Kentucky Route Zero - A Game in Five Acts

[TychoCelchuuu]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?f&v=uCz9T5NgYJQ

From the developers of Wikipedia vs. Predator and this guy comes Kentucky Route Zero, a game due out in December, aka this month. Well, the first act comes out this month. The game is five acts long.

The game was funded on Kickstarter and it's "a magical realist adventure game about a secret highway in the caves beneath Kentucky and the mysterious folks who travel it." It's on Greenlight if you want to vote for it.

Check out an old as fuck trailer. It has a giant eagle that sidles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?f&v=0pvkCYNhf7M

Yeah, we know almost nothing about the game, but it looks amazing nonetheless. At the very least it certainly has its own voice.

Also I feel kind of weird because I've posted this exact same topic on two other forums. As a member of three gaming communities now, every time I make a thread for a game on one forum I feel like I should make it on the other two because I want to talk about it everywhere. But then I feel weird for copying + pasting because like, do I really need to clutter up the Internet with what is basically a widely distributed triple post? Whatever. This video game has bluegrass music.

[Tanukitsune]

Huzzah for cave exploration games! Spelunkerrific! :3

It looks like it will have great atmosphere... and bluegrass music, which sounds nice? As a non-American it's new to me.

[Twig]

Been waiting for this stupid game for a while now HURRY UP.

[TychoCelchuuu]

ACT ONE OUT NOW. So that's pretty cool.

[n490]

I first heard of this game in an RPS post. After making a mental note about it, I forgot it existed. That is, until today : nominations! Game appears here and there in good company.

Chances are I'm gonna get it. Steam didn't hurt me that much this (last?) year anyway.

Anyone tried it yet?

[youmeyou]

Just played the first chapter, I'm pretty into this!

It feels very much like Dear Esther in that the primary thing it's for is to delivery a story in an unconventional way. They've admitted as such in their press. So don't go in looking for an adventure game. It uses the architecture of one beautifully, but the depth is in the twisting ways the narrative reveals itself, and not in its mechanics. Though it's got some lovely methods of interactivity, like following map directions via a bird's eye map view, watching landmarks reveal themselves as your truck approaches them. Lots of nice play with light and sound as well. Looking forward to more!

[Argobot]

I also just finished the first Act last night and I agree, the driving/map is the best part of the game. The story itself is really great too; it goes along well with the way the game looks. I love 'magical realism' style narratives and stories that are set in the Appalachia region, so this game feels tailor made for me to enjoy.

(My only gripe, and it's really my fault more than the game's, is that I keep calling it 'Zero Dark Thirty.' People tend to act confused when I tell them I'm playing the 'Zero Dark Thirty' game).

[juv3nal]

I love it. The visual style is really appealing, not just the way objects/backgrounds are rendered (which is awesome because it vaguely reminds me of nosepilot), but the neat way the camera shifts its focus from foreground to background in the one scene where you approach the house, then go inside, then look past the tv and see the barn.

[I_smell]

I'm gonna play this without looking up anything about it, but I have to ask: Is this any kind of spooky horror game?

I didn't wanna play Dear Esther cos the only thing I ever saw about it was screenshots of you wandering around on a beach at night, and news that they started work on the next Amnesia game.

So is this mysterious in like a fantasy way, or mysterious in like a creepy weird freakout way?

[Argobot]

Both? It definitely has an eerie, supernatural atmosphere. I don't think the intention is to scare, however, more just unnerve.

[youmeyou]

Neither game is scary, both are a little creepy.

And for my scary-meter: I fear-quit Amnesia upon reaching the invisible water boss.

[juv3nal]

All the supernatural stuff in KRZ isn't really commented on as being creepy by Conway (the protagonist) as far as I've played. Which has the effect of giving me the impression of either "hey this must be sort of normal or expected for this game world" or "he doesn't think there's anything to worry about, I guess I don't need to be worried either" so the way he's portrayed is kind of the opposite of unnerving. It's dream-like rather than in any way nighmarish, I'd say, but I haven't put that much time in, so maybe things take a turn later.

[Argobot]

Maybe unnerving was not the right word to use, but there were few points in the episode that definitely made me feel a slight chill. It's spooky in an other-worldly way while also coming across as non-threatening. Dream-like is a great way to describe it.

