Kathy Rain

[faerieevenstar]

Try Pushing Up Roses or Lazy Game Reviews. They are Youtubers I watch regularly. and I *think* they're fairly popular (not pewdiepie level, obviously, but yeah) They both love classic adventures too.

https://www.youtube.com/user/pushinguproses?&ab_channel=PushingUpRoses

https://www.youtube.com/user/phreakindee?&ab_channel=LazyGameReviews

[Blackthorne]

I know sales are sluggish out the gate, but adventure games have a pretty long tail.  Hang in there.


Bt

[Fitz]

Try Pushing Up Roses

She actually did a "first impressions" video already -- and seemed to love it so far So indeed, people are still only finding out about the game -- and the viewers seem to love it, too.

[JSH]

There are these guys: They only do adventure games and they livestream every week, and then upload to youtube.

They did Gemini Rue in the past, so they are familiar with AGS and sometimes do indie games:

Mostly Walking

Thanks for the recommendation, we've reached out to them now!

Finished Kathy Rain a couple of days back. Easily one the best adventure games I've played, period! Up there with Gemini Rue as my favourite games born in AGS

Wow, thanks for that compliment

I wouldn't be downhearted about the sales at all. A lot of people will be holding out for discounts, wading through other games first etc. I think the good thing about adventure games in terms of commercial stuff is they have have a very long shelf life, sales will tick over for years to come!

I know sales are sluggish out the gate, but adventure games have a pretty long tail.  Hang in there.

Yeah, it's true that these games do have a long tail, and the additional platforms should help too. The problem was that we totally overestimated the target audience, and adapted the budget for that. We spent way too much money on three major gaming conventions, professional translations and quality voice overs. God's Algorithm will be done quite differently.

Try Pushing Up Roses or Lazy Game Reviews. They are Youtubers I watch regularly. and I *think* they're fairly popular (not pewdiepie level, obviously, but yeah) They both love classic adventures too.

https://www.youtube.com/user/pushinguproses?&ab_channel=PushingUpRoses
https://www.youtube.com/user/phreakindee?&ab_channel=LazyGameReviews

She actually did a "first impressions" video already -- and seemed to love it so far So indeed, people are still only finding out about the game -- and the viewers seem to love it, too.

Yeah, I met PUR myself at PAX PRIME last year, and she liked the KR demo we exhibited so we knew she'd upload a video Sadly, the release coincided with her surgery, so her video was a bit delayed, but it was a nice one!

Also, Adventure Gamers finally put up their review, they loved the game! http://www.adventuregamers.com/articles/view/30532

[Mandle]

The problem was that we totally overestimated the target audience, and adapted the budget for that. We spent way too much money on professional translations and quality voice overs.

I cut out the "gaming conventions" part (as I have no experience with that) but what I do know believe a bit about is investments that seemed to not pay off in the short run, but gained gradual value over time...

The money you invested in the translations and voice acting is not going to have an immediate effect on sales in the short run, but it WILL have an incremental effect over time in making the game a potential classic of its genre...

And isn't that why we do this at the end of the day?

Yeah...money, income, laws, distrubution, bullshit, taxes, bullshit, bullshit...Without all that you cannot publish...

But wasn't the reason we all sat down to make a game because of some driven belief in the genre of games to give the player something born from our mind and yet a unique experience for every individual that plays it?

Otherwise, just paint a picture or film a movie, or do anything else that remains static once the artist steps away from it...

This is why I look at Triple-A games and feel more and more of a disconnect between publisher and player...

I'm planning a thread on this topic, so I won't get into it in depth here...

Anyways: a bit of a ramble that I didn't plan on doing, but:

I personally love you guys for producing Kathy Rain to completion and consider your game a classic of the adventure game genre...

But classics take time to become known as such...

[JSH]

Mandle - The discussion is going off topic, I'd be happy to elaborate in that planned thread you are talking about

[Snarky]

I've fallen way behind in my adventure game playing, and don't anticipate having time to catch up any time soon, but hearing that a well-received and promising-looking AGS game isn't selling, I felt I should buy it now rather than wait until whenever I get around to it. Purchased!

