Kentucky Route Zero is making the jump to consoles with Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition. This version of the magical realist point and click adventure game contains all acts and interludes and will be available for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. The TV Edition of Kentucky Route Zero is available starting on January 28.
Kentucky Route Zero started as a Kickstarter campaign that eventually went into development in 2012 with an initial release in 2013. The game follows the narrative of Conway, a truck driver, and the different people he meets on Route Zero as he makes a final delivery for the antique company that he works for. Kentucky Route Zero is a point and click game that makes use of text-based dialogue rather than vocal audio.
With the focus of Kentucky Route Zero being on the atmosphere and storytelling, there are no traditional puzzles or even challenges. Players control Conway by clicking on the screen to guide him to another location or interact with other characters and objects. While players can choose Conway's dialogue, they can also occasionally pick the dialogue of other characters, especially during in-game conversations.
Kentucky Route Zero is separated into different locations that Conway can travel between with his truck. When traveling, a map is shown and players need to guide the truck to the destination that they choose, though most locations are where the players have been pointed to. At certain points in the game, players may take control of characters other than Conway within the game's twisting, self-referential narrative.
Kentucky Route Zero has so far been divided into four different Acts. The fifth and final Act also releases on January 28.
Upon release, Kentucky Route Zero received mainly positive reviews. A number of critics cited that the game was a good example of what makes video games so special. It was named the 2013 Game of the Year by Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Act III, meanwhile, was given the Best Narrative award in 2015 by the Game Developers Choice Awards. Polygon also named Kentucky Route Zero as the decade’s fourth best game.
