Kathy Rain

A 'retro' point-and-click adventure game with roughly equal amounts of focus on story and puzzles. See the game description above for the story theme. I found the story and characters to be fairly interesting, easily enough to keep me playing, though a bit heavy on the drama stemming from Kathy's personal history. The protagonist's tough girl exterior also grated a little here and there, especially where it was unconvincing. The game sometimes lets you decide Kathy's opinion though conversation options, but this doesn't seem to affect the story. The puzzles are easy by adventure game standards, almost all of them actually making sense in context. I never found myself having to try out absurd combinations of objects just to see what would stick. Some of the more interesting puzzles break the point-and-click mold by not relying on just inventory and environment objects, and feature Kathy's voice walking you through a somewhat convoluted process. Story and puzzle complement each other fairly well. I also liked the police-procedural-like aspect of alternating investigation in the field with time spent at Kathy's dorm room processing clues and doing research. This lends the story more structure and made me feel more involved in solving the mystery. The eventual conclusion and ending is not terrible, but less satisfying than I had hoped. Overall I recommend the game, but note that unless the Kathy Rain's premise strongly appeals to you, there are better options in the adventure game genre.

I imagine this game would rate a bit lower for someone who prefers adventure games that prioritise puzzles over story and character development. That's not to say the puzzles in this game are easy - most of them will likely require a fair bit of stewing over - but they all have pretty logical conclusions. Chances are, even if you're not a seasoned adventure gamer, you'll be able to get through the game without a walkthrough. Either way, it's clear that this game's main priority is serving up an strong plot with an intriguing mystery at its centre, led by a cast of characters with strong personalities. This is pretty perfect for me, as I've always enjoyed adventure games for their story over their puzzles. Moreover, much as I enjoy more light-hearted adventure games like Thimbleweed Park or the Monkey Island games, I really appreciate how this particular game opted for a more serious tone, and stuck to it throughout. The plot put me strongly in mind of Twin Peaks and Stephen King, sprinkled with a small helping of the X-Files (which helps solidify the classic 90s feel the game is going for). A strong mystery is always a great asset to an adventure game, as it gives the player something to work toward, and this game serves that up really well. It's all backed up by a strong art style and an eerie atmosphere that really evokes that creepy-small-town vibe very well.

Excellent writing, interesting and likeable main character, surprisingly good puzzles. I was initially put off by the low res graphics and the first puzzles but I'm glad I gave it another try. I ended up being engrossed by this from start to finish. The only "complaint" worth noting is that it was too short, but I simply didn't want it to end. I don't like pixel art, but I loved this game despite that. After giving it quite some thought I discovered that characters, voice acting and puzzles are the only things that are game breaking for me when not done right but these were all top notch! Kathy Rain is very likeable, very real and very human. She develops over the course of the game and her voice actor is perfectly cast. All the other characters aren't as fleshed out, but are voiced well too. The story was well written and definitely had some "Gabriel Knight vibes" going on. It is mature and can get pretty dark, but thankfully they didn't forget to add in some humor as well. While some were too simple, I found the majority of the puzzles to be just the right amount of difficulty to give you that good feeling of accomplishment without ever becoming a frustrating "how was I supposed to know" affair. All are logical, none require you to combine weird objects in silly ways and there's good amount of variety too. I loved that the game doesn't allow you to pick up stuff that you have no idea why you would need. Despite the low-res graphics they still managed to create atmospheric locations that helped draw me into the story. The music was entirely forgettable, but this is not something I personally find all that important. It also would have been nice if we saw some more animations and lips actually moving when characters talked, but I understand corners need to be cut with a limited budget. All in all I had great fun with this and I seriously hope there will be a sequel - or even a whole series - because I'd love to see more of Miss Katherine Rain!

I really liked this game, as I tend to like a lot of narrative-driven games. It's an interesting story on the side of Twin Peaks levels of craziness. The puzzles were really good. Most of them were well led by the in-game hints. Only a few of them stumped me for some requirements I wouldn't figure on my own. Even after seeing the walkthrough, I'm not convinced I had enough information to solve them. The interface is very functional and to the point. This is a game I'd recommended for anyone interested in adventure games, not only diehards.

Good plot, good atmosphere, interesting characters and stuff to do that makes sense. Just a bit short.