This game feels like a perfect encapsulation of humans longing for other worlds, escapism. The way the world establishes itself, a place forgotten by the rest of the world. Moving at a slower pace. I felt and continue to feel the rewards that this game provides. There's truly no better way to describe it than as you said in the video, it feels like a long, beautiful, exhilarating dream. I find myself thinking about this game so regularly, it just latched onto a portion of my subconscious and never left. I imagine this is what the first enjoyers of literature and art felt like, it just felt so real, as if that barrier that always exists between people and what we create had been lifted. I wish there was more like it, I wish I could experience the sound, the atmosphere, the life of this game for the first time again. Truly one of the most incredible and underrated works of art I've ever been able to witness.
As someone who's tried to get a lot of people into KRZ for years, I think I am going to just send them this video in future attempts. It will likely have much more success. Great revisitation, makes me want to crack open the PS4 physical collector's edition I got.
Thanks man! It's a game I often quote to non-gamer friends when making the case for games as an art form. I've tried and failed many times too :') currently trying the "free on your iPad!" method for Netflix people
Kentucky Route Zero is a very special game to me. It's my favorite game of all time, in large part because I find it so incredibly meaningful. It makes very worthwhile statements throughout on some heavy topics like the oppressive nature of debt and both the continuity and brevity of life. But it never beats you over the head with its messaging. It's woven throughout the experience in subtle ways, creating a subconscious impression that only became evident to me in a conscious way as I reflected on the game after finishing it. Kentucky Route Zero is the only game that I think everyone should play at some point, because it's not just about having a good time or escaping into a fantasy. It's about examining our own lives through the journey these characters embark upon.
Thanks for the video, love this game. This is one from few games I will never forget and I play them once a year. And it's sad that I could never feel again, how I played it first time. The last episode and whole game rework they made is kinda controversial for me. But after second playthrough, I started to understand, why they did it.
@@GamingInTheWild If I remember well, they added few passages into existing scenes and made few small changes. Tha last episode took few years to release, people was even thinking they cancel it. So I started the game from the beginning and the feeling was little bit differnet.
Wonderful video! I think I may just play this next! I like a lot of ambient games that are quite similar. I suppose some may have pacing that is a bit better. This does remind me a bit of Norco for some reason
Yeah man I could do a 17 hour deep dive easily, but RUclips stats show that most people like 7 minute videos. Check out the podcast backlog for more long form discussion!
I was one of those people that funded this at the start, so having been drip-fed the content over nearly a decade was left feeling somewhat frustrated and disappointed. It felt like it was a project that was only grudgingly finished rather than joyfully created. But of course, that was only _my_ feeling about the game at the time. So, when it was finally done in 2020 I intentionally held off finishing the final chapter, waiting for some point in the future when I felt compelled to go back and experience the game in full, perhaps with a fresher perspective. I loved that this existed, love that it exists, but I can't quite shake the feeling that it never quite lived up to its potential. Perhaps my opinion will soften after that revisit finally happens. John, did you ever try _KID A MNESIA EXHIBITION_ ?
Interesting that you say grudgingly finished, I was impressed by how episodes three and four got bigger, longer, and more ambitious! I felt the opposite, that they had more budget to work with and so were able to go further every time. The final episode is more of a postscript than a finale in that sense, but I felt it tied things up well. I think it's important to note that this game started its life as an art piece, and so its intentions and strategies as far as entertaining or hooking or rewarding the player are very, very different to most things. It's almost like a magic eye picture... you have to relax your eyes before it comes into view...
@@GamingInTheWild I broadly agree with everything you've written and I'm generally all in on odd/interactive art pieces, but KRZ was my first and last Kickstarter experience and I guess I haven't yet shaken my feelings about how it was rolled out. Like I said, perhaps one day I'll go back and have a wonderful experience with it. In case you're not aware, _KID A_ is free on the Epic Store and if you're at all interested in art and music I think it's well worth an hour or two (in VR or not).
I can understand that, honestly - it's very slow and long. It took me a moment to tune into its frequency for sure. It's different to most games in some pretty big ways, one of which is that it's not always trying to reward or entertain. If you do play again, play at night, with the lights down and the sound up, and try to slow down your mind to it's pace :)
This game feels like a perfect encapsulation of humans longing for other worlds, escapism. The way the world establishes itself, a place forgotten by the rest of the world. Moving at a slower pace. I felt and continue to feel the rewards that this game provides. There's truly no better way to describe it than as you said in the video, it feels like a long, beautiful, exhilarating dream. I find myself thinking about this game so regularly, it just latched onto a portion of my subconscious and never left. I imagine this is what the first enjoyers of literature and art felt like, it just felt so real, as if that barrier that always exists between people and what we create had been lifted. I wish there was more like it, I wish I could experience the sound, the atmosphere, the life of this game for the first time again. Truly one of the most incredible and underrated works of art I've ever been able to witness.
