Rating of
4/5
Take the Long Way Home
Chris Kavan - wrote on 09/27/26
Starting out life as a Kickstarter project in 2011 before releasing episodically between 2013-2020, Kentucky Route Zero has been hailed as a groundbreaking narrative video game and was heaped with a variety of best-of awards and top-list appearances. Originally developed by Cardboard Computer, it was later widely published by Annapurna Interactive - no stranger to distributing indie games. Despite its seven-year release schedule, it managed to grab plenty of attention and is one of the top answers to the question "can video games be considered art?" Unique and thought-provoking, it truly does expand on what video games can be.
Looks and Stuff: The art style is certainly unique and exactly fits the aesthetic of the game. While it is a Unity Game, it defies the typical approach and truly feels like it's very much a personal project. Characters and environments alike are varied - from a cave dominated by a tower of flaming technology to a small town reeling from a flood - locations are just as important as the people, and you'll get to know them all. As this is an adventure game, be prepared to read a lot - while there is dialogue choices, the story is still linear but it's up to you whether you make the journey more hopeful or wistful or even a bit pessimistic.
While the game isn't fully voiced, there is some amazing music presented throughout. One of my favorite parts in the entire game takes place in a dive bar that, as the music plays, pans up, the ceiling giving way to a vast, open sky - the music soars but you are picking the lyrics - is this a song of remembrance or loss - absolutely showstopping. Anther part that stands out isn't even a part of one of the chapters, but a one of the prologues that appears - an automated call-in line where the person on the other end sounds like if you mixed Bob Ross with The Dude - who explains everything from how to escape a snake to interesting sights to see to different types of water - all in the most relaxed, chill voice you can imagine. I wasn't expecting it at all but it truly made my day. The game never bugged out or soft-locked or crashed once.
Story: Told in five acts, the game follows a man named Conway, along with his floppy-hat wearing dog, as they attempt to make a final antiques delivery to 5 Dogwood Drive. Act I has them stopping at Equus Oils gas station only to be informed that to reach Dogwood Drive they will have to take the Zero but the mysterious route is far from straight-forward and they are directed to a farm where Weaver Márquez lives - who has a better understanding of the strange roads, along with a TV to give her. After a series of questions and some strange visions, Weaver suddenly disappears but not before directing Conway to the Zero and also to her cousin, Shannon, an electronics wiz. Thus he finds himself at the Elkhorn Mine, site of a former disaster and also Shannon, who's looking for a lost item. After another near-disaster leaves Conway with a hurt leg, they eventually leave the mine and Shannon finally looks at Weaver's TV - which leads them to:
Act II - The Bureau of Reclaimed Spaces where they must find Lulu Chamberlain but the six-story building (including one floor filled with nothing but bears) is a maze of bureaucracy and Conway's leg is getting worse and worse. Finally tracking down Lulu, they are informed that the directions to Dogwood Drive has been moved to an off-storage facility and that a Doctor Truman should be sought out to help with Conway's leg. After successfully finding the correct documents, Conway collapses and it's decided seeking out the doctor is more important than the delivery. The good doctor, however, is not at home, well not at where it's supposed to be - as it has been replaced by the Museum of Dwellings. Luckily a young boy, Ezra can take them to the doctor - with the help of his brother, a giant eagle, which they ride to a forest. The doctor indeed fixes up Conway, but the drugs cause him to lose consciousness leading to:
Act III: Conway wakes up and leg is now gone an replaced by an eerie yellow-glowing skeleton leg but he can walk just fine. Conway, Shannon and now Ezra take the truck hoping to make it back to Lulu, only for the truck to break down. While waiting, they are passed by two musicians on a motorcycle with a sidecar. The pair, Johnny and Junebug decide to help them out if they accompany them to their performance at a the nearby Lower Depths bar. They agree and after the performance, the now-bigger group head back out on the Zero and find themselves at the Hall of the Mountain King, dominated by a tower of old burning tech and a mold-powered computer known as Xanadu. Donald tells them Xanadu can lead them to Lulu - but only if they can figure out how to fix it. Donald is convinced a group known only as The Strangers have been sabotaging it and leads them to their home - after making a deal (offscreen) the group manages to save Xanadu and learn Lulu is back at the Bureau of Reclaimed Spaces. Lulu tells them the only way to reach Dogwood Drive is to take a ferry. Before the ferry arrives, Conway tells them what happened off-screen with The Strangers and he finds himself an unwilling employee as a truck driver for a distillery company. The ferry arrives for:
Act IV: Aboard The Mucky Mammoth, the group makes their way down the river known as The Echo - most of the act is arriving at various locations: a refueling station, The Rum Colony tiki bar, the psychological research facility called the Radvansky Center, a forest covered in mushrooms and interacting with the people/items there. Before their final stop, however, Conway - drinking more and behaving more erratic, even as his arm joins his leg in skeletonization, finally joins up with the distillery group, giving Shannon his truck and cargo before sailing off to his own destiny. They eat at Sam and Ida's restaurant before enjoying a haunting theramin performance at a colony of houseboats before reaching their final destination the Silo of Late Reflections. Realizing there is no way to get the truck up to the top, the group decides to unload the cargo by hand leading to:
Act V: A short chapter, as the group arrives at a town that has recently been devastated by a flood. The group finally finds 5 Dogwood Drive - an open-air home free of anything and decides their cargo must be for furnishing the house. Changing to a black cat, you run around the area listening to the townfolk and your long-time companions on the journey discussing what comes next. Many in town are mourning the loss of The Neighbors - a town fixture pair of horses that were lost in the flood and a memorial are planned for them. Many in town are now leaving while cursing the company that left their town high and dry (or, in this case, completely underwater). After a brief ceremony and one final song, the group finds themselves at Dogwood Drive - now fully furnished - their journey finally at an end or at least this end.
Gameplay: As an adventure game, Kentucky Route Zero will always lead you to one outcome but it's how you choose to get there that shapes this journey. As mentioned, the game often allows you to choose from several dialogue choices - including ones that often come from different characters later in the story - and these truly shape how the game unfolds. Dialogue choices can jump between mostly optimistic and hopeful to more downbeat and pessimistic. While everyone may get to the same place - these choices truly make you feel different once you get there. The game is also very interconnected - people, places, events - show up in different times and places, pay attention and you'll learn this game has a quite deep history and lore. Otherwise the game is a typical point-and-click affair with many things to interact with aside from the people and some hidden gems to encounter should you be so inclined.
Replay value: The game unlocks each act after playing through once, and thus you can jump around at your leisure if you are so inclined - as well as hunt down the more esoteric achievements.
Final Verdict: Kentucky Route Zero is something you experience more than you play. Provided you have the attention span to enjoy something like that, it certainly will leave its mark.
Presentation: 4/5
Story: 5/5
Gameplay: 4/5
Replay: 3/5
Overall (not an average): 4/5
Hours Played: 9.2
Cheevos: 45% (11/24)
