Catherine is another masterfully crafted game from Atlus that will have you hooked until the end.
GAMEPLAY - This game plays in two different realms of the life of the main character, Vincent. By day you are watching him interact with his girlfriend, friends, and other patrons around the bar. Certain things you say and do affect how Vincent approaches different things. This is judged by a bar that fluctuates depending on how you control Vincent. But it isn't exactly morality you're being graded on. Instead it is the balance between order and chaos. Depending on how you respond to people and act, your position on this bar changes, which also has an affect on how the game plays out. There are also fun little extras, such as learning about certain alcoholic beverages featured in the game, playing an arcade version of the nightmare stages (which I found to be actually more difficult than the nightmare stages, for the most part), and having text conversations with certain individuals.
The other realm is in Vincent's dreams. Every night you get a series of levels where you must maneuver blocks and Vincent himself around in order to scale a giant tower of said blocks. This game starts out pretty easy in difficulty. You'll get the basics after the first two or three nights, and then it goes to moderate. Frankly, I didn't think the game started to get hard until the sixth night, but I admit I was playing on easy mode after hearing the reviews about the punishing difficulty. I'm sure that this can be much more of a chore if you're playing on normal or hard.. Anyways...there are about a dozen or so different kinds of blocks, and these all tend to either greatly help or hinder your progress. Between each of these levels, you make a stop at a confessional booth with a group of sheep around it. The sheep can be helpful; giving you tips and strategies to scale the mountains of blocks. But before proceeding to the next level, you must enter the confessional booth and answer a question from an unknown entity. These, too, affect your scale between order and chaos, and even though this wasn't supposed to be taken too seriously, I had a hard time trying to answer truthfully to a couple of questions asked. It really makes you think how you would act in a certain situation at times. Unfortunately the platforming really could have used a bit more polish. You can only grab onto edges if there isn't another block below where you try to grab, and I had a couple of instances where controls were unresponsive and deaths occurred at times where they weren't supposed to. However, most of these cases are minor, and once you get the hang of this game, you can usually avoid these pitfalls.
Overall the gameplay is great. I wouldn't say this game is as hard as some make it out to be, but again, I didn't challenge myself much on my first playthrough. Only because I didn't want to turn myself off to the game. Most of the levels don't feel like too much of a rush, however the boss levels can really get your blood pumping. It's a great and original concept for a game, and one worth experiencing if you want to try something new. - 8.5/10
STORY - Again, this game centers around a week in Vincent's life where he is being pressured by his long-time girlfriend, Katherine, to get married in the near future, but soon begins an unintentional affair with another woman named Catherine. As the game progresses, Vincent must juggle both relationships without one affecting the other. It's very interesting to see how it all plays out, and even though the story is predictable, for the most part, it's really the driving force that makes you want to keep playing through until the end. Unfortunately not a lot rides on your position along the law/chaos meter. The only changes you will see are in Vincent's inner monologue, and whenever the bar pops up on screen. It would have been nice to see the story play out in different ways depending on how you acted and responded to things. When it comes to the characters, not all are as interesting as those in the central love triangle of this story, but you'll be surprised just how much you can learn about them if you speak to them.. As far as how both women fit into Vincent's life and what is responsible for Vincent's nightmares, that's something best left to discover for yourself. - 9.5/10
GRAPHICS - The graphics are very well done. This is about the highest quality anime animation that I've seen. While the lip-synching is off, this is understandable considering this was in Japanese originally. Overall I was very impressed here. This game looks great, for the most part. - 9/10
SOUND - The voice acting here is very well done. Solid performances all around. The music is also incredibly well done. Some tracks will stick with you, while others have been brought back and put in the jukebox in this game from past Atlus titles, such as Persona. This is another area this game does well with. - 9.5/10
LENGTH/REPLAY VALUE - This game took me about 12 hours to beat on easy. I'm sure it's at least 50% more on other difficulties considering the trial and error phases. While I did go into this game not expecting a terribly long game, I do think that this game felt a little short, in some ways. Still, I think this is a pretty acceptable length for a game based around platforming puzzles and decision-making. As for replay value...well, for me, I'm not chomping at the bit to want to go through this again, but I definitely want to. I'm interested in seeing how the story plays out from the opposite end of the spectrum... - 7.5/10
BOTTOM LINE - Catherine is definitely not something that should be taken lightly. You are, after all, dealing with a story that is based around relationships, romance, and affairs. You'll see themes from these subjects throughout this game, and it may even make you examine your own relationship, if you have one. As for the nightmare stages that seem to be pretty difficult for a lot of people...you pretty much get a good idea of what to expect from the demo. While the stages do get much, much more difficult by the end, it's not as if they just throw you into the fire. The learning curve really isn't as steep as some would like you to believe. So if you are interested in this game based on what you're getting, I would highly recommend getting it. It might be a rental for some, especially if you're not sure about it. It's one of those games that can be beaten in a weekend, but you may find yourself getting really invested in what it has to offer. So if you're in the market for a game with a lot of violence and nonstop action, look elsewhere. Catherine does have both of these things, but in a more mature way. There is still some nice violent imagery accompanied by edge-of-your-seat action, but not in the way that most games present it. Catherine is the perfect game for someone who wants something different, something for the more mature audience, or a game that will present a fairly difficult challenge. And if you've played any games by Atlus before, you know what they're capable of. Catherine ranks up there with the other Atlus titles I've played, and is definitely one worth trying out. - 9/10