Kathy Rain 2 Soothsayer review: Nearly noir

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Approximately a decade has passed since Clifftop Games introduced their edgy, Twin Peaks-esque detective game titled Kathy Rain. Now, the punk detective is returning for a new, darker investigation in Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer. This is a traditional point-and-click adventure game that leans more towards realism compared to games like Phoenix Wright. To uncover secrets in Kathy Rain 2, you’ll need to ask insightful questions or delve into old newspapers, and that’s a positive aspect. However, the game seems to lack sufficient development in other aspects, such as its characters, setting, and plot. Despite attempting to emulate classic noir thrillers from the past, Kathy Rain 2 fails to give adequate attention to these elements, which hinders its overall impact.

Noir-ish

In Kathy Rain 2, the titular private detective finds herself in Kassidy several years following her initial significant investigation. Her business is struggling, but an intriguing prospect presents itself – a serial killer known as The Soothsayer is active in this fictional city. A substantial reward is up for grabs to anyone who can help apprehend the murderer. With the intention of saving lives and perhaps her own, Kathy dives headfirst into the case, gathering evidence, questioning witnesses, and meticulously piecing together every clue she uncovers. One of Kathy Rain 2’s strengths lies in its portrayal of Kathy herself as vulnerable – success on a case doesn’t guarantee the future she desires, and danger is always lurking around the corner.

As a devoted fan, I must admit that Clifftop presents an intriguing approach to its video game protagonist, yet it falls short on fully realizing this concept. The depth of character development in Kathy Rain 2 can be overlooked during the heat of the action, as the game masterfully creates and sustains a palpable tension that keeps the spotlight on the unfolding narrative. However, during the quieter moments between significant events, the voids become more noticeable.

Kathy’s role is pivotal, but her inner thoughts and feelings are given so little emphasis that it becomes challenging to connect emotionally with her character at crucial junctures. Kathy encounters her imprisoned mother, grapples with relationship woes, endures heart-wrenching loss, and by the end of the journey, I’m left wondering who she is beneath these experiences and how they shape or transform her. In essence, despite these profound events, I still find it hard to grasp Kathy as a fully realized person.

In the realm of noir mysteries and thrillers like Kathy Rain 2, the brooding detective character is often a key influence. However, Clifftop appears to overlook some crucial aspects from these classics. Typically, these stories either delve into societal issues through the detective’s actions, as seen in Kiss Me Deadly, or focus on a few characters in a more profound psychological exploration, as demonstrated by Double Indemnity and Alfred Hitchcock’s version of Suspicion. Kathy Rain seems to bypass both these approaches, failing to offer any profound insights about society beyond the obvious. In Kassidy, life is hard, and people are struggling, which isn’t particularly groundbreaking; you can observe this just by tuning into the news or having conversations with townsfolk. Essentially, a video game like this doesn’t add much to the already well-established fact that life is difficult.

In Kathy Rain 2, mirroring its influences is a sign of an underlying problem: the character development of Kassidy. The city and its inhabitants follow typical tropes, with the troubled youth, the omniscient drug dealers, the star performer hiding vulnerability beneath a rough exterior, and so forth. It’s like a genre roll call, but Kathy Rain 2 uses side characters merely to fill their roles before quickly replacing them with new ones. The absence of well-developed personalities or meaningful interactions between place and people leaves the narrative feeling generic, and reduces the emotional impact of events.

Things unseen – and underdeveloped

A notable challenge arises when striving to balance the authenticity of everyday life with the mystical in Kathy Rain 2, as it’s easy for otherworldly elements to become overexplained or unconvincing. In this game, the resolution and supernatural aspects related to the murders feel forced and lack a solid build-up throughout the narrative, making them seem jarring and out of context.

In essence, the development of the supernatural elements in Kathy Rain 2 seems to be lacking or inconsistent, which contributes to the plot’s overall development issues. The game fails to delve into the role of eldritch horrors, ancient deities, and other supernatural aspects within Kassidy, leaving these elements as mere background details connected to the murders. This disconnection between the everyday reality in Kassidy and the hinted-at underground of strange and potentially dangerous beliefs makes the eventual culprit and their motivations appear more like an unexpected plot twist rather than a well-crafted climax of the story.

Kathy Rain P(uzzle) I(nvestigator)

As I delved into Kathy Rain 2, I found that it wasn’t the captivating setting, intriguing narrative, or well-crafted characters that truly made this game stand out for me. Instead, it was the actions I took and the way I went about them that gave this game its unique identity.

Admittedly, some of the puzzles in Kathy Rain 2 felt a bit contrived, especially towards the end when the occult elements were thrust into the forefront. However, most of the challenges were seamlessly woven into the storyline – like cracking someone’s numeric code to send covert pager messages, piecing together connections between events and people, or sifting through newspapers for valuable clues. Detective games are not exactly a novelty, but Kathy Rain 2 manages to convey a genuine sense of being an investigator in a way that few other detective games do.

The visual direction in Kathy Rain 2 is simply outstanding and plays a significant role in the game. The pixel art is stunning, featuring clever applications of color and light that effectively portray the atmosphere and mood of Kassidy without relying on specific events within the city. For instance, the grungy appearance of Kathy’s office, the dark corners of a nightclub where only those in the spotlight are visible, the comforting warmth inside a caravan that starkly contrasts with its surrounding squalor – these design elements all carry strong emotional weight and meaning in Kathy Rain 2.

Kathy Rain 2 isn’t poor quality; on the contrary, its puzzle design is superb, and the artists at Clifftop have crafted one of the most visually appealing pixel games available. However, it falls short of reaching its full potential and feels more like a tribute to classic genres than an original mystery thriller with careful thought behind it.

For this review, we received a copy of Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer, which is currently playable on PC through Steam.

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2025-05-28 21:28