Cognition Episode 2 – The Wise Monkey continues the story of FBI agent Erica Reed after the tragic events of Episode 1. (Episode 1 spoilers ahead). Following the aftermath of Director Davies murder the office and its resources are stretched thin but of course the work doesn’t stop. Case in point, Agent Sully and Erica are working in a nearly empty office at 2am and Sully is telling Erica about a new case he’s working on and is calling it the Wise Monkey. It’s about a serial killer who cuts out the sense organs of the victims and the only lead is a partial print of a girl who was reported missing found on one of the charms left at a crime scene. And that these charms are left by the killer at each of the crime scenes. After a series of events that results in Agent Sully being kidnapped in the office with the only thing left behind being his ear, the new director, McAdams, has no choice but to assign the case to Erica. Can Erica find Sully before it’s too late and solve the case of the Wise Monkey or will the end result be as tragic for Sully as it was for Director Davies?

GAMEPLAY

Even though there’s a recap of episode 1 before the gameplay actually starts, this episode seemingly started off less intense than the first one with Erica and Sully having a casual conversation in the office.  Not much had to be explained regarding Erica’s relationship with her brother in the first episode because that’s a connection easily understood but it was necessary for the start of this one to focus on the relationship between Erica and Sully. (As a guy I did want the option to tell Sully “come on man back up” but seeing as how Erica is the protagonist and not me it fit in the story.) But just like in episode 1 there’s an incredible scene just as shocking even before the opening credits roll. And there’s a legitimate choice that’s given that changes the opening sequence in some ways and I thought that was a very nice touch. This is the 2nd straight episode where my jaw dropped before the opening credits.

Hope Sully cleared his browser history

If you played episode 1, which I HIGHLY recommend playing first if you didn’t, then you’ll be right at home with the first crime scene and using your abilities to follow what occurred. If you haven’t played episode 1 the first scene isn’t difficult and afterwards you’re given access to visit Rose, a woman who can recap all the abilities from the first episode and show how they actually work.

The controls in this point and click adventure are very solid. I played the first episode on the iPad so I can’t determine if the speed of the character movements or transition from scene to scene improved on the computer in comparison to the first episode but it was noticeably faster for me. The use of the  inventory is the same as episode 1 with one major exception: the acquisition of a new ability called Synergy.  Unlike Erica’s other abilities, Synergy is used directly with items in your inventory. And this is the beauty of Cognition and what makes it such a fascinating adventure game. It blends gameplay and story so wonderfully that every tasks feels engrossing. The way Synergy works is every item is connected to a memory but a memory can only be completed and replayed if you have enough items in your inventory that’s related to it. For example, if you have an incorrect phone number on a note in your inventory you can watch the memory connected to it in order to get the correct number if you have the note and the pen used to write the number down. Of course it’s not used in such a superficial way throughout the episode because there’s a ton of evidence and files to sort through. There are 4 murders (with details), one missing person and one kidnapped person and this ability is crucial to unlocking the truth behind all the evidence. Yes, this episode will truly make you feel like you’re conducting an investigation into serial murders.

This of course requires you to travel to different locations and unlock  locations as you progress through the story. This episode made travelling between locations easier than the first in the sense that a few locations you complete become unavailable so there’s less back and forth trying to figure out what to do next. (And there’s always the in game hint system that is treated as Erica texting her father).  I found the puzzles to be challenging at times but none of the solutions made me feel it was a ridiculous puzzle. It fit into the context of the story. And seeing as how the staff in the FBI office is stretched thin there’s no illusion of having a partner this time around, which made it better for me to solve puzzles instead of wondering if a partner would help out.

The abilities are key to this episode once again but the story that started off with just one lead, a partial fingerprint, became an exquisite story about the abuse of power, revenge and even love. Although I won’t reveal any spoilers regarding the story, the writing by Katie Hallahan was excellent and it only reinforced my opinion that Erica is definitely a protagonist worthy of carrying her own series. Yes there were scenes that developed her further as a character as far as her relationship with other characters were concerned but some of the scenes showing her reactions to what was taking place or how well she handled herself in other situations were outstanding as well. And I’m being vague deliberately so nothing is spoiled. I can say that there are some truly gruesome and twisted scenes that show that Erica is not only dealing with a true psychopath but a brilliant one as well. I’ve never been a fan of the Saw movies but the puzzles in this game were even more impressive in a more deliberate way. None of it felt like it was done just for shock value and one of the reasons I highly recommend playing episode 1 first is because the mystery deepens in such a wonderful way while making other things clear that the full impact won’t be felt without going through episode 1. It’ll still be impactful but, for example, my mind has all these theories racing through it as to what’s going on and what’s waiting ahead.

SUMMARY

Cognition Episode 2: The Wise Monkey is an excellent sequel and solidified Cognition’s place as one of my favorite series I’m currently playing. The tone was set even before the opening credits and there were no letdowns in any of the puzzles, revelations or ending. The Cognition powers and the great writing gave life to the story (and even to each of the victims) in an incredible way that had me contemplating long after I finished it. The ending was just as mind-blowing, if not more, than the first episode due to the mystery deepening and all the potential it creates for the final 2 episodes. There’s always been a special place in my heart for classic adventure games but this episode reminded me of what I’ve been missing in my gaming life and that’s more series like Cognition. If you enjoyed the first episode there’s no question you will love episode 2. If you’ve never played Cognition before I highly recommend that you start as soon as possible. This is a must buy for lovers of adventure games and Indie games.