Catherine is an......interesting game available for both the PS3 and Xbox360 systems. It's genre is at it's core, a puzzle game, but with a heavy focus on story and moral choices within the story. The game was created by the same team who made Persona 3 and 4, and is their first trek into the world of HD gaming. Does the game's twisted tale and unorthodox gameplay make for something worth checking out, or is it something best left in the depths of obscurity?
Story: The story, without giving away too much, is about a 32 year old man named Vincent. His long time girlfriend Katherine, has started to presure him into taking their relationship to the next level (marriage) but Vincent isn't so sure he's ready. Later at his favorite pub the stray sheep, after all his friends have left, he meets a seductive blonde girl named Catherine. He blacks out and begins having nightmares (where the core gameplay takes place) about climbing a tower with other men who appear as sheep to him. The mystery of why he's having these nightmares, as well as the mysterious deaths of men around town all make up for a unique premise. On top of that, the nightmares Vincent has seem to reflect his inner most worries about his relationships and life in some very creepy ways, some of the most disturbing and unsettling things you'll see in gaming these days. Contrary to popular belief, this games story revolves more around Vincents relationships with both girls and his friends, then sex, and makes for a very interesting ride that you'll definitely want to see more of.
On top of that all the characters in the game just feel like real people, with real problems, dealing with extrodinary cercumstances. You may even find yourself really identifying with a lot of the characters troubles, like Vincent's fear of commitment for example. The realism of the way the characters act in certain situations as well as the dialogue and pacing make this story one that you'll want to see through to the end.
Voice Acting: This wouldn't normally have it's own section but in the case of this game, it's important. Lucky for us, this game boasts some of the best voice acting in recent memory, special props going to Tory Baker who plays Vincent. The voice acting is really convincing and is definitely one of the games strongest assets. The story is great, but the voice acting really sells it and helps flesh out the characters of the game, as well as giving some moments of the game an extra emotional push.
Gameplay: The most shocking thing about this game is probably the decision to turn it into a puzzle game. Once again though we're lucky that the gameplay is actually fairly fun, though quite challenging at times. As stated before, the majority of the gameplay takes place in Vincent's nightmares, where he has to climb towers while the blocks bellow him fall, or in the case of the boss stages, something frightening chases him up. You're essentially pushing and pulling blocks in different ways, and climbing around and up the falling tower to get to the top. Some of the ways they force you to do this are very interesting and quite rewarding when you figure it out too. Problem is even on normal, first timers are going to have some troubles, so it's recommended to play on easy first (just swallow your pride, you'll thank me later) Then once you get the hang of it, you can try normal or hard mode on your next play throughs to see one of the 8 (yeah thats right, 8) different endings. There's a lot of replay value to be found, and even some multiplayer options and extra levels to try once you beat the game.
There is also the section of the game which you spend in the bar, walking around, talking to people. You can talk to the many patrons of the stray sheep, drink some alcohol (which actually increases your speed in the nightmare stages) play an arcade game called Rapunzel which is sort of a mini version of the nightmare stages (It has over 50 smaller levels within itself, which get fairly challenging later on as well) or text Katherine or Catherine which will sway your Karma Meter one way or the other depending on how your respond. The Karma Meter itself goes in the “law or chaos” scale and helps determine how Vincent thinks during certain scenes, as well as the eventual ending you will get.
Music: The music is pretty good too, you'll recognize the style of it if you've played the Persona or any Shin Megami game really, as it's the same guy. There is also a Juke Box in the stray sheep which will unlock songs from other atlus games as you gain trophies and such, so if you get bored of the one song that always plays in there you can change it. The Nightmare stages music consists of a lot of remixed classical music, which actually works quite well in the game and all of them sound familiar yet new.
Overall: The easiest way to describe this game is different, but in all the right ways. Games like this just don't come around often and it's a really nice refreshing change from the norm that we see now adays. If you're looking for something different, this is definitely a good place to look. The story is engaging, the gameplay is fun, and even if you just want to play it for the story, easy mode is there (as well as a secret super easy mode if you press select before loading your game). With Multiple endings, a lot of songs to unlock for the juke box and even some extra challenging levels to unlock as well, this game is one that will keep you busy.
