History VideoGame / KentuckyRouteZero

* Mindscrew: A number of things in the game, notably the nature of [spoiler:5 Dogwood Drive. It little more then the the 3d outline of a house that apparently appeared during the night]. No explanation is ever given and nobody finds it terribly odd.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/krz.png]]

A MagicRealism mix of AdventureGame, InteractiveFiction, and ChooseYourOwnAdventure, ''Kentucky Route Zero'' is an episodic game developed by Cardboard Computer for PC. The game was first revealed in Website/{{Kickstarter}}, and ran a successful campaign, followed by a trailer and the first act's release in January 7, 2013. The fna and fifth Act released in January 28, 2020 alongside the ''TV Edition'', a "definitive edition" containing all the acts and interludes, released also on consoles. The game marks the intersection between the AdventureGame and Midwestern ghost stories. This ain't your traditional, freaky GhostStory, mind--this one's more of a kind to make you sit back, and think about your life.

A MagicRealism mix of AdventureGame, InteractiveFiction, and ChooseYourOwnAdventure, ''Kentucky Route Zero'' is an episodic game developed by Cardboard Computer for PC. The game was first revealed in Website/{{Kickstarter}}, and ran a successful campaign, followed by a trailer and the first act's release in January 7, 2013. The fna and fifth Act released in January 28, 2020, alongside the console release dubbed ''TV Edition''. The game marks the intersection between the AdventureGame and Midwestern ghost stories. This ain't your traditional, freaky GhostStory, mind--this one's more of a kind to make you sit back, and think about your life.

A MagicRealism mix of AdventureGame, InteractiveFiction, and ChooseYourOwnAdventure, ''Kentucky Route Zero'' is an episodic game for developed by Cardboard Computer, currently for personal computers, but with a ''TV Edition'' in the works for home consoles. The game was first revealed in Website/{{Kickstarter}}, and ran a successful campaign, followed by a trailer and the first act's release in January 7, 2013. So far, 4 out of a planned 5 acts have been released, with Act V set to release on January 28, 2020, alongside the ''TV Edition''. The game marks the intersection between the AdventureGame and Midwestern ghost stories. This ain't your traditional, freaky GhostStory, mind--this one's more of a kind to make you sit back, and think about your life.

** There's a floor at the Bureau of Unclaimed Spaces marked "Bears". Going to it reveals a floor full of actual, living Bears just sitting there. It is never remarked upon in any way and cannot be interacted with(nor do the bears do anything but turn their heads towards you). This is in what an oddly designed and located but otherwise normal office building.

** There's a floor at the Bureau of Unclaimed Spaces marked "Bears". Going to it reveals a floor full of actual, living Bears just sitting there. It is never remarked upon in any way and cannot be interacted with(nor do the bears do anything but turn their heads towards you).

A MagicRealism mix of AdventureGame, InteractiveFiction, and ChooseYourOwnAdventure, ''Kentucky Route Zero'' is an episodic game for developed by Cardboard Computer, currently for personal computers, but with a ''TV Edition'' in the works for home consoles. The game was first revealed in Website/{{Kickstarter}}, and ran a successful campaign, followed by a trailer and the first act's release in January 7, 2013. So far, 4 out of a planned 5 acts have been released, with Act V set to release on January 28, 2020. The game marks the intersection between the AdventureGame and Midwestern ghost stories. This ain't your traditional, freaky GhostStory, mind--this one's more of a kind to make you sit back, and think about your life.

A MagicRealism mix of AdventureGame, InteractiveFiction, and ChooseYourOwnAdventure, ''Kentucky Route Zero'' an episodic game developed by Cardboard Computer. The game was first revealed in Kickstarter, and ran a successful campaign, followed by a trailer and the first act's release in January 7, 2013. So far, 4 out of a planned 5 acts have been released. The game marks the intersection between the AdventureGame and Midwestern ghost stories. This ain't your traditional, freaky GhostStory, mind--this one's more of a kind to make you sit back, and think about your life.

Conway is a humble deliveryman, working for an antique store delivering good-quality old stuff to those who want it. He's driving through the long Kentucky night, with only his old, straw-hat-wearing dog for company. He's got a shipment to deliver to someplace called "Dogwood Drive." He doesn't know how to get there, and it's not on any maps. Shannon is the child of a mining family. She repairs [=TVs=] in the back of a bait shop to make ends meet. Her family's been suffering financial troubles since the mine closed down. Joseph, the man at the gas station, says the way to Dogwood is to take the Zero - the one and only route that goes under Kentucky.

** An optional one - you can make Conway respond to all questions about his job by saying "It's better than being in a ditch."
** Another optional one - when you make Conway inquire about other characters hobbies and whatnot "[field of study, e.g. topology]. Ok."

