Catherine is the latest game from the twisted minds over at Atlus, who are responsible for the Persona series as well as a plethora of other bizarre games. An amalgam of strange and uniquely Japanese concepts and story twists, I assumed Catherine would either go down in the history books as a revolutionary game, or fall short and be simply categorized as weird. It turns out to be more of the latter than the former, but still has many redeeming qualities – and compelling reasons to play.
Platforms: PS3 (Version Played), Xbox 360
Publisher: Atlus
Developer: Atlus Persona Team
Genre: Japanese Horror meets Infidelity Simulator meets Adult Themes
Release Date: July 26, 2011
ESRB Rating: Mature
One thing is certain – in strangeness and uniqueness, Catherine absolutely succeeds. The game is a mashup of several different genres – it’s got the story and twists of a Japanese horror movie, the controller-throwing frustration of a complex puzzle/platformer (heavy emphasis on puzzle), and the ability to change the outcome of the story based on a type of morality system. Mixed together, they make for an interesting game, and one that is less linear than I’d previously imagined.
The game is initially presented as a film – it begins with a montage of movie clips ending with the Golden Playhouse logo, similar to the kind shown before a movie on DVD, one that highlights all of the company’s best movies. After that, we’re introduced to the Midnight Venus, Trisha, host of what is presumably a late-night series of B movies. Scantily clad with a giant, sparkling red afro, Trisha tells us about the film, Catherine, which is an “unconventional romantic horror.” Even the music and visuals in the credits – which started with the characters in the game, and then went seamlessly into the designers and directors – was reminiscent of a late-night B movie.
The first piece of gameplay is the main character, Vincent Brooks, in his first nightmare sequence – the Underground Cemetery. Here is where the player is introduced to how the puzzle sections work. Vincent must get to the top of a series of blocks, some of which must be moved to create pathways for him to climb. He can only go up one block at a time, but can also hang from ledges, as well as use handy items that are around – but he can only carry one at a time. Only certain blocks can be moved, while others are permanently in place, meaning the player has to think of a way around them – or avoid them entirely, if possible. Vincent has horns like a ram, is wearing only his boxers, and is carrying around a pillow, which he can use later to hit enemies in his way.
The block system can be tricky at first. If you pull a block out, and its edge is touching the block above it, the block above it will not fall. If you move it, though, the block above it will no longer have support, bringing part of the wall down. This can be used to your advantage, but can also disrupt whatever path you’re trying to create. Hitting Select will undo your last move, and you can go back nine times. You can also pick up coins, which allow you to purchase items in between levels on the landings, as well as Mystic Pillows, which give you additional retries. Checkpoints can also be reached, though if you die and you start from a Checkpoint instead of from the beginning, you will have a lower score, as it drops your bonus (extra points received for how quickly you move up the level) down to zero. As you finish each level, your score determines what prize you get – Bronze, Silver, or Gold. Gold prizes unlock levels in Babel, giving players even more challenges.
The difficulty in this game is absolutely relentless. Playing on Normal subjects you to incredibly difficult puzzles. I made it through the first three chapters before switching from Normal to Easy, most likely extending the life of my controller in the process. Unless you are fantastic at block puzzles, or you’re just a glutton for punishment, I would advise playing through the game on Easy first, and then, if you want more, switching it up to Normal.
There are plenty of ways to get killed while in the nightmares. You can get crushed by a falling block, killed by an enemy, slip off the blocks, or get killed more creatively by a boss (those are typically the messiest). There are also many different block types that get introduced as each nightmare passes, creating more complex puzzles – some are cracked and break when stepped on too many times, others explode, while still others are made out of ice, tossing Vincent unceremoniously out in the abyss.
When you get near the top of the level, a bell starts to ring. It sounds like a church bell, and is supposed to give you hope that you’re nearing the top – but more often than not, it becomes annoying, especially if you’re at a difficult part and you keep dying over and over. Once you’ve gotten to the top, you can access the landing, which is full of sheep you can talk to. Some of them will trade techniques with you, which can be very valuable when you’re faced with a puzzle you can’t work out. There’s even a merchant sheep who sells items. Be careful, though – purchasing items decreases your chances of getting a Gold prize, so if you’re trying to get all Gold prizes, avoid the merchant. You can interact with all of the sheep, and some of them you can decide what you’re going to say to them, which affects your morality meter. Helping these sheep may determine whether or not they survive this ordeal.
When you’re done on the landing, it’s time to go into the confessional. The Cryptic Voice and Vincent have some hostile banter, and then Vincent is asked a question that, again, affects his morality meter. The questions range from things like whether life begins or ends at marriage, to what you should do if you fall in love with your best friend’s girlfriend. The meter will determine what Vincent thinks and does throughout the rest of the storyline, which in turns determines what will happen when you get to the end of the game. In the loading screen between the question and the start of the next level, players are shown what other people had to say in answer to the question.
After finishing the first nightmare sequence, Vincent wakes up in his bedroom, then goes to meet with his girlfriend, Katherine. Katherine is an ambitious, controlling, uptight woman, determined to marry Vincent. She is smart and sensible, and has a demanding job. She starts dropping hints about taking their relationship to the next level in this scene at a local café called the Chrono Rabbit. Vincent seems scattered and unable to focus on the conversation, and in the next scene, with his friends at their favorite bar, the Stray Sheep, he complains about Katherine and her hints about getting married. The general consensus of his friends, Jonny, Orlando, Toby, and even the waitress, Erica, seems to be: why not? They’ve been together for five years – isn’t it time they tied the knot? But Vincent doesn’t seem convinced.
