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This is the end of 'Kentucky Route Zero'
Kentucky Route Zero ends with a funeral. It's a beautiful sight. The ceremony is in front of a towering dilapidated barn that serves as the anchor for a pastoral artists' community buried deep in the Kentucky woods. The setting sun bathes the town in gold as residents gather around a mound of dirt and an open hole, sharing haunting poetry and a song about the two bodies inside. Everyone calls them The Neighbors.
Kentucky Route Zero Act 3 out now, season pass 25% off
Chicago-based developer Cardboard Computer has launched the latest installment for its mysterious adventure game, Kentucky Route Zero. The latest episode is the third act of five, the final two of which are expected to arrive "throughout the next year or so," according to the game's site. Season passes for the game are currently 25 percent off ($18.74) through Steam and the Humble widget on Cardboard Computer's site, and will stay discounted until Tuesday, May 13. Described as a "a magical realist adventure game," Kentucky Route Zero follows the people that travel a "secret highway in the caves beneath Kentucky." The first episode launched in January 2013, one month before its arrival on Steam, followed by Act 2 in late May 2013. Cardboard Computer originally anticipated a three-month span between each episode, previously pegging its finale for January of this year. The developer earned $8,583 on Kickstarter in February 2011 to fund the game. [Image: Cardboard Computer]
Kentucky Route Zero half off today and tomorrow on Steam
Deal alert: Cardboard Computer's Greenlight-approved adventure game Kentucky Route Zero is available for 50 percent off of its regular price on Steam through today and tomorrow. Buyers receive instant access to the game's first two acts, along with three additional chapters that are planned for release over the next year. A DRM-free version of Kentucky Route Zero (which includes a Steam key) is also half off this week at the Humble Store.
Kentucky Route Zero 'Act 2' delayed to mid-May
"Our goal for Act 2 has been to release it by the end of April," a monthly newsletter sent to Kentucky Route Zero players notes, before announcing the second episode of the five-part series has been pushed to mid-May. No exact release date has been specified. Developer Cardboard Computer says that "exciting but unexpected work" setting up the adventure game's distribution, troubleshooting issues for users, and venturing to the IGF have forced the team to push the release of the second act by a few weeks. "It's looking really good though, and we're anxious to have it out in the world." To tease the release, Cardboard Computer will be posting "a small/weird screenshot from Act 2" on its Twitter and Facebook pages daily, the first of which is available above. Kentucky Route Zero launched its first act in January 2013, before finding its way on Steam in February. For more on the game that looks out of this world, make sure to read Joystiq's detailed Indie Pitch feature with the developer.%Gallery-187239%
Kentucky Route Zero episode 2 due in April, tragic finale set for January
Kentucky Route Zero's second episode is due out in April, developers Jake Elliott and Tamas Kemenczy of Cardboard Computer tell Joystiq at GDC. Elliott and Kemenczy announced plans to release each episode on a rolling, three-month schedule back in October, and they're standing by that goal. This puts the final episode of Kentucky Route Zero out in January 2014, one year after the launch of episode one."It's pretty aggressive, but I think we've got our workflow down so well now that we feel good about it still," Elliott says.Kentucky Route Zero emphasizes the player as an actor, presenting choices that subtly impact gameplay and create unique experiences for each person. The mines in episode one, for example, clearly represent the importance of player input; it's possible to shoot straight through the dark passageways, or players can explore every tunnel and cranny. The second option triggers a scene directly following the mines – a scene that direct players will never see. Save files will transfer between episodes, Cardboard Computer confirms.Still, the game has a definitive finale, without any branching story paths or "good" and "bad" endings. And it's not a happy conclusion, at least for some characters."It's a tragedy," Elliott says. "The story's a tragedy, it's a tragic ending. Hopefully it won't be too bleak, but it's in that tradition." During his panel on Tuesday, Elliott presented a few works of inspiration: the classic Americana morbidity in Death of a Salesman and the Southern Gothic vibe from Flannery O'Connor.This ending will most likely take place within the drawling Southern universe that Kentucky Route Zero inhabits, complete with its introspective mood, superstitious overtones and twangy blues soundtrack. But at its heart, Kentucky Route Zero is a game about credit default swaps, payday loans, sub-prime mortgages and health insurance loopholes. Really."It's in there," Elliott says. "Those are the esoteric devices that express themselves in some of the situations that you do, these people who are dealing with all these credit problems, dealing with debt. Those are these things that, by design, are too mysterious and we can't understand them. In finance, they do that on purpose."
