Taking advantage of the announcement that Catherine will finally arrive in Spain (subtitled in Spanish), on October 28 of this year, we have decided to publish the analysis of this game that I was lucky enough to try on my vacation in the USA.
Developed and published by Atlus, although it will come to Spain from Deep Silver and Koch Media. The game has been available since August 15 in the USA for Xbox and PS3 and since February 17 in Japan for PS3.
But what is Catherine really?
It is difficult to explain what type of game Catherine is, although its mechanics are more similar to a puzzle game, its execution is also similar to a graphic adventure, being at all times above all an interactive movie.
In order not to spoil the story, I will only comment that Catherine is a game in which we will follow the life of our character Vincent for 7 days, who is currently dating his long-term girlfriend, Katherine. It is a relationship that has reached a point where Katherine asks Vincent for more responsibilities and begins to burden him with marriage and even the possibility of being pregnant. Vincent feels suffocated by commitment and the idea of ââgrowing up and begins to have a recurring nightmare about it.
The nightmare is the point where we come into play, since nightmares are where the real playable part of Catherine appears. A stage full of cubes appears in front of us, and we will have to climb it as quickly as possible to avoid falling into the void. To do this we have very simple movements (push, pull, go up and down) and some cubes, which can be of different types (normal, ice, weak, heavy, jumping, etc.). Since explaining it like this is something strange to understand, Iâm showing you a video of the first phase in difficult, which will surely teach you the mechanics better than my words. (Donât worry, the video doesnât show anything about the story)
As you can see, the game can become complex at times, and it can really make you desperate if you play it on difficult. To do this it has 3 difficulties, Easy, Normal and Hard, in which the first two are basically to enjoy the story without many worries (although normal will get you mad at times) and hard will test your skills with Vincentâs nightmares.
From the first nightmare onwards, the game becomes more complicated by introducing us to Catherine, a beautiful young girl who will really drive our protagonist crazy and with whom he will have more than just wordsâŠI canât say more without fear of spoiling a story that I think is great and that at all times puts us in the shoes of Vincent as he goes through the stress of commitment. Catherine is a perfect game for all of you who have ever feared growing up.
The game lasts about 15+ hours in the first game although they can be greatly extended by achieving all the levels in Gold, and completing all the endings. In my case it lasted more than 30 hours and I hadnât even tried the Rapunzel minigame. Additionally, the game has a bar that will serve as a meeting point where you can chat with other characters in the game.
As for the sexual theme of the game, which is suggested in all the advertisements, I am sorry to disappoint you, but it only remains there, in suggestions without teaching anything. Atlus has known how to play very well with the feverish minds of the players, making the game very suggestive but without having to resort to anything explicit.
The graphic section is very polished, with an aspect that is both Cell Shading and somewhat manga that is really suggestive for the player. Plus, it runs really smoothly, and I didnât have any bugs or problems worth talking about. Regarding the sound section, the truth is that I was impressed, especially by the themes that play in the background of nightmares. Shoji Meguro, the gameâs composer, deserves a round of applause for the gameâs magnificent OST.
Note
- Presentation: The story is very good, it really plays with peopleâs feelings, and easily hooks the player, if you have ever had problems in a relationship, you will be familiar with the problems that Vincent suffers in the game. 9
- Graphics: The graphics are attractive and attractive, thanks to the fact that the Cell Shading of the game mixed with the manga style, looks really good. It doesnât have any issues worth mentioning which is surprisingly rare in this generation. 8.5
- Duration and Engagement: The story of the game lasts quietly about 20 hours. The possibility of getting gold in all the nightmares, unlocking the different endings and the multiple mini-games extend the life of the game by a few more hours. 9.5
- Final Note: I thank Koch MEdia and Deep Silver for bringing this game to Spain soon, as I assure you that it will be a game that you will hardly be able to forget once you have played it. I love seeing new bets in a market saturated with shooters, and especially with a game like Catherine which is, in my opinion, a complete Must Have. 9