Jim Squires

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to play a game inside a dream? That's exactly what Kentucky Route Zero feels like. Everything is normal, except it's not. Everything makes sense, except it doesn't. Context ceases to apply. Every bit of strangeness is met with a mix of hesitation and acceptance.You're in an office building that seems to be both inside and outside simultaneously. The third floor is populated solely by bears. Yet all the while, business as usual is being conducted. People are at their desks. Proposals are being looked over. There's a receptionist who insists you jump through the necessary red tape before seeing someone. Moments like this are what Kentucky Route Zero is made of: that strange sense that lives inside of dreams, where no matter how fantastic the elements at play may seem in retrospect, they're merely unsettling at the time - like puzzle pieces that don't quite fit.It helps that you're not the only one that feels this way. Conway and Shannon, the game's protagonists, seem to share this mixed sense of unease and acceptance. And as unsettling as it all is, it's also quite beautiful. Kentucky Route Zero is a game that capture a familiar feeling that I've never seen another medium successful recreate. I suppose the closest comparison might be a David Lynch film, but even those fall short by comparison.