After playing Kathy Rain Director's Cut, I was left with an ambivalent sensation. The old good vibes from when I palyed Kathy Rain many years ago were still there: the somewhat creepy atmosphere, the light (but not trivial) puzzles, and the polemic final act. However I found the new additions superfluous in the best case, and boring in the worst. But the new ending was now canon, and I felt like I had to play this revision before starting with the sequel. And I was fearing that these questionable design choices would reflect in Kathy Rain 2. Luckily, my fears could not be more unfounded. Kathy Rain 2 might start a bit slow, with too much text and lore to read about a serial killer who has taken the lives of 5 victims and is keeping the police on their toes, but it slowly increases its pace as we disentangle the mystery behind these murders and the connection to the events in the first game. By the second half of the game I was completely hooked and wanted to know how the whole drama was going to end. The story takes part now in a urban environment, but it does not forget the creepiness and esoteric elements of the first part and includes a couple of jump scares in the mix for good measure. The game has one of the most beautiful pixel art scenarios I've ever seen in a graphic adventure, full of animations, life and character. I could not help but just look at the details of many of them, not to mention the transition between scenarios, with a gorgeous animated Kathy riding her signature motorbike towards the camera. Puzzlewise we find more or less the same quality as in the previous title, maybe a bit less inspired, but fair and reasonable (with the exception of the toolbox puzzle, an exogenous extravaganza, which I am willing to forget). The best I can say about Kathy Rain 2 is that, if you have liked the first game, you are going to enjoy this one. And that is an accomplishment not many game series have achieved.
