Kentucky Route Zero

When is a game not a game? And does it matter? Unlike other forms of mass media, which are much more easily identified and categorised, video games straddle an uncertain line with the label of ‘game’ being almost increasingly outdated and unrepresentative of the breadth of experiences currently available.

This is especially true in the indie scene at the moment, and one of the most esoteric and talked about games to emerge this year is Kentucky Route Zero. Describing it is tricky though. It features an old antique delivery driver in his quest to make his last delivery, along the fabled Route Zero, a road that isn't really like any other road. Presented in a stark geometric art-style with a heavy emphasis on mood and atmosphere it is less a game, and more an interactive story, a Lynchian tale populated by strange characters and undercut by a heavy dose of melancholy. Each Act of the game (there will be five, so far two have been released) is split into scenes, usually labelled as you move from place to place. So far each of the Acts has been relatively short, but perfectly suited to the game's needs. Any longer and the sparse, often dreamlike dialogue and lack of interactivity may have rankled, as it is the game raises endless questions and draws you in to whatever is still to come.

Whilst the game can certainly be described as weird, it all feels of a whole. This is a game with a clear vision, aesthetically and thematically and it works so well in communicating this through its narrow focus. A version of this game with more traditional mechanics wouldn't have the same impact, the same haunting quality. At times the distorted eerie music coupled with some of the games striking yet simplistic visuals (it does some amazing things with implementing 3D spaces into an ostensibly 2D game) evoke a mood and a feeling unlike any I've played in recent times. Aside from observing locations and talking to people there is not much in the way of mechanics here, though in the dialogue you are often presented with multiple answers to questions, or lines of enquiry but there seems to be no consequence to your choices. Instead they allow you to internally paint a view of the characters, like a choose-your-own adventure game you find yourself building up a back story through these options, and that in turn filters through to how you play the game. Naming your dog Homer might not impact the game per-say, but that small aspect of customisation is enough to invest you that much more in the story.

This is very much an art-piece as it were, but it's not so wrapped in up pretensions to make the experience dry, in fact it is often absurdly funny, the question seems to be whether you are up for taking the plunge and seeing where the game decides to take you. Time will yet tell if the ideas will dry up, or whether the ending will provide a satisfactory conclusion to the groundwork laid so far. Certainly there is the possibility for it to all fall apart, but based on the Acts released so far this is a confident and intimately designed game with something to say, I just look forward to wherever the journey takes me next.