Kentucky Route Zero finds a road to Steam, on sale through March 1
Kentucky Route Zero, the stylish indie hit from the good people of Cardboard Computer, is now on Steam for PC, Mac and Linux. To celebrate, the game is 10 percent off through March 1, $22.50 for all five episodes when they are unlocked; currently the first episode is available and very much worth it.Those who purchased Kentucky Route Zero via the Humble Store can find a Steam key hanging out in their Humble download pages. The game is also on sale via the Humble Store through March 1, also for 10 percent off.Kentucky Route Zero is nominated for four awards in the 2013 IGF, including a nod for the Seumas McNally grand prize. The game itself is an intense, oddly creepy interactive narrative, with a foundation in something Cardboard Computer calls "magical realist adventure." Plus, it's really pretty.
The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Kentucky Route Zero
Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Jake Elliot and Tamas Kemenczy of Cardboard Computer discuss the mad horse race of artistic game development and IGF nominations with Kentucky Route Zero. What's your game called and what's it about?Kentucky Route Zero is game about exploring a secret highway in Kentucky that runs through Mammoth Cave, and meeting the unusual characters who live and work there. We call it a "magical realist adventure game." Like most magical realist literature, it blends realism and fantasy pretty evenly. Like most adventure games, it's focused on story and characterization over tests of skill.How did you find out about your IGF nods – including one for the Seumas McNally grand prize – and what was your reaction?We released the game the same Monday morning that the IGF finalist announcements were made, with very little sleep the whole weekend prior, so it's kind of a blur! We're really honored to be in such fine company. Some of the other finalists – particularly Anna Anthropy's Dys4ia and Richard Hofmeier's Cart Life – have been our favorite games of the last year or two, so it's very meaningful for us to be placed alongside them in the IGF this year.
Kentucky Route Zero's quasi-demo, Limits and Demonstrations, is free
Limits and Demonstrations offers a brief, introspective glimpse into the anomaly of IGF finalist Kentucky Route Zero, via a free download for Windows, Mac and Linux. Developer Cardboard Computer calls Limits and Demonstrations "not exactly a prequel but directly related to some upcoming stuff," along with ties to small details in Act 1 of Kentrucky Route Zero.Limits and Demonstrations is a tour through an experimental museum, featuring work from fictional artist Lula Chamberlain, and demonstrating the more endearing aspects of Kentucky Route Zero's full game: namely the art style, dialogue and vague, psychological creep factor. Viewed as a demo, Cardboard Computer says that if Limits and Demonstrations runs on your PC or Mac, Kentucky Route Zero will too.If you have 10 minutes or so to spare, download Limits and Demonstrations for free right here.
IGF finalist Kentucky Route Zero is out now, looks out of this world
The first act of Kentucky Route Zero, finalist in this year's Independent Games Festival, is now available. Developed by Cardboard Computer, the adventure game tells the story of "a secret highway in the caves beneath Kentucky, and the mysterious folks who travel it." It's also very, very pretty.The game will be split into five acts. The first act is available now on PC and Mac, while the remaining four will be released "over the next year or so." All five acts can be purchased as a bundle for $25, with players getting access to acts 2 through 5 as they become available. The bundle also includes soundtrack MP3s and a monthly newsletter. Act 1 can be purchased individually for $7. All downloads are DRM-free, and a Linux version should be coming soon.Now, if you haven't already, watch that trailer.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Brain-shaped bulbs, houses that fly, and hydrogen bolts from the sky
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. This week Inhabitat showcased several hot new eco vehicles including the world's fastest plug-in hybrid and an insane screwdriver-powered tricycle that sends you flying through the streets headfirst. The field of alternative fuels also advanced by leaps and bounds as the U.S. Department of Energy announced a new breed of cost-effective biofuel and a team of researchers discovered a way to efficiently produce hydrogen from urine. From flying houses held up by balloons to skyscrapers that harvest energy from bolts of lightning, this week we also showcased some of the world's most incredible buildings. We were wowed by the futuristic finalists of the eVolo skyscraper competition, which included underwater spires made from plastic debris and massive megaprojects that contain entire cities. This week we also spotted several exciting new examples of green consumer tech - from a clever brain-shaped CFL bulb to ASUS' new line of cardboard computers to a wearable mix tape you can pin on your sleeve. We also celebrated the launch of Apple's latest tablet by rounding up 14 of the best eco-friendly iPad cases, sleeves and bags. Finally, we kicked off a contest where you can win a beautiful recycled leather iPad case from Dewdrop Designs, and we shared 11 chic travel essentials for jet-setters on the go.