The text messaging system is introduced here. Katherine sends Vincent a text message, and Vincent has options on what he wants to send back to her. There are several different branching options the player can choose from. Once you’ve chosen your message and sent it, the meter pops up again, showing you on the scale (of what is presumably red for evil and blue for good) where your answer placed.
Vincent sticks around for a few more drinks after his friends leave, kicking things around in his head, when in walks Catherine, a blonde bombshell wearing lingerie-ish clothes (a white dress with a white lace choker and white thigh-highs), who sits down at his booth. The next thing Vincent knows, he’s back with the other sheep again in another nightmare. This is the pattern of the game – when Vincent sleeps, he’s in the nightmares; when he’s awake, he’s at the Chrono Rabbit with Katherine, or Kappa Heaven or the bathroom at work with Orlando, or at the Stray Sheep with a combination of characters.
There’s also another layer to the game – that of the mysterious murders and the “curse” the characters discuss, inside and outside of the nightmare world. The news is full of stories about men dying in their sleep, and the people in the bar whisper and gossip about a curse that only kills men who cheat. Vincent begins to realize that some of the characters he talks to in the bar are the same characters he sees as sheep every night. Players have the option to interact with these characters and help them resolve their problems, expanding the story even more.
The only secondary place – aside from the nightmare realm – that Vincent can really move around in and interact with is the Stray Sheep. He can order drinks (whisky, cocktails, sake, or beer), imbibe, change the music on the jukebox, play the arcade game Rapunzel (which is a variation on the puzzle game in the dreams), hit the bathroom, check the ATM, listen to the news on the television, sit at the bar and in other booths to speak with guests, and interact with the bartender, Boss, and the waitress, Erica. He can also talk to his friends, as well as check text messages and opt whether or not he wants to take phone calls. The more Vincent drinks, the faster he is in the dream, so feel free to get as drunk as you want while sitting around the bar. Each drink is equally as potent, so it doesn’t matter which one you choose. Time does pass in the bar, though, so be sure to talk to whichever patrons you want to talk to before they get up to leave.
One thing I love about this game is how detailed it is. When Vincent opens a text from Katherine, she sighs disapprovingly. When he opens one from Catherine, she giggles seductively. Each night, if Vincent finishes his drink, he will be treated to trivia for whatever kind of drink it is. I got into the habit of drinking each kind every night just to hear all of the trivia, some of which was very interesting. The music in the game, composed by Atlus regular Shoji Meguro, is absolutely fantastic, from the nightmare levels to the arcade game to the various choices you can unlock in the jukebox (songs are unlocked by getting Trophies).
Loading screens show famous quotes, like “Love is being stupid together” and “Marriage must incessantly contend with a monster that devours everything: familiarity.” The funniest was “Bigamy is having one wife too many. Monogamy is the same.” There are also very insightful conversations between Vincent and some of the other characters – in one discussion, the person he’s talking to explains that human beings seek out people who don’t have our personality flaws, and who can help us fix ourselves: “In a nutshell, you’re trying to get rid of the self you hate through romance.” Adult in nature, the serious tone adds to the uniqueness of the experience that is Catherine. The story is dark and twisted, full of plot twists and that J-horror flavor, frighteningly horrifying and yet realistic in a way that makes it feel like it’s part sociology class.
But the game is not completely perfect. The difficulty itself is so crushing that, even while playing on Easy mode, I was having a hard time finishing some of the levels. When a game has this much controller-hurling frustration, it’s difficult to recommend it to any but the most determined and patient of gamers. As Plato is quoted in one of the loading screens, “Patience is the best remedy for every trouble.” It’s also one of those games that have you thinking it’s over… and then it just keeps going, and going, and going. These Energizer Bunny games start to drive me crazy after the second or third time I think I’m at the end, and this one was no exception. These frustrations, while not horrible, are worth noting and worth the warning: those weak of heart need not purchase Catherine.
There was only one time I experienced any kind of glitch in the game. Towards the end, as the levels get more and more difficult, I was having a tough time with a particular area. I ended up pulling out a block I shouldn’t have, and the entire left side of the level came crashing down. As it began to fall, the framerate dipped horribly, and the game crawled for a few moments. After that, I laughed as layers of blocks, items, and even a Checkpoint fell down into the abyss with a crash. Whoops.
Catherine is a game for fans of horror (specifically Japanese, but all horror fans could find something here), difficult puzzle games, and games with morality choices. But it’s also a game for people who are into the quirkier, more interesting side of the video game world. If you want something that isn’t quite as stilted as Heavy Rain but doesn’t have the long, drawn-out RPG elements of something like Fallout 3, and you like the strange and unusual, definitely check out Catherine. Of course, it’s also good if you just want to know what it’s like to play a bizarre, adult-themed video game. Don’t worry, I won’t tell your wife.
Review Disclosure: A retail copy of Catherine was purchased by Warp Zoned for the purposes of this review.
