Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer – Biking while Moody

Kathy Rain is back. A bit older, but as sassy as ever. However, her sassiness has not done her any good. Her P.I. agency is failing due to lack of money, and her best friend Eileen is now estranged. While Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer continues the tale of the foulmouthed biker chick, things have changed over the years. Some for the better, most for the worse. I did enjoy the first game, except for the ending, which I thought came a little too fast and loose. So, will Kathy Rain 2 be a better experience, tying everything up satisfactorily, or will it face the same fate? Let’s dive in.

Serial killer
As mentioned, things are not looking good. But as luck will have it, Kathy’s mentor, and former colleague Lucas, contacts her about working together on a case. Kathy used to work under him, but wanted something of her own, so she struck out and created her own P.I. agency. The city of Kassidy, where both live and work, has been cursed by the brutal serial killer, the Soothsayer. The police are entirely stumped, and thanks to this, in what can be viewed as desperation, the mayor offers a bounty of two hundred thousand dollars as a reward for anyone that can unmask the killer. And what’s a better motivator, when you are about to live the life of a street nomad? So, with that, the investigation, and adventure of hunting down the butcher of Kassidy starts.

Even for being a serious case right from the beginning, it starts rather low-key, and expands gradually the further you unravel things. It has a nice feeling of escalation, with bigger and bigger stakes, as time goes on. A bonus that I really liked is that there is only one case, the serial killer assignment, specifically. Often games like this have multiple cases that eventually lead up to a big event, or with you finding a tangible link between everything you have spent investigating. The problem with this, is that every case feels small, since you have many to go through, seemingly disconnected from each other. And I’m so glad it’s not that situation here, which means all the characters you meet, and locations you visit are linked to the main premise of the game. It has the effect of feeling mechanically and narratively deep, with it connected to everything that happens in the story. Very refreshing!

However, with the risk of spoiling something minor (Warning!), the tale of the first game has a very strong attachment to the sequel. If you had issues with how the first Kathy Rain eventually turned out, it does feel like a repeat here. It was somewhat of a letdown to me. Another problem with how things end, is that I found it rushed, considering how slow and careful the buildup was up to that point. It just kinda happens, with a new character being introduced late that mostly exists just to be an exposition dump. A character that should have had a much bigger role, because of his background related to the in-world mythology.

Once again, the story felt intriguing, until it was time for everyone to show their hands, then it fell apart. Not fully, to be fair, but it felt strange to me how the exact issues I had with the first game were repeated. I was confident it would be different this time, so I guess the joke’s on me.

Kathy
Beyond the serial killer case, the game also has a strong focus on Kathy herself, and her relationships to the people around her. This means some effort has gone into the psychology and mannerism of Kathy, with questions raised as to why she pushes everyone away. It was clear an arc was developing regarding her behavior, but it never had a big payoff. This also links to the rushed ending, particularly the epilogue, where only one of her friends is mentioned. So, all the other characters she treated as crap remain unresolved. A bummer, I must say.

Another oddity was her reluctance to believe in anything supernatural. It’s like she totally forgot about what happened to her, which was pretty far out there, if I say so myself. Other than these “issues”, the character writing was enjoyable, since I like her sassy take-no-prisoner rock chick attitude.

Clicking & puzzles
With Kathy Rain 2 being a point and click adventure game, you will be doing the usual: clicking, and combining items to progress the plot. However, it’s not that pronounced as so many other titles in this genre. The main puzzles are themed to deciphering and detective investigations, instead of the usual pixel hunting. It was a very stimulating choice by the devs, since the harder puzzles are pretty darn good, and rewarding, without it ever falling into moon-logic territory. I very much enjoyed my time with the riddles, making me feel like I was doing real investigatory stuff to solve the case. It spoke to my dumdum logic box upstairs.

Would I say that the puzzles are hard? That’s difficult to say, but probably not too demanding, as I managed to finish them without ever looking up help on the internet. So, to me, the puzzles found that perfect balance, where I never breezed through them, but never got frustratingly stuck either. Another thing that speaks for the puzzles is that they are integrated really well into the narrative. It never felt like something arbitrary to pad the game. If you are into investigations, and logic conundrums in a realistic setting, you will probably enjoy the challenge the game provides, like I did. 

Dialogue is also a huge part of the package, having you question people to get insight into the case. Gameplay-wise, these encounters of verbal trading are not that engaging, but luckily, they are mostly good with excellent voice acting. Yet, the talking can feel a tad much between the puzzles, as exhausting all the topics can take a while. The game will also force you to return for continued interrogation after discovering more to ask about, so prepare your ears accordingly for lengthy sessions of gab. All in all, though, it adds to the atmosphere of being a detective themed title. Having you actually walk the beat, so to say, to eventually solve the case. In combination with the rest of the gameplay, I found Kathy Rain 2 a step-above the usual point & click experience. The mechanics and the story (even if it disappointed me, somewhat) felt like it had a nice blend, with nothing standing out feeling typically gamey.

Pixel art
Kathy Rain 2 is upgraded in every single way compared to the first outing. And the first game was no slouch when it came to the visuals. Essentially, Kathy Rain 2 looks amazing with its enchanted pixel art aesthetics. It even has a bunch of cutscenes made in the same graphic style that all look very smooth and atmospheric. These cutscenes work well for the game, as they feel like cutscenes of old, something to reward the player for reaching a new stage in the story. It’s all very pleasing to the eyes, with scenes that feel alive, which means the presentation is top-notch, up there with the best. The same goes for the voice acting and score. Especially the music that plays during spooky or intense scenes. It’s very moody, that alone sets the tone for what’s to come. Brilliant across the board.

Conclusion
On the presentation front, Kathy Rain 2 is fantastic, and a clear upgrade to the first game, maybe even so good to be a stand-out for the genre in general. The story is also intriguing, with engaging characters and challenging and fun puzzles that feel integrated well into the narrative. But making the plot mostly a repeat of the first game was a mistake, which made the story come off as derivative. Something we explored, and resolved in the first Kathy Rain. The ending is also abrupt, leaving some threads hanging, if we contemplate the subplot of Kathy’s personality arc. It’s a damn shame, because I genuinely enjoyed it up to that part, but when it hit me that the story would be about the same old thing, my joy was partially drained.

That’s not to say it’s entirely bad, or anything like that. My feelings are subjective, naturally, and for someone else, this story might be the most brilliant thing ever. For me, it did drag down the complete experience, which sadly affects my enjoyment score. Despite it all, Kathy Rain 2 is a fine point & click adventure title, and if you want something Twin Peaks-esque, you can’t go wrong!

Thanks for reading.

/Thomas