Kathy Rain

The game is technically well-done as an old-school adventure game, but the story has massive holes, and one gets the impression that it was originally planned and conceived as one story, but, perhaps because it was too short to meet the price target, a second, more elaborate, not very-well-thought-out story was tacked on to the end. The main character, viewed objectively, is unlikeable and selfish. Her motivations appear inconsistent with her actions, and despite the story assuring us otherwise, she doesn't really grow at all as a character. Her surprisingly loyal sidekick is a cartoonish stereotype; I can only attribute that to the developer, as this was a one-man effort, and his background probably means he has little real knowledge of America in the 90s or born-again Christianity. Perhaps the fact that the game is a one-man effort is also why the story ends up being so bad, with repeated use of deus ex machina to advance the latter half of the game and resolve the plot. The art quality and sound is good -- I believe, in fact, those are the only parts the developer didn't do himself. As a $5 title, it would be acceptable. As a $15 title, you should pass. I'd recommend to the developer to work with an experienced writer next time. In short, I cannot recommend the game right now. I give it 3 stars for technical quality and visuals.

I liked this game. Yes it is quite short, but it's worth it when it's on sale. The puzzles aren't terribly difficult but I didn't mind because the characters and story are well done. It's quite absorbing. If you like these retro point and click adventures then I recommend this game.

This game is so incredibly faithful to the style of the best mid-1990s adventure games, you may forget you’re not playing one from that era. The writing is excellent, the voice acting superb, and the music and graphics are gorgeous! The theme very much echoes Gabriel Knight 1 in the best ways possible. The interface is easy, the plot becomes gripping, and I’ve been unable to stay away from it to keep progressing. You will not be disappointed in buying this game.

I think I'd heard of this game being really good, but upon playing it myself I find it nothing but extremely odd. The puzzles are kind of a mixed bag. I'm not the sharpest tool in the toolbox, but I generally can figure something out with enough information. This game does not provide much critical information. Most of the time I was running around exhausting dialogue and "evidence" just to get someone to tell me something I hadn't heard before. The story is also very weird in that it doesn't seem to make much sense. Kathy is a rebelious woman who seems to have not been in contact with her family in a very VERY long time but suddenly after learning her paternal grandfather has passed away is very VERY interested in digging up everyone's dirty laundry in a town she hasn't visited since she was probably 7. Much of the story is just very hard to buy into and it might just be me, but I would think these things would stand out. It's definitely not the most interesting P&C game and I don't think I'd reccomend it.

I'm not a big fan of adventure games. Mostly due to a fact that I'm not very good at them. But this one captured my attention. It has interesting retro art style, likable main character and great atmosphere. It follows a story of Kathy Rain, a student of journalism, who after some event comes back to her hometown and tries to unravel its mysteries. The game is quite beginner friendly, I would say. You can't get stuck (meaning: you can't get into a situation, when you mess something up and you have to load earlier save file or restart game) or die. And if you don't know what to do, game will give you some hint. I'm a beginner at adventure games myself and I didn't have a problem progressing. Maybe once, but only because of my stupidity, not difficulty of the game :) So, if you're looking for a bigger challenge and harder puzzles, maybe you should take one star from my rating. Next, there is the length of the game. It's not very long but that's no problem for me. I didn't feel like the plot was dragging or that developers put some annoying minigames or sidequests just to increase gameplay. However, some people may find it too short. Voice acting is very good and I really liked it. I would highlight voice acting of Kathy and her friend Eileen. Overall, this is a good game. However, it may be more suited for casual players. And althoug the game is rather short, the time is well spent.