Notes From Along Kentucky Route Zero [Spoilers]

This is a video review and critique of Cardboard Computer's groundbreaking work of surrealist Americana, Kentucky Route Zero. It attempts to describe a game that makes a herculean effort to thwart description. To do so, I try to go through some of the main themes and artisitic methodologies present in the work and try to argue that even the weirdest things in this game deserve to be there. Maybe especially the weirdest things. Spoilers throughout.
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If you enjoyed this video and want to contribute to the production of others like it, please consider donating through the crowdfunding website Patreon: / noahcaldwellgervais

[@dc526]

as a recovering academic i am profoundly grateful for this video

[@pissqueendanniella4688]

"perpetually home sick for a place I've never been" this quote has and continues to haunt me

[@VDAband]

The ending of act 5 had me bawling like a baby, and I've never really been able to articulate why. This video does an excellent job of it.

[@jehutydark6658]

4 minutes into this video I decided I needed to play this game. I'll watch the rest after, whenever that is.

[@charlieni645]

It is a cliche but this game really feels personal to me. I played it earlier this year during the months prior to being forced to leave the US, the country I had called home for 8 years, because COVID took away the job that kept me legal in the country. I got around midway through Act 4 and just couldn't go on any more. I gave it up for the exact reason I love it. The game's portrayal of average people being swept away by forces out of their control through a distinctively off-Broadway theatre lens juxtapose the mundane and ubiquitous nature in this experience in the grand scheme and its farcical theatricality for the individuals going through it. When the main crew found themselves literally drifting down a river, hoping to be back on track but only running into other drifters, the game ceased to be a distraction or escapism for me and I found myself having no more headspace for it when the last shred of stability was swept away right under me.

[@hemangchauhan2864]

I never wanted anyone other than you to cover this game.

[@kameronlavender1478]

Shits been depressing recently, thank you for the easy evening listening.

[@drakoz254]

I'm here from an errant comment in Jacob Geller's "the future of writing on games" and I could not be more excited for this new video! :)

[@kateroca8297]

the way you described the end of act v put me right back into the moment i finished the game myself. the feeling of loss and sadness for not only The Neighbors, but for Conway, Americana, and all the other little tragedies of the game overwhelmed me. as the chorus joined into that final hymn, i found myself crying for all of this but i also felt like i was mourning the end of an era of my own life. i had recently graduated into the worst job market i could imagine and with all my job prospects dried up, i packed what i could onto the back of my bike and embarked on a solo tour that would last me a month. i had been playing kentucky route zero throughout my journey and, perhaps poetically, i played the final chapter on my final day of this trip. so when the final chorus of I'm Going That Way hit, it hit me hard. the stories in this game were coming to an end and a huge chapter in my own life had come to an end; in that moment i couldn't really say why i was crying, but you summed it up really nicely in the video: the developers managed to wordlessly convey a specific tone, mood, emotion, feeling that is so specific but that could not possibly be put into words. the poetry of this game and of that moment in particular is incredible.

[@megamike15]

krz does show why the whole " if you want a story read a book." mind set is short sighted. there are just some stories that can only be told in a video game format.

[@Ixrec]

"It's a diss on the player that has to trickle down through, like, seven layers of academic pretense to reach you, it's amazing" might be my new favorite line in any video essay.

[@slimkt]

I remember watching a playthrough of KRZ’s first act when it first came out and being intrigued, but because of the wait time in between acts and interludes, it slowly faded from my mind. Nearly a decade later, I paused this video at

[@arcfire1589]

...and for the next hour and 15 minutes, life is perfect with Noahs sweet voice, a cool night and a lawn chair, i'm released from all of the stresses and sadness fo quarantine. On behalf of every single one of the 140,000 people, thank you Noah, for the beautiful content that makes my day.

[@sydneycarton3423]

Noah: "I'm feeling self-conscious about a drop in the quality of my work and I'm feeling obligated to explain myself to my supporters."

[@RunawayDanish]

"Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike, we've all come to look for America"

[@tian5864]

Okay you convinced me. I'll be back once I finish the game

[@bioarv111]

Oh my god. YES! You cannot imagine how happy I am now that you covered this beautiful, beautiful sad gem. Thank you. This means a lot.

[@sultansuleiman8507]

Noah, after watching yet another excellent video (you never fail to disappoint in the quality of your retrospectives) and reading your Patreon update in full, I think it's important more now than ever to express the long-lasting support which I've had for you and your content. In the RUclips landscape of banality and lackluster critical skills, your videos have always stood out as complete exceptions to everything I and many others expect of the usual gaming critique video. You've been far too hard on yourself recently, and I understand that the pressures of work and life, and your admirable need to feel accountable to your viewers, has taken a toll on you, but know that on this commune of the internet there's no shortage of petty critics and empty castigation for the sake of it. Keep doing what you're doing, and know that all the financial and community support that we put behind you is entirely voluntary, and that we expect you to work at your own pace and do whatever you like. I personally as a fan of you and your work demand nothing of you but to be yourself and do what you like, and I'm sure many others agree. Know that, regardless of where your self-destined creative or personal trajectory takes you, you will always have a pool of support because we recognize your talent and the special distinction with which your videos stand as works on game criticism and analysis.

[@callderr]

I've been a fan of the Slyvia Plath quote "Yes, my consuming desire is to mingle with road crews, sailors and soldiers, barroom regulars-to be a part of a scene, anonymous, listening, recording..." for a while. To me KRZ was a great embodiment of this.

[@culases]

This is the best video essay I've ever seen. It's sparked many interesting conversations between me and my friends, and stuck with me through the days since I've watched it. Thank you so much for putting everything you have into something that has undeniably reached people!