The final chapter of the Cain Killer has finally been released. This comes in conjunction with Cognition finally being released on Steam. So I thought I'd do another run through the series again and replay the entire story as a whole. Episode 4 starts out with a bit of back story. I understand the idea of the prologue, it's to understand the background around the main case of the story. If you forgot what this series was about it does a good job of catching you up to speed. Considering the episodic nature of the game and how it took a year to get the entire story out its pretty integral to where we are now.
As I'm playing the forth episode and thinking about this background information now I appreciate that the developer to some extent didn't put it in the first episode to get the player all sorts of invested in this story. Another thing to note is that as the game progressed in the final episode we see the addition of a relationship meter to gauge Erica's trust with the other characters. This is entirely new and I'm not sure how necessary as it's a late mechanic addition. The way people respond to you or things they will do is directly connected to how full the gauge is. I noticed this doesn't drastically change the outcome of the story with the exception of two scenes. Both of which are near the end. Would have been nice to have this in Episode 1 and carried throughout.
One of the biggest issues I had was the lack of character development in the first two chapters of this story. Erica for lack of a better term was a bit of a cold bitch. She even admits to it in Episode 2 so at least we were in agreement there. She went around half cocked, without much care for those around her who weren't in perilous danger. Character flaws though are good and it didn't make her any less likable as a character.
Almost all the characters from Episode 3 return and we backtrack a little bit into time before the events of Episode 1 but unlike Episode 3, for the most part you are playing entirely in the present. Once again making her return is Cordelia, however it's now present her instead of her past self. Thank goodness the developers fully fleshed out her character in Episode 3. The writing for this game is excellent. Sure you aren't going on an epic adventure with an barely legal teenager to save the world, so the quest isn't drawn out and doesn't bore you to death. There are certain scenes where you'll ask "why did I pick up that random pile of drugs" or is there a reason why the two main characters are kissing. Which even though is hot doesn't really have any purpose other than fodder for fanfiction but other than those one or two things just about everything you find will be connected in some way and actually useful to you getting one step closer to the end.
The ending, like everything else was also very nicely done. There aren't any glaring plot holes, maybes, or "what if" moments that leave things open to interpretation. Cognition does a good job in that what you see is what you get. There's room for another Erica Reed thriller but for the most part the developers did well in giving a complete adventure experience in four episodes. I found this game incredibly enjoyable. Even if ultimately your choices don't matter I still felt fully invested in the hunt for the Cain Killer. Down to the last fight and a heartfelt ending.
Story: (^__^) - It's a good length of game for the price. You get puzzles that make sense a tough as nails protagonist and a good story. If you've played any of Tell Tale games this would fit nicely into that group only it's not based on any current intellectual property and the story is at least 4 hours longer compared to those kinds of games.
Sound: ^__^ - The score is awesome and the voice acting is done really well. Boston accents and all. Episode 4 gets a slightly more sinister soundtrack that gives this episode a darker tone but it's good that you aren't listening to the same thing for 4 straight episodes. Erica's evolved so much, naturally the music should evolve too.
Overall: (^__^) - I'm really glad I bought this game. Excellent story, characters, music. If you're into adventure games this is something you'll enjoy. If you like games that don't have zombies this is something you'll enjoy. Even if you do like games with zombies you should take a break in between killing the undead and play this game. I look forward to whatever titles Phoenix Online Studios are developing next and hope they return with another incredible story for Erica in the future.
Buy It On: Steam, DRM Free Direct, Indiegamestand
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