Catherine is a game that piqued my interest. While I was hesitant to purchase a game where block puzzles were the majority of the gameplay, the premise of an interactive story with beautiful anime graphics pulled me in. I’m not saying I don’t like puzzle games, but £40 seems a steep price for the game, initially…

First things, this game isn’t going to appeal to everyone. If you are a FIFA/COD only guy then this game really isn’t for you, so stop reading now.

Catherine is the story of Vincent, a 32 year-old man who is starting to feel the pressures of adulthood. Our hero has been seeing his girlfriend Katherine for years now and talk of children and marriage are knocking about. After a night out at his local bar, Vincent wakes up with beautiful and psychotic girl Catherine (yes the same name, different first letter) by his side. Oh and while Vincent is dealing with issues in his love life, he finds himself having nightmares where he must make his way to the top of falling towers or die.

It always helps when a game looks pretty and Catherine looks beautiful. If I was scoring it on looks alone it’d get a 9/10. The game has brilliant anime cutscenes  that break up Catherine’s story. Even when you are just wandering around the bar (I’ll get to this later) the cel-shaded graphics are a joy. The whole thing is a colourful delight and it’s nice to have a game that has more than just brown and grey in its colour palette.

Catherine is split into two different sections. The first has you talking to patrons of your local bar, The Stray Sheep. Here you converse with other people who are clearly effected by the same nightmares you are having. You discuss various different issues on love and the dialogue is pretty good here. Many decent debates come up about relationships and while this may not directly affect the story it certainly shaped the choices I made in the game. While in the bar you will also receive texts/calls from either of your lovers. How you respond to these (or don’t, if you’re that kind of guy) will change the story and the eventual ending.

This is what made Catherine stand out from others. At one point I found myself taking 5 minutes writing a text on the game (you can select different replies) because I wanted to treat Katherine with respect and not upset her. At the same time you could easily blow her off and be rude to her constantly. This was only because the story wasn’t some stupid game relationship with boobs flashed everywhere. Sex, love and relationships are the crux of this story and have been treated with respect, something which is rare in gaming. As the game progressed I felt my decisions changing with my perceptions of the characters. I began to feel involved in the story which is why Catherine is so great.

The second part of the game has you controlling Vincent during his nightmares. Here he must travel the top of a suspended tower built on moveable building blocks, or else he will fall to his death. The premise itself is simple as you can push and pull blocks to create a path for yourself. Of course each level has been created with challenges such as fellow humans, who look like sheep, that will get in your way or even push you. Several different blocks and pick-ups are thrown in to mix-up the game but it doesn’t hide the fact that these sections all use the same format. Boss battles do help to change the feeling of the nightmare sections, with several twisted, giant characters chasing you down with their own unique move that changes how you tackle the tower.

The nightmare sections of Catherine are good fun and easy to pick up and play. You use the analogue stick to jump, climb and shimmy your way along blocks. Pressing X (or A) will let you drop down below or let you drag/push boxes.  The controls are solid but occasional I found that I’d  hang onto a block I didn’t want to. If you manage to hang on a block on the opposite side of the camera it can be a hassle to get back on the right side, especially when you have the threat of a boss or falling platform. The way the puzzles work is pretty intuitive for the original premise and at times you’ll have to think on your feet to figure out which is the right box to move. Go crazy and push blocks about and you can easily make traversing the tower impossible. It is always refreshing to play something different, but by the end of the game I was happy that there was only eight nights for Vincent to have nightmares.

Other than the main campaign there is a set of challenge rooms called Babel. These are fun, but as I said, the puzzle element is fun, but the weaker part of the game. There are online leaderboards too, but that’s all of Catherine’s modes.

Catherine isn’t your average game. In fact while the whole thing may not be the most complex ideas I really liked it. If you are the kind of person who talks to every NPC in RPGs and wants to invest time in a dynamic, adult story then I implore you to pick up Catherine.

 

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