Finished it in one go, oops !
I actually really liked it. The atmosphere and the soundtrack ? Really good in my opinion. Few notebooks puzzles but it's a bite size game so I'm okay with it. The real highlight is Lauren and Joey relationship. Lauren is more jaded, with her chain-smoking habit being a coping mechanism I assume. But Joey is softer, and I like how they trust each other.

I won't say more but it also raise a few questions at the end, I really want to know more.
Liked it better than the first game for sure !

lol!

Well, welcome in the playthrough SunnyNoot! I hope you'll stick around to discuss your experiences and those of the other players.

Good to see someone sticking up for Joey. I'm a little down on him in this game -he's still one of the most memorable sidekicks in AG history.

This game seems a bit more consistent than Blackwell Legacy. Once you're used to the two characters and the notebook mechanic, the game is on the easy side. Still - there is a lot here, besides the puzzles. We get a couple of real characters - one even in the literal sense. Haunting music. One really fun location (to me at least) and a couple of really evocative scenes.

I already finished the game as well. The gameplay with switching characters and combining the notes was pretty intuitive. Found out about the combination feature by accident and I liked it.

Sometimes I felt a bit stuck, when I wasn't sure where to go next with a new information I had gathered (or forgot that I should switch to Joey now and then in other scenes).

The chain smoking was pretty annoying for me, I wished I could just make her stop. But it was also kinda funny with her "named" ash trays everywhere.

The soundtrack is really beautiful.

And the game had a sadly realistic vibe to me, with all the people involved having their problems. I liked the combination of detective gameplay and mystery + the female protagonist. Reminded me of Kathy Rain. Just saying that since I played Kathy Rain first. Guessing that it has been inspired by the Blackwell series.

I finished the game too. It's shorter than I remember, although that may be due to it originating from a planned flashback as part of the next game as BobVP mentioned.

While I started out focusing on the musician I ended up working on both ghosts at the same time. Story spoiler:

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SpoilerPlaying the game like this actually had a somewhat interesting side effect. By working on both ghosts you naturally become suspicious of The New Yorker reporter when the two seemingly unconnected cases lead to him and both involve him writing, but never publishing, separate stories about each victim. While I have played this game before I didn't remember that part so when I noticed this I initially thought he may have killed them himself. This was before the ghosts mention it was a woman that did it as each of them leave and the Countess is properly introduced into the story.

As already mentioned, the background music does really add to the ambiance of the game.

Personally I prefer Lauren as a protagonist to Rosa. She seems a bit better at dealing with Joey's nonsense, although you can tell she is still struggling with the situation not only with her attitude and the chain smoking, but also with her brief phone calls with her brother. It's also worth listening to her dream journal on the dictaphone too - some of the entries are rather fascinating. Perhaps it could have been cool if there had been more flashback/spinoff games with her helping more ghosts in the 70s.

Besides the relative lack of challenge, I'd like to think the game's writing and us rooting for our characters were also part of playing the game in one go!

I knew the playthrough would be a bit provisional, considering the lenght of the game and the small group of attendees. I'll reflect a little on it in the other thread - nothing negative, but I want to keep this thread about the game. I'll post the last two "milestones" in the next two days, if only for posterity.

Anyone still up for discussing the game - you definitely can! I'll stick around to reply, but since most people have reached the end, feel free to consider this playthrough finished as well.

I had hoped to join in with this playthrough, Bob, but I've been working on setting up my new computer and a bunch of household things that need doing yesterday. I will check out this thread thread when I finally do play it.

Welcome Lady Kestrel!

I know the feeling, I'm still catching up chores from being on the couch for a month and a half. Getting it done is a good feeling, but starting is always a challenge. I'll listen to some pretty abrasive music and I'm fine, but I turn on the vacuum and I'm suddenly perturbed: why is thing so loud?

Joey could blow some dust around, but he wouldn't clean an inch. Lauren's room isn't too messy - save for the collection of ashtrays scattered around the place.

LeftHandedGuitarist, are you hanging in there as well?

One of our stray ghosts is a lady haunting a construction site. I think these screens are drawn pretty well - the scenes themselves are not that vibrant or interesting.

   

Well that's true in a literal sense, but not in spirit. Talking to this lady is a real puzzle.

Those of us playing with the commentary track learn of a funny anachronism in the foreman's office. I wouldn't have caught it.

LeftHandedGuitarist, are you hanging in there as well?

Indeed, though I certainly haven't finished like many others have! I've met the two ghosts and am now working on sorting out their problems.

Nice!

Take your time, I'd really like to hear your thoughts on the game. I'll be following up on the characters we meet with and share some thoughts and questions of my own.

I'm enjoying the commentary by Dave Gilbert and company, you get a good impression of what indie game development was like at the time.