Catherine Review
"Love, Infidelity and Lust"
Re-release for PSN and XboxLive
Game: Catherine
Developer: Atlus
Rating: Mature
Platforms: Xbox 360 & PS3
MSRP:39.99
Catherine is a game by Atlus that hopes to enter new subject matters that is often overlooked by the gaming community; love, lust, marriage and fidelity. The game is essentially a puzzle game with a surprisingly deep plot and adult themes to it. In other words imagine if Tetris had a plot that was movie worthy. Is this download worth your cash and time? We'll let you know now!
Story
The story of "Catherine" revolves around a man named Vincent Brooks. He is a 30 year old software engineer at a dead end job. His long time girlfriend Katherine McBride (clever name huh) as of late has been dropping hints that she feels they need to take their relationship to the next level. However, Vincent is complacent with his boring life and only wants things to stay the way they are. Enter Catherine, a beautiful blond woman he runs into at his favorite bar, and ends up sleeping with. She leaves the ordeal under the assumption that they are now dating leaving Vincent in a predicament to which he must choose between the two women.
And of course, this wouldn't be an Atlus game if it didn't dive into some elements of the supernatural. Since cheating on Katherine, Vincent begins having nightmares where he becomes sheep like and must climb a crumbling tower of blocks. In these dreams he encounters sheep who walk on two feet and talk like humans, they also give him the waning that if he falls while climbing he will die. This wouldn't be too bad if not for the fact the same dream seems to be happening to men all over town, meaning that all the sheep he encounters are real people, worse so when they die in the dream they are found dead in real life. "Catherine" requires the players to get through these nightmare ordeals for the narrative to continue.
This plot I found to be the most unique I have seen in a video game in a while. And the nightmare concept is both cool and reminds me of urban legends. This also receives a lot of points for trying something new and entering into new mature matter, showing that games can be more than just, shoot person with a gun.
Grade: A
Gameplay
As aforementioned "Catherine" is essentially a puzzle game like Tetris, if it had an epic plot. The main gameplay element of "Catherine" are the nightmares that Vincent has. In these segments the player controls Vincent as he pushes, pulls and climbs blocks to get to the top of towers. The game varies up these levels by adding tricks and enemies as you go up, ensuring that each level is more difficult than the last. Some blocks explode if you touch them, others will makes you slip and slide off the tower if you step on them. In the end, the game is both hard and addicting. One will fall off the tower, be frustrated that they pushed the wrong block, then immediately go back to retry the level. This will happen to everyone who plays "Catherine" I guarantee it.
Outside of the nightmares, the player can control Vincent as he wastes time at his favorite bar, "The Stray Sheep". Here you can talk to other bar patrons, drink and play an arcade game in the corner, each of these activities having their benefits. Talking to patrons helps you better understand how to play the game as well as unwrap the narrative. Drinking helps increase how fast you move in the nightmare level you will have that night as well as gives you interesting facts on alcohol.( For example if you finish a cocktail the game will teach you cool trivia regarding cocktails, i.e; teaching you a type of cocktail that you have to drink in a minute.) And finally the arcade machine which plays like the real game in the hopes of giving the player practice so they can figure out techniques.
In conversations the player can select Vincent's dialogue choices, which affect his overall view on life. The game tries to make players understand their own personal choices between commitment and freedom with questions they ask Vincent, in the hopes you'll respond honestly. Some of these questions can be silly, others require a bit of reflection to answer. However with the subject matter at hand, anyone even onlooking as the game is being played is going to have an opinion on the questions it asks.
In terms of being a puzzle game the controls are pretty standard. I did run into some minor frustration with the camera however, as if you end up behind a block it can be impossible for you to see what you're doing sometimes. That being said, that was the only negative I can find about its gameplay.
Grade: B-
Graphics and Sound
The game is cell shaded in a very cool, cartoony way. The game cuts between in game cinematics and hand drawn animation seamlessly, a concept that is rarely executed so easily as it is with "Catherine". The music through levels are based on covers of classical music scores, and the original music for the game has a beautiful mellow, lounge feel to it.
In regards to cell shaded graphics, they have a timeless quality to them, meaning that ten years from now they will still look fine. In that regard I can't judge against the graphics as harshly as I would with a game that is completely 3D graphics rendered. But there is a charm to it that works really well with the game.
Grade: B
Verdict:
"Catherine" is a unique game and you will never play anything else quite like it. Atlus deserves respect for trying something new in a day and age where the average game is shoot this, run here. To be willing to try to tackle a subject so heavily disregarded and inspire conversations about it between friends when playing their game is something to be commended. I say firmly to try this game, you will walk away with a new perspective on life.
Final Grade: B
Is it worth your money?: Yes. I would honestly say this amount is fair, for all that it is and all that it tries to do.
