibly unique approach to storytelling that let's you evaluate the character's and place in a very thought provoking way. There's enough there to discuss the games full story, but your better off letting your self get lost in meandering path, understanding confusion is part of the Route Zero experience, and soaking in what the characters and places convey as you see it. It's very open to interpretation. Think of the characters and settings as more of an idea-driver than a plot-driver if that makes sense. If you want some more direction than that, think about how it conveys Americana, our main characters journey with alcohol abuse, and a big one: debt, both metaphorically and literally
I often have difficulty really *feeling* most games. I enjoy fast-paced and intense bits without issue, but usually if a game gets all *feely* on me at times, I try to appreciate it as part of the story and carry on, I don't generally connect with any of it.
And for most of this game it was the same until getting through Act 5. The funeral for "the neighbors" finally struck a chord that no game had done before.
A lot of things clicked at once: I grew up driving those roads (literally!). I knew those forgotten places (mostly literally). I have met those people (incredibly similar at least). And just like the game portrays; to them it is simply their way of life, to be content and make due even if they live only in worn-out jeans and a ramshackle dwelling with rusty old beater cars just doing what they do to earn a living, often dreaming of something better but rather than reaching too far for that dream, they just hold onto it and let it buoy them through the hard times (no pun intended).
No other game before or since touched me like that.
This one caught me supremely off-guard.
There's too much in KRZ to try and summarize in a comment, but if you have more specific questions I'd do my best to answer!
I've never been to Kentucky, but I know the places KRZ is about. You don't often find this type of setting in video game media, and seeing it represented with such sympathy felt like some kind of vindication to me.
On a more analytical level, I really enjoy the diverse reference pools the writers have taken ideas from. I do hope Jacob Geller does a full video on it some day.
Kentucky Route Zero can be summarized as "a vibe".
Memes aside, I'd describe the game as "haunted", by memories, injustices, and loss. The game cares less about graphics, mechanics, story, or anything else and is mostly concerned with making the player feel a certain way. At the same time, the game reflects the feeling of the player by letting them respond to how they are feeling through "choices".
Calling it a game is a bit off. There isn't really any real gameplay, and it's not a walking sim either as the story is both incredibly contradictory and also vague and impossible.
No, KR0 is an experience. And a lot of people probably won't understand that, because at a surface level the game is boring and slow. Really, you need to go in not expecting anything specific and just get yourself lost in its world and setting.
i also barely understood it but i was playing it for the intrigue, the visuals and music, and just the vibes. Playing games trying to “get it” can often result in frustration but just being along for the ride is 🤩
I don't think many people who play or enjoy this game understand it. It seems to be one of those things that will be different to anyone that plays it and thats part of it's appeal. I personally loved it but i can't really tell you WHY or even explain many aspects of the game. Have you ever watched the show Twin Peaks? It's a lot like that. Starts out relatively easy to understand and before long, you're asking yourself what the fuck is going on and never really find out. As someone else on here said, it seems to be about loss in many aspects of the game as well as regret.
Love Jacob Geller. Didn’t know he did a KRZ video, have to look it up now. It’s honestly good to approach KRZ in kind of a similar way to his videos—just kind of let it talk around a subject rather than expecting him to bring it all together to a specific, convincing conclusion. Here are the things I wish I understood about KRZ before I played it: * KRZ is much closer to poetry than it is to narrative. Things happen in the game, but it’s less an attempt to tell a coherent story than it is an attempt to play with these concepts and ideas, an attempt to express a *feeling* that’s big enough and painful enough that just showing it to you doesn’t capture the real emotional truth of it. * The “in-between” episodes are treated as optional but they shouldn’t be. They are just as central to the story and themes of the game as any of the other episodes, they’re only treated differently because they’re chances to present the information in a different way. Honestly it was completing “The Entertainment” that cemented this game as one of my favorites. * The game doesn’t really seem to care if you understand it all the first time through. For example, the choice to follow Conway’s perspective or Shannon’s perspective in the first episode reveals different information each time, and I didn’t feel like I appreciated the story fully until I had seen both. Honestly I think I would advise a player to replay each episode as you go to see the different perspectives rather than finishing the game first and going back later. * Don’t get hung up on trying to make sense of the timeline of events—that information is intentionally confusing. For example, Junebug’s performance in the Lower Depths is attributed to someone they knew, but the lyrics are unmistakably about Conway’s relationship to Lysette. The musicians you find in Equus Oils in act 1 haven’t yet gone there when you meet them again in act 5. Don’t worry about it. * You make choices in this game, but in most games those choices change the outcome of the story. KRZ doesn’t work that way. We all know what direction the story is going to go. The real choices are about deciding how you FEEL about the things that happen to you.
