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Opinions on “Catherine”?
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I really enjoyed Persona 5 and what with the re-release of Catherine Full Body (and the news that there’s P5-related DLC) I’m tempted to give it a try.
I’m curious to know people’s opinions? The cover art is a bit off-putting and makes me feel that it’s very gazey and all-out creepy. I used to most of that weird stuff since I consume a lot of Japanese media (still bad but you get me, it goes over my head at this point) but I’m curious to know people’s opinions??
Edit: Thanks everyone for your comments and opinions, I reckon I’ll just give it a skip! The gameplay sounds fun but I don’t fancy contributing profits to a piece of media that seems very toxic! Even if the characters are supposed to be bad, it still sounds a bit much!
Top Comment:
I played it a bit ages ago, but never finished it. If the cover art is already raising a red flag, then I wouldn't really recommend it.
I completely agree with the other comment on here:
Catherine is one of the most misogynistic games I have ever played.
Catherine Bach in the 1970s : OldSchoolCool
Main Post: Catherine Bach in the 1970s : OldSchoolCool
UPDATE: Charles and Catherine Romer Disappearance : UnresolvedMysteries
Main Post: UPDATE: Charles and Catherine Romer Disappearance : UnresolvedMysteries
The Vibes of Catherine are unmatched to this day
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'Cozy' seems to be the gaming word of the year. Hygge-inspired play spaces have been the warm digital blankets swaddling us during times of ever increasing uncertainty and distress but there was an elusive feeling that we used to chase instead of coziness. Before we searched for solace in front of make-believe fireplaces, there was a search for games with atmospheres so unique and arresting that you could not help but set the controller down and breathe it all in. We looked for vibes, and Catherine's main hub, The Stray Sheep, has some of the most uncontestably excellent vibes in all of gaming.
The Stray Sheep is only comfortable in the way that knowing the sun sets in the evening is comfortable. It is an institution, a fact of life for its patrons, an oddly sombre fact of life at that. The old wooden floorboards soaked with sloshed drinks and the faded brickwork look so dour in the dim incandescent light of the bar. Only Erica in her strange Ronald McDonald looking get up doing her rounds adds much color and motion to this static place.
The soundscape of the bar is just as rich as its visual representation. While you and your friends sit in companionable silence, the gentle clinking of glasses and the laughter of other customers fills the air. If not that, your ears are blessed by the omniscient narration of Jamieson Price sharing fun trivia about the liquor that you are currently trying to drown your sorrows in.
I would never go as far as to say that I ever felt safe or happy at the Stray Sheep. Brief moments of knocking back rums & colas before being sent every night to confront some horrible manifestation of Vincent's adult fears felt like a welcome act of coming up for air, but never enough to dip into cozy territory. If you are feeling burnt out on every video essayist and their Mom using the Persona 5 soundtrack to add some class to their videos, or you've worn down the replay button on your Persona study playlist of choice, I do recommend giving this game's soundtrack or ambience videos a try. The game makes me deeply uncomfortable, the aura of the Stray Sheep does not.
Top Comment:
One of the things I think Atlus excels at is the gameplay loop. Both Persona and Catherine have “downtime” in between the core gameplay and that’s what makes it addictive.
In the case of the Stray Sheep, it’s just a great break from the puzzle gameplay. After a grueling few rounds in the dream it’s nice to just hang out, have a drink, talk with npcs, look at texts, and even play a few rounds of the arcade game. I feel like, if Catherine were nothing but the puzzle gameplay, I’d get burnt out quickly. So having a downtime section made for a very engaging and addictive gameplay loop.
What did you think of Catherine?
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I'm a guy and would be interested in seeing the opinions of women who played Catherine, as it is one of the most thought provoking games I have played with respect to relationships.
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I absolutely adored Catherine. It is incredibly unique, has challenging puzzle elements and beautiful graphics. The characters are incredibly well thought out, and there's diversity too (one of the characters is MtF transgender). I thought that the interactions with the two Catherines were pretty awesome - it was totally thought-provoking, as you said, and as the plot developed and more information was revealed about the circumstances behind them, I did flick between the two. I see the plot is totally a reflection of Vince's lack of commitment, rather than an exploration of relationships in general: he is afraid of change, unwilling to develop his career; he stays with his high-school friends (btw, Orlando = <3); he visits the same club day in, day out. There was some element of him remaining with Katherine because it was easy and didn't involve change, and the way Catherine pushes herself into his life shows a lack of conviction/passion by him, I guess. The plot of the game definitely serves more to develop him as a character than look at romance in general. I ended up with the good Katherine ending.
Catherine is actually stupid.
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She is so arrogant and suffers from grandiose delusions, its shocking. "I'm actually brilliant!" no you are not. You are actually quite close minded and dense, despite how the writers are attempting to paint you.
/endrant. Edit: omg, I must prove myself to these children who disapprove of me! Let me upend society because my ego is hurt, continue to silence my “advisors”, threaten nobles at gunpoint, and then blame them for Mariels murdered serf! Brilliant! I truly am brilliant.
