It’s been a long time since something as original and artistic as Catherine has come out. With it’s interesting yet strange story and it’s combination of “dating-simulation” like decision making and its unforgiving puzzle elements, it’s definitely one of a kind.
Catherine is about a 32 year old man named Vincent who is currently is a happy relationship with his girlfriend Katherine, or so he thought. After being lectured on why he hasn’t asked Katherine to marry him yet, he goes to the bar to meet up with his friends and talk about what he should do. After many drinks, his friends leave and the beautiful Catherine (Yes, they both have the same name) enters the picture by falling on his lap in a very seductive manner. Vincent blacks out and then finds himself in a deadly nightmare, where himself and other “lost sheep” must climb to the top as fast as possible, or die both in the dream and real life. When he finally wakes up, he finds that he had slept with the newly met Catherine, and so the story begins.
Characters are very deep and interesting in Catherine. Vincent’s girlfriend, who walks the line of controlling and just concerned, and Catherine, who is carefree and laid back, but doesn’t like to be lied to or used, both have strong influences on not only Vincent, but also you as a player. Constantly you will go back and forth on who do you really trust and what to be with, not to mention the long list of secondary characters who talk among themselves about cheating spouses who share characteristics and actions your two choices have in common. If that doesn’t pull you in, the grade “A” voice acting will.
Between nightmares you will spend your time texting and talking with your friends and fellow bar mates, but that doesn’t mean you can relax. Your decisions on what you say to each person matter a great deal and count toward your alignment and which girl you will decide to choose. After all, Catherine doesn’t just have two endings. The game has a total of eight endings depending on who you choose, who you save, and many other choices you make on your journey. Giving this game an interesting sense of re-playability.
As for the nightmares.. oh the nightmares.. this will decide if you like this game or not. The nightmare puzzle sections are extremely unforgiving in difficulty. Starting with an easy difficulty curve then quickly spiking to levels some would call “Nintendo hard”. Basically, you need to rearrange blocks in order to climb up to the top of the level as fast as you can, this sounds easier than it actually is. Manipulating what you have into a usable staircase under a time limit while worrying about traps, ice, and even bombs later on is completely insane. Not to mention the boss battles that are so hard and so horrifying looking that I get my own nightmares thinking about them. I do admit I love a good challenge; however I can see this enraging most gamers with how tricky it can be, ESPECIALLY the ice level. You will die so often in fact, that it almost actually breaks the pacing of the game, but you will find yourself motivated to win JUST to see what happens next to Vincent and his two lovers.
There is also a multiplayer mode included called the “Babel Tower”, where you either compete with a friend or help each other out to the top. While at first this is quite fun, soon after it loses its touch leaving you either bored or frustrated with your partner. All in all it really feels like an afterthought that was stapled on last minute to add a few hours of playtime. I would of rather they put something like a bit more voice acting or a bit more story instead of wasting time on this.
Catherine is a very entertaining and very interesting twenty hour ride. With its strong voice acting and deep story, it really should keep your attention, as long as you don’t destroy your controller in frustration over its insane difficulty. If you’re unsure about Catherine, I would recommend renting it first, it’s definitely not for everyone. However if you do find yourself getting lost in its beautiful and unique artwork and storyline, it definitely is worth your affection and time.
Final Verdict: 7.3 GG’s
