Kyasarin

If I had to pick one word to describe "Catherine", it would be "intelligent." True, there are other games I'd describe this way, but "Catherine" swaps typical shooting or brawling for puzzle-based gaming. It's a smart game that makes you feel smarter for playing it. And while there's a mature and (for the most part) smartly-written story and some fine-looking cutscenes and graphics, your enjoyment of the game will probably be determined directly by how addictive you find the puzzle mechanics.

Framed as an episode of a late-night cable show, hosted by the enigmatic "Midnight Venus", the game, after an interesting (though long-winded) intro, throws players straight into the action. Vincent Brooks, the main character, is having a nightmare in which he must manipulate blocks in order to ascend a rapidly-crumbling tower. When he awakens, Vincent's life is complicated when his long-time girlfriend Katherine starts dropping some not-so-subtle hints that it might be time for the commitment phobic Vincent to buy her a ring, and when he hears a rumor going around his favorite bar that lousy boyfriends have been having a nightmare similar to his, and that if they fall in their dream, they end up dead on the morning news in real life.

That night at the bar, Vincent's approached by gorgeous Catherine. Unlike brunette Katherine, blonde bombshell Catherine's a free-spirit looking for a good time, and, in a moment of weakness, Vincent shows her one. The story, a mixture of romantic comedy and supernatural horror, is told through a combination of stunning cell-shaded graphics and genuine anime cutscenes. The voice acting for the English dub is top- notch, with voices I recognized from my favorite video games and animated series.

Gameplay takes place mainly in the nightmares, in which you must push and pull blocks to create a path up increasingly tall towers. These puzzles are actually pretty freeform, and different players will be able to improvise completely different paths to the pinnacle of each stage. Different types of blocks are added into the mix as you progress through the game, with various "trap" blocks requiring skill and timing to bypass.

While the puzzles can sometimes be frustrating initially, on subsequent playthroughs you should come to look forward to the challenge of later stages and to find boss "fights" more rewarding. The boss battles, or, more accurately, boss chases, feature monstrous manifestations of Vincent's worries trying to kill him, forcing him to climb more quickly. This creates some of the game's more terrifying sequences, like one where Vincent is being chased by what I think was the "beast with two backs", firing hearts out of its . . . well, you'll just have to see for yourself.

After completing each puzzle, you'll find yourself in a confessional booth where you'll be asked your thoughts on relationships. These questions are randomized each time you play and, along with questions you'll be asked by other characters on the landings between stages, where you're expected to encourage other lambs, and the Stray Sheep, Vincent's bar, as well as text messages you can send Catherine or Katherine, influence the game's nuanced morality system. Instead of pure "good" or "evil", the system is based on which of two viewpoints on relationships you lean more towards, with no consistent indication which choice will lean towards which polarity. Unfortunately, while these choices effect the NPC's around you, Vincent's story path will be the same for every player. Vincent's internal monologue at several points will change, and maybe a line of dialogue here and there will be different, but the story makes all the same stops no matter how many sweet texts you send to one girl and nasty texts you send to the other, at least until the game's finale, when your actions throughout the game will ultimately determine your alternate ending.

However, scenes set in the Stray Sheep do a good job of capturing the feeling of relaxing at your favorite pub, allowing you to choose your responses to the texts from the women in Vincent's life, lend a sympathetic ear to the many interesting characters that make up the rest of the bar's regulars, and chat with Vincent's circle of drinking buddies and the bar's proprietor, the Robert Goulet-like "Boss." There's also a jukebox to change the accompanying BGM and an arcade booth to play a faux-retro version of the game. Of course, you can also pick your poison and drink, which not only gives Vincent a boost during the puzzle sequences but, in one of the game's finer touches, will also provide you with some interesting trivia tidbits on the liquor of your choice.

Other clever touches include the quotes from famous writers and philosophers on love and marriage that display during the game's loading screens, or the game's great score. Original jazz compositions provide accompaniment for Stray Sheep sequences, while climbing sequences feature ultra-modern remixes of classical compositions by Beethoven, Bach, and the like.

"Catherine", perhaps fittingly, is more of a commitment than it seems at first. On at least two separate occasions, I put the controller down, thinking I'd finished the game, only to be treated to a long series of cutscenes and then flung back into another puzzle. And while the game's central mystery provides a couple great twists, once the party responsible for Vincent's plight is revealed, the motivations behind the plot seem more than a little convoluted. Also, a final hosting segment after the game's conclusion beats players over the head with the game's themes.

Other gameplay modes include Babel, a more randomized climbing puzzle that can be played single-handedly or cooperatively, and Colliseum, which is meant to be a competitive climbing mode but plays more like a tacked-on Deathmatch. In the end, it's the game's unique puzzles and interesting characters that made me want to play again as soon as I finished.

I am always hearing men asking what game they can play with their significant other. (Flower is the correct answer by the way.) Catherine is not the correct answer. It may seem as a simple game that deals with relationships and commitment. It isn't. The game tells you that you will be judged. If you play with your girlfriend or wife I guarantee you it won't just be the game judging you.

First the good bits. This is surprisingly well written. Yes Katherine with a K is a bit of a trope as a harridan making her man grow up. Yet she isn't wrong and plenty of women in their early thirties struggle with the same issues with their partners. (Particularly partners that play video games and watch anime such as the audience for this game.) There is also a lot more depth to the story and characters than may first appear during the playthrough,

The main gameplay is two-fold. One is sitting around a bar talking to patrons and friends and answering text messages. The game has multiple endings based on your actions but often I felt I didn't really have the ability to actually steer the story. I get the impression despite my diligence in talking to everyone I missed significant bits. It has a Mass effect on the ship feel but without as much apparent dialogue choice.