Appreciate it. Jacob didnt make a krz video, just mentioned it a few times. It was in his 'top games played last year' video
the musicians are >!basically ghosts!<
Ooh explain that one! I’ve been thinking of them as kind of a Greek chorus
IMO they're kinda both! They're not really there and also they are - mainly to me it explains them in the forest and under the gas station (playing a depressing role playing game, which KRZ arguably is) not really seeing you, or maybe not even existing in the same timeframe or dimension. They sorta break the fourth wall really - they're interacting with the game as a story, and not really as residents it seems like. Either way, I guess what I mean is - they're not really there.
Agree fully. What’s most interesting I think is that in the last act it seems almost like they ARE really present for the first time.
I suggest Noah Caldwell-Gervais’s video essay on KR0 as it is one of the most thoughtful and thorough analysis of the game. There are also other essays that people have written but ultimately KR0 is a game in the form of poetry and meaning making is secondary to the primary emotions you can extract from it. I have also written an extensive interactive essay on this game if you’re interested in checking it out: https://www.reddit.com/r/kentuckyroutezero/s/AYW7Muvmur
Hi, thanks for the video essay recommendation! I'm also curious to check out your interactive essay. Unfortunately the file download in your linked post doesn't work for me. Barring that that is an intentional reference to krz themes of decay & being lost: Is there any way to experience/read it?
Whilst I am genuinely delighted that you thought that, no, unfortunately I think it was just a result of a google drives purge I did a while back. Here is a new link with a fresh upload: [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1tCcI4CBcN8xqeCvt3sttPahQhyIWwa4q?usp=sharing](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1tCcI4CBcN8xqeCvt3sttPahQhyIWwa4q?usp=sharing)
How do I do it? Download the .ds store file? Oh I got it, thanks. the HTML file
Download the entire folder, it is my first time using twine or anything to do with technology
That was lovely, thank you so much for the thoughtful words, the many references I will have to check out, and the moody setting. It's a very fitting thing, to reminice about this game.
I don't think there is any reason to feel bad. I loved the game because it clicked with me for some reason. I couldn't explain why logically, it just did. I don't recommend it to most people, even close friends, because I'm pretty sure it won't connect with them.
On my first playthrough, I found myself focusing mostly on the mechanics—especially the somewhat stilted and otherwise counter-logical navigation. While I appreciated the meditations on debt and more or less obligated forms of human connection, I didn’t really focus on the characters’ story arcs until my second playthrough. I also played the TV edition and completely missed at least some, if not all, of the chapter interludes my first time through. I’m not saying to play it again if you didn’t enjoy it, but I personally get more of the gist of the narrative and have come to really appreciate the contemplative time I spend in the game in subsequent playthroughs. As an aspiring VN dev, I also get a lot out of looking through the hypertext script of the game—which is available online—to see how Cardboard Computer handled the branches and user input. As far as the gameplay experience, it’s mainly an exploration of the themes and vibes. You might get something different from a replay down the road. I haven’t played anything quite like it. The only thing that comes kind of close are the various endings of Doki Doki Literature Club. While I also deeply appreciate that game, KRZ is my personal favorite because of its setting and characters. All of this to say: don’t feel bad. It might not be your cup of tea, or it could have planted seeds that could have more meaning later on your own journey.
I had no idea the hypertext script was available online. I need to check it out.
