When comparing Kathy Rain vs Dark Souls III, the Slant community recommends Dark Souls III for most people. In the question“What are the best adventure games on Steam?” Dark Souls III is ranked 44th while Kathy Rain is ranked 61st. The most important reason people chose Dark Souls III is:
There's tons of lore everywhere for you to discover, but it isn't necessarily told through a conventional story. Weapons, armor, spells, and items you acquire have descriptions on them that tell you where in the game world they came from, any prominent characters they're associated with, and a bunch of other relevant and interesting information. So when you find examples of the lore scattered around the game, like bosses wearing a style of armor you read about, or an obscure NPC mentioned in a sword's description, you know the history behind the design and their purpose without that boss or character needing to explain anything to you. Even though the actual story in Dark Souls III is very thin, there's a lot to find under the surface if you're willing to look for it.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Kathy is a very interesting protagonist
Kathy is tough on the outside - she rides a custom motorcycle, puffs on her favorite brand of cigarettes, and doesn't take lip from anyone. On the inside, however, she is battling her own personal issues such as her strained relationship with her family and coming to terms with the loss of her grandfather. These issues come to surface as the game goes on and help to flesh her out as a very dynamic character.
She also has a very curious side. She is a college student majoring in journalism which helps to highlight both this inquisitive nature and refusal to back down from complicated situations. It is these aspects of her personality that send her out on the game's main adventure.
When she returns to her hometown from college for her grandfather's funeral, the secrets of his life and the mystery surrounding his death strongly intrigue her and prompt her to take action. Notebook and cigarettes in hand, and cruising around on her motorcycle, she sets out into the town to question the locals, search multiple locations, and get answers by any means necessary.
Throughout all her adventures and interactions, her sarcasm and wit shine through - she is both quick with words and very resourceful when it comes to solving her problems. By the game's end, she has proven to be a very capable protagonist whose many sides are revealed.
Pro Strong detective vibe
Much of the game consists of going from location to location questioning people, searching the environment for clues, and chasing leads, while Kathy keeps track of it all in her notebook. When she makes note of something in this notebook - either through a conversation or an environmental clue - it opens that topic up for dialogue with every character you interact with.
This means that the bits of information you learn in one conversation or area will have you going back for round 2 or round 3 with a previously interviewed character or going back to an old area to comb for new information. Running around, discovering clues, interviewing the same people multiple times, and putting all the pieces together really drives the detective theme home.
Pro Mysterious characters keep the "whodunit" theme strong
Throughout the game, Kathy's search for answers sees her run into about a dozen different characters around the small town. Upon first glance, they all seem to be normal, everyday people. Throughout your investigation, however, their secrets are slowly revealed, and in most cases, people aren't quite who they claim to be. Just enough information is given where you really want to keep digging in and uncover more, helping to keep you guessing what each one's motives and goals truly are.
Pro Retro point-and-click style is handled extremely well
Kathy Rain is a nod to the point-and-click games of the 90s era, so much so that is uses retro pixel graphics and the story itself takes place in the 90s. The interface is the typical click to move and hover over an item to interact. For example, hovering over a book will allow you to look at or pick it up. Everything you pick up is stored in your inventory, where you can then combine inventory items or use them on other objects in the environment to solve puzzles. All in all, it's smooth and easy to use, making it a great throwback game.
Pro Excellent soundtrack that fits each location
The accompanying background music for each location you visit fits the atmosphere incredibly well. Exploring a dark attic queues an ambient synth track with a creepy vibe. The church features a synth organ slowly playing a haunting tune. While visiting the cemetery, a reflective mellow melody plays out. The biker bar features a wailing guitar and drums in a catchy upbeat rhythm. In total, there are 25 songs, all original and made exclusively for this game.
Pro Free demo available
You can try a small portion of the game before you buy.
Pro Extensive lore that's presented in unconventional ways
There's tons of lore everywhere for you to discover, but it isn't necessarily told through a conventional story.