->''You've got to walk''\\
''That lonesome valley''\\
''You've got to walk it by yourself''\\
''There's no one here''\\
''That can go there with you''\\
''You've got to go there by yourself...''

** Among other things, Johnny and Junebug are robots(although extremely human ones). No one ever comments on this.

A MagicRealism mix of AdventureGame, InteractiveFiction, and ChooseYourOwnAdventure, ''Kentucky Route Zero'' an episodic game developed by Cardboard Computer. The game was first revealed in Kickstarter, and ran a successful campaign, followed bya trailer and the first act's release in January 7, 2013.So far, 4 out of a planned 5 acts have been released. The game marks the intersection between the AdventureGame and Midwestern ghost stories. This ain't your traditional, freaky GhostStory, mind--this one's more of a kind to make you sit back, and think about your life.

A MagicRealism mix of AdventureGame, InteractiveFiction, and ChooseYourOwnAdventure, ''Kentucky Route Zero'' an episodic game developerd by developed by Cardboard Computer. The game was first revealed in Kickstarter, and ran a successful campaign, followed bya trailer and the first act's release in January 7, 2013.So far, 4 out of a planned 5 acts have been released. The game marks the intersection between the AdventureGame and Midwestern ghost stories. This ain't your traditional, freaky GhostStory, mind--this one's more of a kind to make you sit back, and think about your life.

[[quoteright:346:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/KenttuckyRouteZero_142.JPG]]

This game marks the intersection between the AdventureGame and Midwestern ghost stories. This ain't your traditional JumpScare-driven, intentionally freaky GhostStory, mind--this one's more of a kind to [[ArtGame make you sit back, and think about your life]].

Conway is a humble deliveryman, working for an antique store delivering good-quality old stuff to those who want it. He's driving through the long Kentucky night, with only his old, straw-hat-wearing dog for company. He's got a shipment to deliver to someplace called "Dogwood Drive." He doesn't know how to get there, and it's not on any maps.

Shannon is the child of a mining family. She repairs [=TVs=] in the back of a bait shop to make ends meet. Her family's been suffering financial troubles since the mine closed down.

Joseph, the man at the gas station, says the way to Dogwood is to take the Zero - the one and only route that goes under Kentucky.

A mixed bag of AdventureGame, InteractiveFiction, and ChooseYourOwnAdventure, ''Kentucky Route Zero'' is a production by Cardboard Games. So far, 4 out of a planned 5 chapters have been released.

!!Trope Examples:

* SmallReferencePools: Averted strongly! As [[http://superlevel.de/spiele/indie-spiele/kentucky-fried-zero-english-edition/ these]] [[http://superlevel.de/spiele/indie-spiele/kentucky-fried-zero-act-2-english-edition/ three]] [[https://superlevel.de/spiele/indie/kentucky-fried-zero-act-3-english-edition/ essays]] point out, KRZ takes inspiration from and makes reference to the American theatrical and literary canon and history well outside the average gamer's knowledge base.

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: The side character [[https://openartsphilly.com/articles/who-lula-chamberlin Lula Chamberlain]] was an obscure real life avante-garde artist from Kentucky. The first interlude, Limits and Demonstrations is a virtual exhibit of her work.

* CelebrityParadox: One of the side games released between acts shows a production of a play called ''The Entertainment'' with set design by Lula Chamberlain. In the beginning of Act 3 a scene set directly in the aftermath of the play occurs with Johnny and Junebug turning out to be the titular entertainment. The trope comes into play when Lula Chamberlain herself shows up later in the same act.

* CelebrityParadox: One of the side games released between acts shows a production of a play called “The Entertainment” with set design by Lula Chamberlain. In the beginning of Act 3 a scene set directly in the aftermath of the play occurs with Johnny and Junebug turning out to be the titular entertainment. The trope comes into play when Lula Chamberlain herself shows up later in the same act.

* CelebrityParadox: One of the side games released between seasons shows a production of a play called “The Entertainment” with set design by Lula Chamberlain. In the beginning of Act 3 a scene set directly in the aftermath of the play occurs with Johnny and Junebug turning out to be the titular entertainment. The trope comes into play when Lula Chamberlain herself shows up later in the same act.

** Shannon's last name is a reference to Creator/GabrielGarciaMarquez, as is the name Remedios, shared with a character from his novel ''OneHundredYearsOfSolitude''.

* VisualPun: Act III begins [[spoiler: with Conway's leg glowing and skeletal as a visual metaphor for the monetary debt he's just accumulated. Later in the Hard Times distillery everyone is a glowing skeleton due to their debt and there's some clear hell metaphor going on. At the beginning of Act III Conway has one foot in the grave.]]

* Improv: All the player agency and gameplay is meant to be analogous to acting in a semi-improvisational play, changing the order of actions, dialogue, etc.