Kathy Rain

Lore & Background

The plot of Kathy Rain begins in 1995 when Kathy Rain, a journalism student, returns to Conwell Springs after learning of her paternal grandfather Joseph's death. At the funeral, she reconnects with her grandmother and learns that Joseph had been left in a vegetative state with no medical explanation. Kathy decides to investigate, finding a tape in police archives that links Joseph to a case involving a child prodigy painter named Lily Myers, who drowned in 1975 in an apparent suicide, and whose artwork was stolen by art collector Charles Wade, a former colleague of Joseph's in the USAF. Kathy also discovers an overdeveloped photograph showing three strange lights resembling will-o'-the-wisps and a red flower, later identified as the Red Scythe, an endangered species that causes hallucinations.

Kathy's investigation leads to the Church of the Holy Trinity, whose symbol matches the three lights in the photograph. She suspects the local priest, Father Isaac, of running a cult that uses Red Scythes to influence people. When Kathy's college roommate Eileen Summers arrives to help, she is captured by Isaac. Kathy rescues Eileen and exposes Isaac for kidnapping and involvement in the theft of Lily's paintings, but Eileen is left catatonic, like Joseph. Confronting Isaac in jail, Kathy learns of his connection to the Crimson One, a bald man in a red suit who appears in her dreams and visions. The Crimson One had influenced Lily, who eventually rejected her painting gifts and committed suicide by proxy through her brother Nathan. Nathan guides Kathy to a deep pit in Conwell Woods surrounded by Red Scythes, where she descends to a supernatural hellish plane. There, she confronts her past—her father's abandonment, her mother's institutionalization, and an abortion—and is guided by an apparition of Lily to meet Joseph, who instructs her to burn all the Red Scythes to sever the connection between worlds. Kathy sets the meadow ablaze, returns to find Eileen recovered, and learns Isaac hanged himself in prison. The game ends with Kathy and Eileen bidding farewell at Joseph's grave.

Reader's Guide

Kathy Rain was developed by Clifftop Games, a one-man Swedish indie studio founded by Joel Staaf Hästö, using the Adventure Game Studio development tool. The game was showcased at Gamescom in 2015 and released for Windows and macOS on 5 May 2016, alongside a demo. It was later released for Android and iOS on 23 November 2016. A director's cut was announced in early 2021 and released for Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Nintendo Switch on 26 October 2021. The game received favorable reviews from video game critics, though initial sales were described as underwhelming; publisher Raw Fury stated they would continue supporting the developer. The game's narrative, which blends personal trauma with supernatural mystery, and its point-and-click mechanics were central to its reception. Clifftop Games' next title, Whispers of a Machine, followed Kathy Rain. A sequel, Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer, was released in 2025.

Did You Know?

• The game was developed using the Adventure Game Studio development tool.
• The Red Scythe is an endangered species of flower that causes hallucinations as a side effect.
• The Crimson One is a bald man in a red suit who appears in Kathy's dreams and visions.