Kathy Rain is back! One of the best point-and-click adventures of recent years has received a sequel. The 2016 predecessor, Kathy Rain (now available in a revised Director's Cut version), was one of those adventures that I only wanted to take a quick look at, but ended up finishing many hours later after the final sequence. It was just so well done – the story was exciting, the puzzles challenging but not impossibly difficult. It was like a chocolate-covered cookie – if only I could stop. Anyone who likes point-and-click adventures knows this feeling. Some games just draw you in as soon as you start playing them.

In the first part Kathy Rain, a young biker, investigated the circumstances surrounding her grandfather's death and uncovered the machinations of a malicious cult. The cultists even wanted to sacrifice Kathy's friend Eileen to their ancient deity. Kathy destroyed the cult and saved Eileen, so all's well that ends well – but that's not quite the case: the current situation doesn't look quite so perfect for Kathy. Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer continues the story of the first part, but in a new setting with a crime story about a serial killer. The killer was named Soothsayer by the press after the third murder, after he left a small obsidian mirror at each of his crime scenes – the kind used by fortune tellers in the Middle Ages. Some time has passed since the end of the first part. Things didn't work out with Eileen, and Kathy lives alone in her flat, which also serves as her office. She started her own private detective agency about a year ago – but business isn't booming. Kathy is sleeping off her hangover (heartbreak?) in the afternoon, unpaid bills litter the floor, and an empty tequila bottle stands next to the couch. The only other person living in the flat is her cat, Mildred. Kathy urgently needs a new job, a new girlfriend and a little money. Perhaps she should investigate the current series of murders in her hometown of Kassidy. Five victims have already been brutally murdered in recent months, apparently by the same perpetrator – the police are still in the dark and the mayor of Kassidy has offered a large financial reward for the capture of the perpetrator.

And so the game begins. It is divided into days, and whenever all the tasks for a day are completed, Kathy returns to her apartment and sleeps until the next day. On the first day, Kathy researches the previous murders in the city library. The last victim was a well-known local novelist, but who were the other bodies? With the help of microfilm (the game is set in 1998) and the phone book (those were the days...), this is quickly determined, and the next day Kathy visits the locations of the murders. Apparently, a new, mysterious drug also plays an important role in all the murders – so it's off to visit Kathy's drug dealer, who quickly reveals a possible contact for obtaining the drug. Let's see if Kathy can track down the killer... or if she ends up as another victim herself.

The graphics are extremely well done – pixel art in the style of old 16-bit games, full of loving details. The graphic designers really know their craft; I have rarely seen such a well-done graphic implementation. The recently released (and thoroughly good) Rosewater, for example, uses a similar style – but the graphic quality in Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer is significantly higher. Detailed environments, stylish colour choices, good animations – it reminds me of the graphic masterpieces in the LucasArts adventures from many, many years ago. The controls are easy to use – click on an object to perform an action. Click on the inventory to open it. Drag an inventory item onto a hotspot to use it.

Conversations are conducted using a multiple-choice system, with one special feature – you can also question your conversation partner about all the hotspots in sight. Open tasks are automatically written down in a notebook. From a purely technical standpoint, there is nothing to criticise. I did not notice any bugs. The game meets all contemporary QoL requirements – double-clicking on the exit allows you to move more quickly to the adjacent room, and pressing the space bar displays all available hotspots. If you hold down the space bar, you can also move around, which is very convenient in locations that are often more than one screen wide. You can save at any time, and I didn't encounter any dead ends that would have required loading a previous save game. Ultrawide resolutions are supported, but with black bars on the sides. Save games are stored in the cloud.

Conclusion:
An exciting story and logical, solvable puzzles are the two essential components of a great point-and-click adventure. Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer has both. The plot is dark, exciting and tinged with a touch of Lovecraftian madness – including supernatural elements that are better integrated this time than in the predecessor. Add to that great (pixel art) graphics and above-average voice acting, and the game is already approaching the Olympus of the genre and is one of the best point-and-click adventures to be released in recent years. I had a lot of fun hunting down the serial killer, and I'm convinced that every fan of the genre will enjoy it just as much.

Score: 9/10

Cathy Rain 2: The Soothsayer did not disappoint me one bit. It was exactly what I needed for 1–2 hours of meaningful daily enjoyment. A game that reminds you why we love video games in the first place.

What I personally consider its greatest strength — though some may see it as a negative — is that all the puzzles are completely logical. There’s no "guess what the dev was thinking" moment. Everything you do feels like something a real person would actually try. It grounds the game in a way that makes the experience feel real and immersive.

The first half, with its stronger detective flow, is an absolute joy. The notebook mechanic is one of the best implementations I've seen in the genre. Personal highlights include the hacking puzzle and a certain Lucas-related sequence that peaks the game’s tension beautifully (no spoilers!).

Kathy herself remains fundamentally the same, but you can clearly feel the weight of her past leaving deeper marks. She's more vulnerable now — but also more determined to see things through.

I usually don’t enjoy supernatural elements in detective stories, but here it’s handled as smoothly and meaningfully as possible. I would’ve loved a bit more depth in that area, but tied with the lore of the first game, it feels adequate. This isn’t a Gabriel Knight-style mythology; it’s more like a psychological hell — a kind of mental torment that shapes everything.

Pacing-wise, it’s just right. The puzzles are organic and never get in the way of storytelling. The final act shifts into a surreal, artistic descent — like staring at a masterwork painted during a moment of madness, and you can’t look away.

As a fan of pixel art, I absolutely loved the visuals — detailed, beautiful, and consistent. The music does exactly what it should: support the atmosphere without being intrusive. The main voice cast fits their characters wonderfully.

As a sequel, it truly pushes the story forward and clarifies several points of lore. It also makes you want to see Kathy take on new adventures, beyond this town, beyond this pattern. In that sense, it's a game that gives hope to the genre: proof that great point-and-clicks can still be made today.

The ending is exactly what it should be — a descent into the psyche, delivered with atmosphere and closure. It doesn’t try to bait you into a sequel. It respects the player and the story it tells.

I wholeheartedly recommend this game to fans of traditional point-and-click adventures — and even to newcomers. Its logical design and smooth flow make it a perfect entry point.
It took me around 11 hours, playing at a relaxed pace, and I genuinely enjoyed every moment without ever feeling bored or disconnected.

This is what video games are made for.

A lovely sequel to a lovely game! I had a ton of fun. It holds the energy, vibes, and story of Kathy Rain well. <3