Top Comment:
Hot take. Care to share any reason(s) why you think this? Or do you just need to complain?
Catherine
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Just played through this and didn't see any threads on it, so I figured we could take a break talking about the patient games typically we see here and go off course for a bit.
I originally heard of this game through Gamesack recommended by Dave while he was still on the show. I saw there wasn't a PC release at the time and put it in the back of my mind as something to look into in case I ever grabbed a newer console. This game ended up blowing up my expectations and keeping me up until 3 am.
Gameplay
The gameplay is a combo of two different types of games, definitely a solid 8/10. The primary game is a platform puzzler. Cubes are stacked creating towers and you have to find a way to reach the top. There's a time limit in the form of the ground beneath you falling. Even on Easy, which the game recommends you start on, the puzzle element is quite challenging. There were several stages that I just couldn't grasp the technique needed, even after using a YouTube video. The 3D space can be difficult to grasp, even after you're familiar with a technique. Luckily (depending on how you look at it), levels that require the harder techniques aren't used as frequently. I still had several levels that took me 10-15 tries to figure out what I needed.
There are also boss fights where the boss will cause disruptions to your climbing. The time limit is shorter because the boss chases you. Getting up too far ahead of the boss will shorten the time limit as it's boosted up to catch you.
The secondary game is the story which plays like a visual novel or social simulator. You talk with friends at a bar and other patrons of the bar. Sometimes they ask you questions and you can choose your answer. The game then gives you a good or bad rating which impacts the direction the story goes in. For my first playthrough, I went with the "good" answers, I plan on doing another on normal difficulty with bad answers, so I can't say how the story is impacted.
If anything, maybe the cut scenes are a bit long in the visual novel part of the game, but that didn't bother me since that's half the game. There is an "arcade game" within the game that can be played at the bar that has smaller levels. I'm not sure how high it goes in terms of level count. There's also a Tower Level that unlocks as you play through the story mode on higher difficulties.
Superficial
The graphics are not going to blow anyone's mind, but it's a mix of cell shaded anime style and straight animation. It works really well for the most part. The music is pretty good as well. All the scenes are voice acted and done pretty well. I normally turn on Japanese voices but I left them in English and thought the voice actors did a good enough job.
During the puzzle elements, we get a pretty good looking game as well. Again, nothing that's going to blow anyone's mind away, but it looks great for what it is. I don't think anyone would say this game's graphics are bad though.
Story (Mostly Spoiler Free, possible minor spoilers)
I found the story very entertaining if not ridiculous in a good way. I always wanted to know what was going to happen next through all the twists and turns it takes.
The story is focused on Vincent, who has a strange nightmare one night about needing to climb to the top of a tower or die. When he wakes up, he can't remember anything about the dreams.
You may consider what's below a spoiler:
While telling his friends about this weird dream that freaked him out at a bar one night a woman approaches him after his friends leave. He wakes up the next morning with her at his side despite having a girlfriend and very little memory of what happens. Him dealing with accidentally cheating is the premise of the story.
Cons
Most of my complaints are minimal about the game:
- Controls - While mostly fine, the game seems to have inconsistencies with turning directions. Sometimes I just wanted to turn directions to grab a block behind me and the character would just climb onto the next block. When running low on time, this was a nightmare because I couldn't grab or push a block I needed to avoid death. In addition, when traversing behind blocks, the controls sort of reverse... but not always. I found it was a fight sometimes to get the character to move in the direction I thought he should move when trying to traverse behind the stage.
- Camera - As mentioned above, you have the ability to hang behind blocks to traverse across them. The problem is the camera is restricted to 180 degrees of the playing field and the view of what's behind is sometimes blocked. I found myself taking blind risks or pushing blocks the wrong way because I couldn't see and had to guess. It's not a huge deal since you can "Undo". This MIGHT have been intentional though for the challenge, but I felt like it was more frustrating than anything.
In conclusion, check it out, I give it an 8/10. It's a really good, fun, and addictive game. There's a competitive multiplayer version that looks good for 2P couch play or Steam Remote Play as well. I hope they release the full version on PC, but if you have a PS4, it might be better to grab it there for the complete version, but there's plenty of good game to be had for $7 if you buy during the sale.
Top Comment:
...figured we could take a break talking about the normal patient games we see here...
But have you played Portal 2??
Catherine Review, Spoiler-Free
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I got pretty far into Catherine so far and felt compelled to make a review of the game for anyone who has heard about it and were questioning themselves on whether they should get it or not. If you are an individual who never played or haven't even heard of Atlus before, that is okay. Atlus is quite a small company who hasn't quite got their footing in the Western market (I read an interview with Atlus in Game Informer once that they, as a company, are very satisfied if they make their mark 50,000 games sold in the U.S., just to put it into perspective for you) but, have a very unique way of making games. So, this review is also, for those individuals who want to try out an Atlus product and don't know where to start. Without further ado, my review.