The other main gameplay element is a climbing blocks puzzle reminiscent of Qbert. I, at times, hated it. It has a nasty difficulty spike halfway through and there is no way around it if you want to see the story (Playing on easy does not seem to make the puzzles themselves easier. It just gives you more money and lives) Speaking of lives the puzzle segments gives Dark Souls a run for its money. I can't remember seeing the you died screen this often in a game. To the game's credit however, the checkpoints are somewhat generous.

This may be a game one has to play more than once to fully appreciate as I sense I had more freedom of choice than I realized. The block puzzles are tough and frustrating but the narrative is such that instead of giving up I struggled through and actually got better.

If you like good more adult themed Anime and don't mind earning your pudding Catherine is an excellent game.

I got this game because it was being put out by Atlus a company known for releasing some of the more interesting and unique games coming out of Japan, that and it looked like it might have an interesting story to it. It does have that, unfortunately the the main brunt of the game play is really annoying. It is fun during the day when you see the scenes and then at night before bed when you are at the bar. If more of the game play had been like that of the bar this one would have been much better as it was fun interacting with other patrons, drunk texting, sneaking a peek at some semi risqué pics on your cell phone and drinking various alcoholic beverages. To bad after you get to enjoy the highlight of the game you are then escorted to a nightmarish realm where the protagonist must climb various blocks to make his escape. It is not all bad, some levels were rather fun, but to many times I found myself cursing the screen as Vincent (the protagonist) plunged to his death multiple times or was killed in some other annoying way. I had the game set on easy too, which the narrator told me was for those of us more interested in the storyline which leads me to believe I made the right choice in picking easy because I would sure hate to witness anything more difficult. The story has a guy who is dating a woman named Katherine, a woman who is ready for a commitment while Vincent is kind of enjoying how things are currently going. Well he ends up waking up with another woman after a night at the bar and thus is caught between two women, Katherine a woman Vincent has known for a while and is serious about life and Catherine a younger girl who just wants to have a good time. His struggles seem to manifest themselves in the form of a strange dream where he is compelled to climb mountains of blocks. Strangely this strange realm is inhabited by a lot of sheep who give Vincent advice at times and at others try to impede his progress. However, Vincent soon learns these dreams are not simply being manufactured by his troubled mind as strange deaths seem to be occurring all over the city. Like I said the story had me hooked, just wish the game play was better as it seems like this portion of the game was rushed, while great detail was taken for the cut scenes and when you control Vincent in the bar. I would have preferred something more along the lines of Silent Hill 4 the Room, where he wakes up in some warped place and fights his way out rather than the climbing game we get. Also, the cover of this game and the M rating suggests this one is a lot more risqué than it actually is. You see nothing and it probably could have been rated T if not for all the cussing. They kind of oversold this angle as I have seen worse things in an R rated movie. So all in all a fun game to a point, if only they had worked on the dream stages a bit more, perhaps made them more varied and less frustrating as those boss levels really ramp up the annoyance factor. Still, the story balances it out a bit and overall I will say it is a fun game, just be prepared to pull your hair out if you are not like a gamer who plays games 24/7 and has no trouble playing any game.

I have to admit, I've never been one to gravitate toward anime or manga. It's not that I have anything against them-it's more that I've just always been indifferent. However, while scrolling through YouTube one day out of sheer boredom, I stumbled upon a video review of Catherine, and something about it piqued my interest. On a whim, I decided to buy a copy for my PS3, and I'm so glad I took the chance-I ended up having an incredible time.

Catherine follows the story of Vincent Brooks, a man caught in a web of supernatural nightmares as he navigates his complicated feelings for two women: his long-time girlfriend Katherine and the enticing Catherine, who shares a similar name. The premise revolves around an affair, with Vincent scrambling to keep it a secret from Katherine. Trust me; that's just the tip of the iceberg!

The gameplay is divided into two main segments. First, you'll find yourself in a bar, mingling with Vincent's friends and other patrons. Here, you can interact with a variety of characters and make choices that will impact how the story unfolds. These segments are surprisingly engaging, and as the narrative progressed, I found myself genuinely caring for the characters, especially Vincent.

The second half of the gameplay is where things get intense. As Vincent slips into his nightmares, he's faced with an unforgiving wall made of blocks. Your goal is to climb to the top, but with various obstacles in your way, it often feels like a puzzle that's challenging to crack. While it may sound monotonous, I assure you that the stakes are high, and some of the most intense gameplay moments I've experienced on the PS3 happened in these dream sequences. The sense of accomplishment I felt after finally conquering a particularly frustrating level was beyond rewarding.

What surprised me most was how the game occasionally posed questions that I found myself answering for myself rather than for Vincent. This level of immersion drew me in; I began to feel a personal connection to Vincent, almost as if I were witnessing my own struggles reflected back at me. It's an outstanding design choice, and I can't help but applaud the developers for sneaking such a profound emotional experience under the radar.

Graphically, Catherine boasts a cell-shaded art style that gives it a timeless, almost cartoonish quality. It perfectly complements the game's surreal settings and enhances the overall atmosphere. The voice acting is top-notch, especially with Troy Baker voicing Vincent; it really brought the character to life, and the overall cast lent their voices well to the immersive experience.

The music blends a distinctly Japanese vibe with the game's themes, setting the mood perfectly for both the bar scenes and the harrowing nightmares.

After diving deep into every nook and cranny of the game for about 30 hours, I enjoyed every moment-though I may have screamed in frustration more than a few times!

In short, Catherine is truly a unique experience that captivated me in ways I didn't expect. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone willing to step outside their comfort zone, regardless of their feelings toward anime. If you're looking for a blend of intense gameplay, rich storytelling, and emotional depth, Catherine is a must-play. Easy 10/10!