Category: Student Posts

This wasn’t really a game. Or was it? After taking this class, I’ve had to change my criteria for what I consider a game and what I don’t. But for now, let’s just put it this way: Interactive storytelling produces the same effect as games do. It’s what Kentucky Route Zero does too. If you think that all you have to do is click on a screen and read the texts, you’re wrong. The game involves a lot of decision-making as well. You control Conway’s character. You take him in the direction you want, you choose what objects and characters to interact with, and you also choose not just his dialogues, but at times, the dialogues of other in-game characters.

On another note, I’ve never played a game with a truck driver as the protagonist. It was an exciting to play as a trucker going on an adventure with his dog. My favorite part was being able to choose a name for the dog. It’s like having your own dog in the game. Other than that, I’ll be honest about not having enjoyed this game. It was really confusing and frustrating at the same time. There was no real goal, or even if there was, I’ll have to admit that I didn’t understand it. This game went right past me. It felt like I was trying to dig out a rock out of a rock using another rock. It’s possible but it’s ridiculously overwhelming.

In the middle of playing Act II, I had almost forgotten the mission of Conway and the group. Conway is simply a delivery man, trying to ship his company’s product, yet, he has gone through a lot of struggle to be doing something very simple. He even almost lost his own life and is currently hurt, really bad. I am surprised that he continues on this journey. For him, it must not be about the money. It is out of the knowledge of the game, but it highly unlucky Conway’s company provides health and security insurance for him and his troubles. The misunderstanding of the Doctor’s delivery address is a huge error that caused many unnecessary problems.

Kentucky Route Zero (KRZ) feels as much a game of fantasy as it is a game of realism. From the original setting of Kentucky to the imaginary underground highway of the zero, the game does a great job of incorporating two wildly contrasting ideas into one narrative, creating a game laced with real meaning but displayed in symbolic ways.

The most striking thing I noticed in KR0 is the visuals and disorientation of space. Even though the art seems minimalistic, there is still impeccable attention to detail that helps engulf the audience into the world of Kentucky (but also not-Kentucky). In the same way, the art also adds an element of “unrealness” that makes oddities like Julian seem feasible. Overall, the art contributes to the sense of uncertainty I felt throughout Act I and II. It was very difficult to gauge where exactly I was, especially after entering the Zero. It’s never really clear whether Conway and Shannon are inside or outside of whatever space they occupy, and to me this is a purposeful choice of the game. I feel that it doesn’t really matter what the place is; what matters to the game are the stories, stories of the people and their inability to find answers to problems.

Whether it’s the actual Zero itself, the Bureau of Reclaimed Spaces, or the Museum of Dwellings, there is a constant theme of lack of meaning, and a feeling of being lost. All of these places that I travel through make it difficult to understand the purpose of it all: why do I care about these places if all I want to do is deliver an antique to Dogwood Drive? It feels like this game is trying to emit some meaning to me that I am failing to grasp. Whether it’s some symbolic representation of a failed American Dream (think Julian displacing occupants from the museum… he’s a freaking eagle, nice symbolism) or perhaps some existential look on the journey through life, I feel like any meaning attributed is both correct and incorrect, which leads me to believe the real theme of the game is the theme of uncertainty and “meaninglessness”.

Kentucky Route Zero blends elements of the role-playing game (RPG) genre and traditional point and click adventure games. Yet there is an ethereal quality pervasive throughout the game; motifs, patterns, and various symbols that denote a sense of disconnection and detachment with the real world. The game, while possessing a linear narrative, gives the illusion of choice and player freedom by presenting multiple dialogue options. The meeting with Shannon, for instance, represents a sort of break from Conway’s cyclical, working life as both characters end up spelunking through a mine. Dialogue options seemed tangential and sometimes not even remotely related to the current event unfolding, emphasizing the dream-like nature of the game.

After playing Act I, Act II seems much more like a puzzle. By walking around, exploring, talking to people, and interacting with the environment, it makes it seem more like a role-playing game than I felt in the first part, but I still felt a disconnect from the character. I didn’t feel like I was fully in control because there was a loss of identification. It was frustrating how I felt like I was traveling in circles, but then I would end up somewhere different than I anticipated. Also, it was difficult because it had been a while since we played Act 1 and I forgot the purpose and my goal, which was apparently to deliver a package.

To me, there doesn’t seem to be a specific theme in Kentucky Route Zero. The whole purpose of the game is to get something delivered to 5 Dogwood Drive, and in order to get to this address, you need to ask so many people who don’t really give you useful advice. Why is getting to this address so important? What package is so important that you need to deliver a TV, enter a mine shaft, and get your leg broken??? It’s so frustrating how there are some parts where you’re on the right path to finding out more about 5 Dogwood Drive, but it always leads to a dead end. Managed to find Lula who lived on Dogwood Drive at one point in her life? There were many Dogwood Drives and the Dogwood Drive she lived on, along with the other Dogwood Drives (except for Conway’s) were renamed. Went with Shannon to look in the bureau’s records? Nothing on the one remaining Dogwood Drive. It doesn’t seem like you’re progressing at all in this game.

Image from Flickr user K putt

I didn’t really see any cohesive connection between the two acts which was very confusing when I first started act II because I couldn’t quite figure out how we got to that office building/cathedral. I like the mystery aspects of the game like that Shannon’s cousin I think is a ghost and the museum that is supposed to be where the doctors house is, what’s that all about? Something else I thought was interesting about the game was that no matter what response you chose to say, the outcome was always the same. For example, if you chose not to disclose that your leg was pinned it would still somehow end up that Shannon would mention your leg being pinned anyways. Also why does no one know how to explain how to drive on the Zero? They all live or work along that road but can’t seem to give clear directions to anywhere along it. I honestly thought the game was a little confusing but maybe that’s because we took such a long break in between acts that I forgot the purpose of the game or maybe there isn’t a purpose. I’m into the mystery of the game but don’t really get the point.

After playing Part II, I have concluded that Kentucky Route Zero is intentionally dismissing meaning. In Part II, the lines between what is actually happening in game and what is imagined blur into a mixture that further obscures the objective of the game. During the journey, Conway doesn’t exactly know where he is going or why he is going, simply that he feels some sense of urgency or need to travel. For example, Conway encounters those that are busy doing work whether it be in an office at an abandoned church or at a church in a storage facility. In both the case of the office and the congregation, it is not exactly clear what is being accomplished by working. The office has no logos or mission statements that are dead giveaway as to what people are doing sitting at desks looking busy. The janitor at the church in the storage facility plays recording of preachers and holds services when there is no one to partake in the ceremony. Kentucky Route Zero implies that work doesn’t have any meaning at all and at best work is done for the sake of progress toward….?