As someone who's tried to get a lot of people into KRZ for years, I think I am going to just send them this video in future attempts. It will likely have much more success. Great revisitation, makes me want to crack open the PS4 physical collector's edition I got.
Thanks man! It's a game I often quote to non-gamer friends when making the case for games as an art form. I've tried and failed many times too :') currently trying the "free on your iPad!" method for Netflix people
Kentucky Route Zero is a very special game to me. It's my favorite game of all time, in large part because I find it so incredibly meaningful. It makes very worthwhile statements throughout on some heavy topics like the oppressive nature of debt and both the continuity and brevity of life. But it never beats you over the head with its messaging. It's woven throughout the experience in subtle ways, creating a subconscious impression that only became evident to me in a conscious way as I reflected on the game after finishing it.
Kentucky Route Zero is the only game that I think everyone should play at some point, because it's not just about having a good time or escaping into a fantasy. It's about examining our own lives through the journey these characters embark upon.
Thanks for the video, love this game. This is one from few games I will never forget and I play them once a year. And it's sad that I could never feel again, how I played it first time. The last episode and whole game rework they made is kinda controversial for me. But after second playthrough, I started to understand, why they did it.
Oh interesting, were there changes to previous episodes in the TV Edition? I only played it when it was complete.
@@GamingInTheWild If I remember well, they added few passages into existing scenes and made few small changes. Tha last episode took few years to release, people was even thinking they cancel it. So I started the game from the beginning and the feeling was little bit differnet.
Wonderful video! I think I may just play this next! I like a lot of ambient games that are quite similar. I suppose some may have pacing that is a bit better. This does remind me a bit of Norco for some reason
Thanks! Yeah I think Norco is definitely a post-KRZ game. "Ambient games" is a great term, like that a lot
While I played this, I kept thinking, this is like a Scott McClanahan story adapted to a video game, just a bit more fantastical.
Nice, I haven't read any of his stuff for quite a while! Good shout.
Loving your content!
Thanks Thor, appreciate it!
Maybe it's not an in-depth review but you should include "outside of the box" things like recorded show welp tv
Yeah man I could do a 17 hour deep dive easily, but RUclips stats show that most people like 7 minute videos. Check out the podcast backlog for more long form discussion!
I was one of those people that funded this at the start, so having been drip-fed the content over nearly a decade was left feeling somewhat frustrated and disappointed. It felt like it was a project that was only grudgingly finished rather than joyfully created. But of course, that was only _my_ feeling about the game at the time. So, when it was finally done in 2020 I intentionally held off finishing the final chapter, waiting for some point in the future when I felt compelled to go back and experience the game in full, perhaps with a fresher perspective. I loved that this existed, love that it exists, but I can't quite shake the feeling that it never quite lived up to its potential. Perhaps my opinion will soften after that revisit finally happens. John, did you ever try _KID A MNESIA EXHIBITION_ ?
Interesting that you say grudgingly finished, I was impressed by how episodes three and four got bigger, longer, and more ambitious! I felt the opposite, that they had more budget to work with and so were able to go further every time. The final episode is more of a postscript than a finale in that sense, but I felt it tied things up well. I think it's important to note that this game started its life as an art piece, and so its intentions and strategies as far as entertaining or hooking or rewarding the player are very, very different to most things. It's almost like a magic eye picture... you have to relax your eyes before it comes into view...
@@GamingInTheWild I broadly agree with everything you've written and I'm generally all in on odd/interactive art pieces, but KRZ was my first and last Kickstarter experience and I guess I haven't yet shaken my feelings about how it was rolled out. Like I said, perhaps one day I'll go back and have a wonderful experience with it. In case you're not aware, _KID A_ is free on the Epic Store and if you're at all interested in art and music I think it's well worth an hour or two (in VR or not).
Thanks, I'll check it out!
Kentucky Route Zero was a game i tried but failed to grasp or find joy in. Maybe someday i give it another go
I can understand that, honestly - it's very slow and long. It took me a moment to tune into its frequency for sure. It's different to most games in some pretty big ways, one of which is that it's not always trying to reward or entertain. If you do play again, play at night, with the lights down and the sound up, and try to slow down your mind to it's pace :)
I played it. It can get super duper trooper boring at times as the scenes are too dragged, but the overall story makes it all worth it...
I didn't find it boring, but there is a lot to read :)