Kentucky Route Zero's point-and-click poetry explained for newcomers

I adore Kentucky Route Zero. Likewise, I adore the pieces on this site that discuss it. Alec's review in particular is incredibly articulate, goes into a lot of depth, and comes from a place of passion for the game. The discussion of Kentucky Route Zero generally, however, can be somewhat overwhelming to trawl through as a newcomer, and in order to fully take in much of what Alec Meer and others have written about Cardboard Computer’s point-and-click interactive fiction, you’d have to pour yourself a cup of relaxing peppermint tea and set aside a whole day of reading, like I did.

I'm one of those relative newcomers who was able to experience Kentucky Route Zero for the first time in its entirety, all its acts and intermissions as one complete package. But not everyone has as much time to invest themselves in something without knowing for sure if it’ll be their jam. So, I wanted my video review for the Rock Paper Shotgun YouTube channel to showcase both the surface-level and the subliminal of Kentucky Route Zero, in a way that might act as a good first step for those who are curious but unsure about all it has to offer.

I’ve done my best to avoid any major spoilers, with a focus on the fifth and final act, which you’ll only see two short clips of in the video. Likewise, I’ve tried to omit any big clues about Kentucky Route Zero’s story throughout its other four acts, just in case you’re one of the people who haven’t tried it at all yet. For an incredibly recent addition to my life, I have a lot of love for Kentucky Route Zero. I hope that if you’re curious about giving it a go but need some convincing, this video does that for you, because I’d love for you to love it too.