(I wonder if it wouldn't have done better if published through Wadjet Eye, with their established audience and PR connections. Though of course it's good to have some game makers go it alone or choose other outlets, so it doesn't become a monopoly for commercial AGS games.)

[Stee]

Hi Guys,

Found a little bugsy

Spoiler

When getting attacked by papa zombie, I pressed escape in my panic (to pause the game whilst I worked out what to do - which it didn't do of course) to find that he fell through the floor. Because the menu screen was still up, when the amended postcard arrived, it did not offer me a return button, and thus Kathy lived an eternity, brokenhearted, staring at a postcard of her long lost father. The End.

[close]

I nearly cried when I realised that I hadnt saved in hours. Thankfully autosave wasn't too far.

Also, I would like to say that I indeed purchased the game and played it (over other adventure games in my backlog), and whilst it wasn't what I expected, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I'm surprised to hear it is not doing so well. I'll be honest though, I only found out you had completed the game by luck, as I don't come on here very often anymore. If I had visited a few days earlier, I might not have picked up this game for a few months.

I don't know much about what point and click adventures make, what you have made, and what you expected to have made (although I am curious to know if you are willing to share, via reply or pm), but in my instance it's a PR issue - I just wasn't aware the game was releasing / was close to releasing and since I last saw the GiP thread about a year ago (I know they get updated, but I don't religiously read them) the game was at the back of my mind.

My I also suggest that mobile markets might get a bit of interest in this, if you can optimise it correctly and get some pr behind it.

[Andail]

Seems I haven't written a congratulatory post here yet, so... Congrats!

About the money part:
There hasn't been a lack of exposure or PR for Kathy Rain (compare the amount of top-tier reviews with recent WEG titles, for instance), the economic situation is mostly due to the production being relatively expensive, and a bit drawn-out.

I'm optimistic about KR's longevity though, as it's a very carefully crafted quality product.

[JSH]

I've fallen way behind in my adventure game playing, and don't anticipate having time to catch up any time soon, but hearing that a well-received and promising-looking AGS game isn't selling, I felt I should buy it now rather than wait until whenever I get around to it. Purchased!

Thanks for the support, Snarky

(I wonder if it wouldn't have done better if published through Wadjet Eye, with their established audience and PR connections. Though of course it's good to have some game makers go it alone or choose other outlets, so it doesn't become a monopoly for commercial AGS games.)

It's possible, but Raw Fury has done a lot of other amazing things for Kathy Rain and Clifftop Games, such as: http://rawfury.com/the-measure-of-success/. Having the fortune of being able to sign with them was an incredible stroke of luck that I'm extremely grateful for. Also, since Wadjet Eye Games is such a well known brand, both as a publisher and a developer of point and click games, having Kathy Rain be part of their catalogue could've compromised the awareness of my own brand, Clifftop Games, and potentially hurt the studio long term, especially since Kathy Rain is the debut title.

Found a little bugsy...

Thanks for the report, will take care of this if we patch again!

I don't know much about what point and click adventures make, what you have made, and what you expected to have made (although I am curious to know if you are willing to share, via reply or pm), but in my instance it's a PR issue - I just wasn't aware the game was releasing / was close to releasing and since I last saw the GiP thread about a year ago (I know they get updated, but I don't religiously read them) the game was at the back of my mind.

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to give out this information due to contractual obligations with my publisher, but you can always check out steam spy for some rough estimates on the sales part. And concerning the PR bit, yeah, that's something we hear from players on a daily basis. Despite being blessed with some high end press coverage, it seems that many potential players out there are oblivious to the game. Since the Raw Fury PR people are veterans on the scene, my theory is that traditional games PR might simply not be as applicable to indie point and clicks as your average game.

My I also suggest that mobile markets might get a bit of interest in this, if you can optimise it correctly and get some pr behind it.

Working on it!

Seems I haven't written a congratulatory post here yet, so... Congrats!

About the money part:
There hasn't been a lack of exposure or PR for Kathy Rain (compare the amount of top-tier reviews with recent WEG titles, for instance), the economic situation is mostly due to the production being relatively expensive, and a bit drawn-out.