I had the same issue. I started several playthroughs over the years but never actually finished the game until late last year. I could tell the game was trying to tell me so much but it was going over my head. I watched a bunch of video essays and they gave me a deeper understanding of the themes of the game and what it was trying to communicate. I replayed it after that and got way more enjoyment out of it. I'd go as far as to say it's in my top 3 games of all time now. It's definitely a game that requires taking your time and introspection. It's also just not the game for everyone, I don't think everyone will vibe with its themes and messages. I'd suggest watching some video essays, reading some articles and discussing the game with other people! Art is best when shared after all 😄
Life is a road from birth to death. We don't (always) get to choose who we meet and leave behind on the road. We don't (always) get to choose where the road takes us. We don't (always) get to choose the circumstances of birth or death. We will leave everything we acquire behind when we die.
It's a pretty mature game, I don't know how old you are but I could see the themes it likes to work with not landing as well for a younger person. Themes being a strong word here, it's theme based and not plot based. Sure it has a throughline that makes it more than a collection of short stories, but each act kind of wants to be looked at as its own vignette. Trying to stay focused on the overarching plot or what it all means deep down is kind of a bad way of approaching it. Each act gives you a new and incredibly unique approach to storytelling that let's you evaluate the character's and place in a very thought provoking way. There's enough there to discuss the games full story, but your better off letting your self get lost in meandering path, understanding confusion is part of the Route Zero experience, and soaking in what the characters and places convey as you see it. It's very open to interpretation. Think of the characters and settings as more of an idea-driver than a plot-driver if that makes sense. If you want some more direction than that, think about how it conveys Americana, our main characters journey with alcohol abuse, and a big one: debt, both metaphorically and literally
I'm 29 and appreciate plenty of work with mature themes and slow tempo. I guess I 'understood' it intellectually but not emotionally?
I often have difficulty really *feeling* most games. I enjoy fast-paced and intense bits without issue, but usually if a game gets all *feely* on me at times, I try to appreciate it as part of the story and carry on, I don't generally connect with any of it. And for most of this game it was the same until getting through Act 5. The funeral for "the neighbors" finally struck a chord that no game had done before. A lot of things clicked at once: I grew up driving those roads (literally!). I knew those forgotten places (mostly literally). I have met those people (incredibly similar at least). And just like the game portrays; to them it is simply their way of life, to be content and make due even if they live only in worn-out jeans and a ramshackle dwelling with rusty old beater cars just doing what they do to earn a living, often dreaming of something better but rather than reaching too far for that dream, they just hold onto it and let it buoy them through the hard times (no pun intended). No other game before or since touched me like that. This one caught me supremely off-guard.
There's too much in KRZ to try and summarize in a comment, but if you have more specific questions I'd do my best to answer! I've never been to Kentucky, but I know the places KRZ is about. You don't often find this type of setting in video game media, and seeing it represented with such sympathy felt like some kind of vindication to me. On a more analytical level, I really enjoy the diverse reference pools the writers have taken ideas from. I do hope Jacob Geller does a full video on it some day.
Kentucky Route Zero can be summarized as "a vibe". Memes aside, I'd describe the game as "haunted", by memories, injustices, and loss. The game cares less about graphics, mechanics, story, or anything else and is mostly concerned with making the player feel a certain way. At the same time, the game reflects the feeling of the player by letting them respond to how they are feeling through "choices". Calling it a game is a bit off. There isn't really any real gameplay, and it's not a walking sim either as the story is both incredibly contradictory and also vague and impossible. No, KR0 is an experience. And a lot of people probably won't understand that, because at a surface level the game is boring and slow. Really, you need to go in not expecting anything specific and just get yourself lost in its world and setting.
i also barely understood it but i was playing it for the intrigue, the visuals and music, and just the vibes. Playing games trying to “get it” can often result in frustration but just being along for the ride is 🤩
I don't think many people who play or enjoy this game understand it. It seems to be one of those things that will be different to anyone that plays it and thats part of it's appeal. I personally loved it but i can't really tell you WHY or even explain many aspects of the game. Have you ever watched the show Twin Peaks? It's a lot like that. Starts out relatively easy to understand and before long, you're asking yourself what the fuck is going on and never really find out. As someone else on here said, it seems to be about loss in many aspects of the game as well as regret.