Weapons, armor, spells, and items you acquire have descriptions on them that tell you where in the game world they came from, any prominent characters they're associated with, and a bunch of other relevant and interesting information. So when you find examples of the lore scattered around the game, like bosses wearing a style of armor you read about, or an obscure NPC mentioned in a sword's description, you know the history behind the design and their purpose without that boss or character needing to explain anything to you.
Even though the actual story in Dark Souls III is very thin, there's a lot to find under the surface if you're willing to look for it.
Pro Stunning environments
The world of Dark Souls 3 looks amazing, so you may often feel the need to stop and take in the beautiful sights. This can be the sheer size of structures, mountains, or caves. It can also be the decorations, inscriptions, or details in a room. There's always so much to look at, allowing you to truly immerse yourself in its world.
Pro Can give a great feeling of accomplishment
The Dark Souls series is known for its difficulty and Dark Souls 3 is no exception. It's filled with difficult enemies and tough boss battles, able to cause you grief on more than one occasion. However, every time you progress to the next safe spot or defeat a boss you'll often be filled with a mix of joy and relief. Beating this game will almost certainly feel like an achievement.
Pro Unpredictable boss battles
The boss battles in Dark Souls 3 consist of several phases, changing up how the bosses fight over the course of the battle. They will gain new abilities, become more aggressive, or reveal various nasty surprises. This creates an enjoyable experience that is different from most modern games where bosses are just glorified pincushions.
Pro A great variety of equipment for almost any playstyle
You'll be finding new pieces of equipment quite often, giving you many options to choose from. Each one has its strengths and weaknesses, allowing you to pick the equipment that best suits your playstyle.
For example, heavy armor will make you move slower, but you'll be better protected. Greatswords have a wide reach, but you swing them really slow. Conversely a dagger is very fast but it has a horrible reach.
Pro Solid controls
This game feels and plays really well. Your character responds to button inputs immediately and it almost never feels like you're losing control over it. The control scheme can also be customized, giving you the option of a more personalized experience.
Pro Great combat system
Dark Souls 3 is a very fast-paced game but it's not just about having quick reflexes. A lot of the combat comes down to exploiting your enemies. To do that, you have to learn their patterns and attack the moment they pause or perform a telegraphed attack. This creates a combat system, which rewards awareness and patience, and is satisfying to master, even if you don't have extraordinary reflexes.
Cons
Con A few puzzles are not integrated well
While a majority of the game consists of average difficulty puzzles, some puzzles are so abstract and obscure, that they become difficult solely due to poor design. There is one particularly frustrating puzzle in the latter portion of the game that uses a very vague poem to provide clues. It is not entirely clear what you're supposed to be doing whatsoever, and results in a lot of trial and error or simply consulting a walkthrough.
Con Voice acting isn't the greatest
Many spoken lines throughout the game are delivered flat and devoid of much emotion. This is especially bad at the very start of the game, but thankfully it improves to passable levels as the game progresses.
Con Poor support for mouse+keyboard control
The default DS3 key/button bindings actually prevent full use of certain weapons by requiring the shift key to be pressed and not-pressed simultaneously. Rebinding is possible, but limited by issues like the left mouse button overriding all others and certain bindings not actually working in game (e.g. Shift+MiddleClick).
Con It's hard
You should try avoiding the trap of great review scores since most of them fail to mention the difficulty. It's simply put - hard. A lot of the combat requires quick reflexes, good mechanics, and the mental fortitude to carry on after failing for hours. If you're new to the Souls-like genre or simply want to enjoy a relaxing evening playing a video game, you most likely won't enjoy Dark Souls III.
Con Poorly tuned dynamic visiblity
You may notice some texture pop in while sharply turning the camera. It can be somewhat distracting if you notice it, but most of the time you won't because it happens in the distance.
Con Occasional performance issues
There are portions of the game that will have noticeable framerate drops, which can negatively affect the gameplay. Most of the fault lies with the game engine, so getting better hardware won't help that much.