Story
This game is about Vincent and, more or less, his life inside his head. If I had to describe Vincent in one word, I would say a slacker. Vincent is all about taking it easy and hate change, but the forces that govern him have other plans and by forces I mean his girlfriend Katherine. Katherine is quite the opposite of Vincent, smart, ambitious, and responsible, she wants to go forward in life and that includes her relationship with Vincent. After a brief mentioning of marriage, Vincent is plagued by the troublesome questions about love, relationships, and commitment and the mixed advice from his three friends: Orlando, Jonny, Toby, and Erica, don't exactly help either. While sulking and drinking at the local water, The Stray Sheep, out of nowhere comes a girl that will send Vincent's life into chaos and the nightmares begin.
The story, so far, has been great. The way you get to know your friends and the other bar patrons is great. With each character having their own personality and their own take on the world gets you to come back to talk to them everyday. I, also, actually feel genuine worried when things happen to Vincent and I get driven to the next level, next scene, next stage, just to see what will happen. I feel it is awesome when a game does that and is definitely the seeing point for me in this game.
Gameplay
The nightmares are where the majority of the gameplay happens and is, more or less, one big, giant, dominating puzzle. With every stage comes levels and with every level comes choices. The choices you pick should reflect who you are and sway the "karma system" from one side to the other. After these choices, you go to the next level, in which, during the lading time, your answer to the choices gets uploaded to the internet and you can see how others replied to those same choices. Once, you reach the final level, a "boss battle" occurs and you essentially have to reach the top of the puzzle building to win. Seems pretty easy eh? Haha...walk with me.
These puzzles become brutal the higher you get up, even on easy. From my understanding this is quite the problem when it comes to the game and apparently the Japanese version had to get a patch created for a super easy mode to be used because people were getting pissed. Whether or not this has been put in place for the U.S. edition, I have no idea, but make no mistake, you will get frustrated and you will just let yourself die a couple of times just so you can get a good look at the puzzle. The game does help a lot by giving you technique hints and items to help you out of binds but, the greatest tool you need for this game is a quick mind and well planned out ideas to survive.
Another part of the gameplay is walking around in the real world, mostly in The Stray Sheep. In The Stray Sheep, you can go a talk with the bar patrons, play the video game, Rapunzel, jam some tunes, or go to the bathroom for some umm...cough alone time cough. All of this adds to the feel of the game as well as getting you to be interested in the lives of the NPCs in the bar. If it is one thing that Atlus does great is give good stories to NPCs but, I digress for now. During this time, you can also receive and respond to text messages from Catherine and Katherine. You answers will then change the karma system. All of this gives you a nice feel to the game and gives you a sense of Vincent's life. Both very good as far as immersion in to the game goes. With all of this comes a great visual story.
Presentation
This game looks good, I will tell you that right now. This game is presented in an anime style that is unlike any I have seen in a game before. The visuals are switches between cinematics to in-game graphics flawlessly and without much difference between them. The dialogue can be...iffy sometimes but, I expected some bumps in it because it was a completely new style for the team that worked on it. The controls are nice and simple. The only things I have a problem with is the dialogue issues (already addressed), the watermark on the top left corner, which goes unnoticed for after awhile but, is annoying at the beginning, and the way Vincent walks which looks like he has shit in his pants.
I will also add that the music in this game is awesome. It matches the mood almost perfectly and is just great to listen to. It is mostly classical music with a unique mix with it, but all of the songs have a "familiar feel" to it, you felt like you've heard the song before, but, at the same time, gives you a feel of originality. If you have ever played any of the Persona games and enjoyed it's music, the music in this game is right up your alley. I thought is was real cool that you can play the songs from the game on the jukebox in The Stray Sheep and, for most U.S. games I think, the soundtrack CD comes along with the game along with the artbook that explains in it, why they picked the songs that they did.
The voice acting can be...iffy. It is great that the voice actors fit very well with the characters in the game but, unfortunately, goes unappreciated if you get annoyed by the sound delay. Yes, I know sound delays, worst thing ever sometimes. It just seemed weird sometimes that the shocked expression the character has is met by a calm voice and the next moment is has calm facial expressions but, is shouting. This is though, only true in the first 5 minutes. After awhile, it either goes unnoticed or just goes away, either way, the rest of the areas are smooth and fluent and look great.
Overall
This game is great. It is fun, exciting, and intriguing. It will bend your mind and boost your adrenaline. The art is amazing that is your deal and the story drives you for as long as you can handle looking at a screen. I highly recommend this game for all those interesting even with the $60 price tag. The uniqueness alone makes it worth it sometimes. So, I hope my review was helpful and was able to shed some light on Atlus and the style of games they aim for.
Thank you
Top Comment:
I'm having an absolute blast with this game. The puzzles are hard and satisfying, and the story is just awesome.