I thought this was going to be a fun, enjoyable video game. It is not. A lot what they talk about, like XANADU, is real. This is real stuff that happened in computer science history, like browsing the internet “a single line of text at a time”. If you are one of the few looking for an opportunity to learn about the history of computers in the most off-handed, yet user-friendly way possible, then this is for you.It is a story about how the extremely hard-to-navigate information superhighway of the 60s, 70s, and 80s became the internet. If you’re looking for more, look into how Marc Andreessen developed Mosaic.

I’ve never really had a piece of interactive media that felt so right to me. I play a bit, pause, but I always come back to it, wondering what’s happening next. I see myself in Ezra, Conway, Shannon, Junebug, etc. I can just sit for minutes sinking into the ambience. There are scenes when I’m supposed to be clicking on something to advance but I don’t realize it because I’m content just sitting there and looking and being present. For someone with ADHD who usually plays hyper stimulating games like Valorant or League, that’s saying something.

This game is an emotional exploration into capitalism and loss, with a touch of authentic Americana. It’s really more of an art piece, like a play, than it is a typical video game. Definitely not for everyone, but if you’re into obscure games that tell a bigger story, this is for you. It’s been months since I finished the final chapter and I still find myself thinking back to this story and its characters often. It’s a low poly masterpiece that makes you sympathize with faceless protagonists, and the music is phenomenally dreamy yet sad.

Five Stars for this favorite game. Amazing how such a deceptively simple game can fire curiosity and wonder in a Twilight Zone-like atmosphere. Replays are rewarded with dialog choices that may or may not affect the story, but also lend a wonderful sense of life. Unfortunately, I’ll likely never play the mobile version since I’m not about to purchase a Netflix subscriptions just to play KRZ away from home. Zero stars for that feature —and I so wanted to see how the text dialog boxes were handled on mobile . . .