I'm optimistic about KR's longevity though, as it's a very carefully crafted quality product.

Thanks, man And yup, pretty much hit the nail on the head. The sales aren't horribad compared to similar games, but we overestimated the playerbase and blew the budget out of proportion, so we needed a bunch of sales to recoup that.

[DBoyWheeler]

DAYUM!  I might have to put this game on my Steam Wishlist!

[Mandle]

DAYUM!  I might have to put this game on my Steam Wishlist!

Get it or regret it...

[AndyfromVA]

I just purchased this awesome-looking game.  I'll report back once I get into it.
I really like games with retro graphics (as long as they look good as this does) as I don't exactly have a "gaming" PC and the more mainstream 3D games don't run well.  Also I like supporting new gaming talent and Clifftop looks like an up and comer.

[KyriakosCH]

Very nice!!!

Reminded me of Gabriel Knight 1!

[AndyfromVA]

I finished Kathy Rain and I liked it a lot.  Interesting, fast moving story, good voice work, nice retro graphics, good combination of easy and tough puzzles (good thing there's a walkthrough).  I loved the psychological elements (like Sanitarium, one of my all-time favorites).  My only quibble is this:

Spoiler

I was confused by the ending - was the crimson man good or evil?

[close]

But overall I enjoyed Kathy Rain very much and I hope there's a sequel.

[linus]

I immediately got Kathy Rain when it came out, it took me some time to finally play and finish it, though.

Well, I'm glad to say I really love this game, mostly for its characters (Kathy, Eileen and Goober were really fun, really brought to life by the amazing voice actors and expressive portraits), its atmosphere (moody backgrounds and music) and mid-90s setting. The story kept me interested too, although the ending feeled a bit rushed and unsatisfactory.

Spoiler

While there was some intruiging development for the character of Kathy Rain, not much of the actual mystery is uncovered, which is a bit of a letdown after the captivating premise. I easily accept that Kathy let go of her father and shrugged off the feelings of guilt towards her mother and unborn son, those are very strong resolutions. But we still don't know what happened to Grandpa (couldn't she at least ask him?). Also, why was he waiting all the time in the nightmare world? What were the rules he said he broke? Why was he even able to? Why could Eileen escape the nightmare world? Was she even there, too (at least the phone book suggested that)? If so, why didn't Kathy meet her there? What parts did Charles Wade and Cocky have in all this? When Isaac was opposing the Crimson One, why did he seem to be following similar goals? Why is Ethan so fond of the Crimson One?

[close]

The puzzles were a bit on the easy side, but that's not a bad thing necessarily. I really liked the notepad system for the dialogues and there were some very ingenious puzzle ideas (e.g. computer puzzles on day 2).

The game reminds me of Twin Peaks (the early 90s TV series by David Lynch) in many respects. This is probably the most Lynchian adventure game to date, with some neat little nods to Gabriel Knight and Full Throttle as well.

Hope we will see more of Kathy Rain in the future. I'd buy a sequel any day.

[JSH]

linus & Andy - Glad you liked the game!

I also wanted to mention to you all that Kathy Rain has been released on iOS and Android! The game is a premium app, available for $4.99 or your regional equivalent:

iOS: http://apple.co/2geSoHA
Android: http://bit.ly/2gw58Nb

Enjoy!

[Two Tales]

I rarely find time to play full length adventures on PC at home because that time is usually spent developing my own games. Now that it is on Android I can play it when I'm away or 'on the go', so I will definately be downloading. Good news!

[The Last To Know]

I finished the game on android the other day and I really enjoyed it. Great graphics, good controls, overall very atmospheric. I liked the story too. I think it is not necessary to answer all questions that have been raised. Hope it sells good enough to see a sequel in the future.

[JSH]

I finished the game on android the other day and I really enjoyed it. Great graphics, good controls, overall very atmospheric. I liked the story too. I think it is not necessary to answer all questions that have been raised. Hope it sells good enough to see a sequel in the future.

Thanks, glad you liked it!

On another note, we have released the soundtrack now!

iTunes
Google Play
Amazon
Spotify
Bandcamp
Groove Music

Enjoy!