[youmeyou]

The first time you turn the lamps off in the mine tunnel was fairly chill inducing.

Conway is mostly a silent protagonist so it seems at times he could totally be thinking "did I just see that? shit, i gotta get outta here!"

[Sno]

http://www.giantbomb.com/quick-look-kentucky-route-zero/17-6940/

I hadn't actually heard of this game before watching this.

[juv3nal]

Conway is mostly a silent protagonist so it seems at times he could totally be thinking "did I just see that? shit, i gotta get outta here!"

If you talk to your dog, it's basically him talking to himself and he seems pretty calm and relaxed. But I guess maybe he could be terrified on the inside and just doesn't want to freak out his dog?

[Argobot]

The first time you turn the lamps off in the mine tunnel was fairly chill inducing.

Conway is mostly a silent protagonist so it seems at times he could totally be thinking "did I just see that? shit, i gotta get outta here!"

What happens if you do what you're describing in the spoiler tag? I never even thought to do that while I was playing through that section.

[Badfinger]

http://www.giantbomb...e-zero/17-6940/

I hadn't actually heard of this game before watching this.

I watched this right before bed last night (note: don't do that), and this game seems nuts. It definitely feels like something you should be playing with someone else to double the insanity.

[youmeyou]

What happens if you do what you're describing in the spoiler tag? I never even thought to do that while I was playing through that section.

You see the ghosts of dead miners everywhere. They appear only in the flashes of electricity that the rail causes. There's a strong theme of electricity and light and dark in this game: the tv, the fish tanks, the projector in the mine tunnel.

I was actually just talking a friend who played and I missed a bunch of the text adventure spots that are accessible from the map. I think the chapter deserves another play through, as it seems everyone's going to miss something. (he also missed the mine tunnel spoiler)

[Argobot]

Oh that's so awesome! I'll have to go back and play through the first Act again.

I want to play through again so I can see if there are more clues about Conway's background, specifically with his parents. I initially assumed both of them were dead, but then a few comments about his mom made me reconsider. The dialogue options are another really great part of the game and worth a replay in their own right.

[youmeyou]

Fun fact: the music mentioned in the game that involves recordings of tape disintegrating is a real piece of music done by William Basinski.

http://en.wikipedia....tegration_Loops

Loops is based on Basinski's attempts to salvage earlier recordings made on magnetic tape, by transferring them into digital format; however, the tape had physically deteriorated to the point that, as it passed by the Tape Head, the ferrite detached from the plastic backing and fell off.

I tracked a copy down and my be able to dropbox it to any interested parties.

[Tanukitsune]

A part of me is wondering if I should wait till the price drops, but... this isn't a Steam game and even if it did appear on an indie bundle, it probably wouldn't be the whole game, but just a chapter? :|

[juv3nal]

A part of me is wondering if I should wait till the price drops, but... this isn't a Steam game and even if it did appear on an indie bundle, it probably wouldn't be the whole game, but just a chapter? :|

As an IGF nominated finalist, they're getting on Steam, it's just a matter of when:

So! One of the benefits of being a finalist in the IGF this year is: "All IGF Main Competition finalists for this year's event will receive the opportunity to accept a distribution agreement for Steam" (http://igf.com/2012/12/igf_valve_to_offer_steam_distr.html). We don't have any details about that yet; we haven't been in touch with anyone from IGF or Valve yet. But it means that KRZ is definitely coming to Steam at some point, so that's exciting!

[Koholint]

I just finished this and though it was fantastic. Great art, music, writing, everything. I was curious about one decision in the game though:

At the end of the mine section, there's a dialogue choice where you can either have Shannon tell Conway to wait while she goes back into the mine or have Conway say he'll wait. I chose the latter. Do you get to play as Shannon if you pick her dialogue option?

[GameDreamer]

I backed this game on Kickstarter in January of 2011, so it's really rad to play it and finally see it gaining some (okay, quite a bit of) recognition.

Jake Elliot sent me this postcard in the mail about a year ago, too:

Curious if any thumbs have played other Cardboard Computer games, like Balloon Diaspora?