Catherine Review
Catherine is a game worthy of purchase. Vincent Brooks is weak and uncertain. His posture, crooked and slumped, reflects his low opinion of himself. It is through Vincent that the player experiences Catherine, Atlus’ latest pseudo-RPG about love, deceit and the choice of when to ascend from child to man.
The premise of Catherine isn't unique to games. It finds Vincent Brooks, a thirty-two year old who is confused as to how time slipped by, in a committed relationship with Katherine, an attractive yet conservative woman who wants a family, stability and marriage. Vincent quickly seizes an opportunity to cheat with a blond, scantily-clad, free-spirited and over-sexualized Catherine. Afraid to devastate Katherine and to hurt Catherine (who quickly becomes infatuated with Vincent) the game’s story sets it upon the player to guide Vincent towards either woman.
Catherine is a game made from two parts: story and block puzzles, the later encompassing the larger part of the mix. The story is told through a series of in-engine cut scenes and hand-drawn sequences. Both are brilliantly told and, at times, you’ll have a hard time distinguishing between the two. As the game progresses, you’ll earn a better understanding of why Vincent made his fateful choice, which is never directly told but smartly inferred from his thoughts and conversations with his friends. You’ll also meet other men who, in some way, harmed the woman they loved. Their motivations are complicated too.
Vincent is also pressed with series of choices and the player’s decisions that affect not only the recipients of his choices but the game’s ending, of which there are multiple. For example, while drinking with your friends at the bar you may get a text from Catherine expressing her desire to spend time with you. Moments later Katherine may call you to ask you why you’ve been acting so weird. You get to decide if and how to reply.
The largest part of the game are its block puzzles. These are encountered each night during Vincent’s dreams. A mechanism from forces beyond earth to torture cheating souls like Vincent, should he die in his dream he’ll die in real life. Each puzzle forces Vincent to climb by pushing and pulling blocks to form steps. The floor crumbles sequentially, thus ensuring VIncent must move swiftly to escape. As you progress new block types (such as crumbling, exploding and slippery blocks) are added to keep things fresh.
These block puzzles are a take it/leave it proposition. If you enjoy them (which I did) then you’ll enjoy the game. If you frustrate easily then you’ll likely end up regretting your purchase. An easy tip - talk to VIncent’s cohorts between each puzzle as they’ll provide handy climbing techniques to get you through each stage. Thankfully, the game’s demo is still available on Xbox 360 and Playstation Network. By all means, download the demo before you make your decision.
I recommend you purchase Catherine, just like I did. It is a unique video game experience well worth sixty dollars.
Platform: PSN. Price: $59.99. Beat: Yes. Playtime: 18 hours, approximate.
