With the release of Act V, Kentucky Route Zero has finished its seven-year episodic development cycle. The game, even in its unfinished state, has been a common sight on best of the year lists since the 2013 debut of Act I, and the completed project been met with universal acclaim. Kentucky Route Zero is a surreal point and click adventure that borrows mechanics from classics such as Grim Fandango and subverts them in a fascinating trip through Americana.
In the game, players guide Conway, a delivery driver making his final shipment of antiques, and his companions to the mysterious Dogwood Drive. Along the way players navigate a shifting reality that is subtly influenced by the dialogue choices. The game dispenses with the traditional challenges of point and click adventures, such as complex inventory systems or puzzles, but operates in a world with its own rules that players need to become accustomed to. This guide will help introduce some of the basic concepts needed to get through this strange world.
Choices Have Impact In Kentucky Route Zero
One of the important things to know about Kentucky Route Zero is that even innocent dialogue choices can impact the fabric of the story that will see unfold. One of the most straight forward examples of this occurs in the first scene of the first act of the game. The gas station attendant, Joseph, will ask the name of Conrad’s dog. The name will stick with the character for the remainder of the game and will influence its personality and gender.
Modify The Environment in Kentucky Route Zero
In certain locations in the game, there is an icon at the bottom of the screen that can be activated at any time. This will prompt whichever characters to use an item such as a lamp or an umbrella which will change the way they can interact with an environment.
However, while using a lamp to light up a dark room seems like the obvious choice, the light can also obscure important details. In fact, to get past the group of people loitering in the basement of the Equus Oils, Conrad will need to turn off his lamp to find the glowing die. Whenever there is a chance, change the environment to uncover new perspectives.
Utilize Alternative Characters’ Dialogue Options In Kentucky Route Zero
Speaking of new perspectives, from time to time players have the option of answering dialogue prompts with characters other than Conrad. This can be a great way to uncover new angles on conversations that don’t seem to be moving ahead. One of the first characters to join Conrad, Shannon, has a much blunter style than Conrad, and her dialogue choices can often move conversations forward at a faster pace. Ezra’s enthusiasm can likewise get unexpected answers from both characters in the world and inside of the party.
Use Cues On The Map In Kentucky Route Zero
Kentucky Route Zero uses an overhead fast travel style map that seems familiar to what is found in many adventure games. However, this map is quite abstract and sometimes seems like nothing more a few white lines on a stark black background. However, there are more cues to the landscape around the characters than it first appears.
Any object that displays slight movement, for example, is a body of water, either a river or a lake. A large, shaded area is a mountain or set of hills. While at first these might seem like simple set dressing, they are actually important reference points to use while players search for the next location. Later in the game, these objects will be primary pathways when players trade Conrad’s truck for a ride on Ezra’s giant eagle, Julian.
Consult The Journal In Kentucky Route Zero
Like the classic point and click adventures that influenced Kentucky Route Zero’s gameplay, there isn’t a way to lose or die in the game. That doesn’t mean that players can’t get lost, however. Specific directions are given by various characters throughout the game, but these can sometimes get confused in the lengthy dialogue that it takes to get them. However, on the map screen, in the lower right-hand corner there is an icon for Conrad’s journal, which records the most important pieces of dialogue and instructions.
The journal isn’t just useful if players have forgotten whether they are supposed to turn right or left after the burning tree, however. The open-ended nature of Kentucky Route Zero means that sometimes leaves players unsure of where they’ll need to go at all. If players are unsure of their next move, their most recent journal entries will point them in the right direction.
Kentucky Route Zero is available on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.
