Arjay
08-05-2011, 07:07 AM
Watching interviews, reading blogs and reports from video game sites, and looking at videos, one may get a little confused as to what type of game Catherine is. Basically, it's a puzzle game. A puzzle game mixed with relationship woes, social interaction, and a decent helping of that quirky Japanese style that anime and manga fans like me can appreciate.
For those of you who aren't familiar with Catherine, the story revolves around 32 year old Vincent Brooks, a systems engineer who enjoys life best when it's simple and uneventful. Unfortunately for him, life throws him a curve when his girlfriend of five years, Katherine McBride, brings up the topic of marriage. This has Vincent worried about the future of his carefree, low-keyed lifestyle. In addition to these worries, Vincent has recently been having nightmares involving sheep, pursuit by monsters, falling, and lots of climbing. Trouble is, he can't remember any of the details of these nightmares once he wakes up. The next day, Vincent and Katherine have lunch together. Katherine tells Vincent about how her mother has been asking her about the condition of their relationship, how most of her friends are married, and how some have even started a family. Suddenly out of his comfort zone, Vincent nervously suggests that things are good the way they are. This is obviously not what Katherine wanted to hear. Later on that day, Vincent decides to go to the Stray Sheep neighborhood bar and talk with his friends about his situation. After a few drinks too many and seeing his friends off, Vincent is approached by Catherine, a vivacious, free spirited young lady who appears to be the opposite of Katherine in every way. This sexy, blonde bombshell is quite the seductress. With a little subtle aggression, it takes her no time at all to get Vincent right where she wants him. The following morning, Vincent wakes up in his apartment with a naked Catherine blissfully clutching his arm. From that point on, Vincent's life becomes anything but simple or uneventful. If the potential disaster of being caught in an affair wasn't enough for Vincent to deal with, there's also the increasing number of local men dying suddenly throughout the city. Perfectly healthy beforehand, these victims were found in their beds, wasted away with tortured, shocked looks on their faces as if they were going through some genuine suffering before meeting their end. Rumor around town is that all of these men have fallen victim to the "Woman's Wrath", a curse that targets unfaithful men. Vincent shouldn't worry about any of that, though. It's just a rumor ... Right?
After pressing start to begin your first playthrough of Catherine, you have the option of setting your configuration, or playing through the main story, The Golden Playhouse. The mode called "Babel" is opened up by meeting certain requirements while playing through the main story. Single player, two player co-op and versus can be found here as well. After selecting Golden Playhouse, you will then select your difficulty (Easy, Normal, or Hard). This alters the layout of the puzzles, how punishing the game is when you make mistakes during said puzzles, and the number of chances you can earn to retry a stage if you fail. The gameplay for the main story is broken up into three elements : Story, Interaction and Nightmare.
During the Story element, you will see how Vincent progresses through the week dealing with the circumstances of his affair with Catherine. There are elements of the story that will change depending on the choices you make during the Interaction and Nightmare phases. You will see this by way of a Mysterious Meter that pops up while watching the story. I won't spoil what the meanings of the Red and Blue areas are in this meter, but know that what Vincent says and how he acts during the story changes based on what the meter says.
The Interaction element is where Vincent and his friends meet up in the Stray Sheep bar. During this time, you will receive messages on your cell phone, some of which you can reply to. When replying to these messages, you can choose the sentences that Vincent uses. These responses can range from soothing to harsh depending on how you feel. You can also receive pictures on your phone, some of which may be considered too risky to be caught looking at in public. Go to the restroom to see those pics privately. While using your phone, you can save your progress by way of the "Diary" option. You can sample the liquor on sale while sitting at the bar, or at the table with your friends. You'll see a meter consisting of three bottles. The default setting is one full bottle, but the more you drink, the more bottles begin to fill up. The benefit to this is some trivia about the beverages you choose (there's ash in Sake?), and the ability to climb faster during the Nightmare portions of the game. You can also talk to the other customers in the bar by leaving your table and sitting at the bar, or walking up to the person you want to speak with. Some folks may have problems that you can help with, others may tell you strange supernatural tales, or words of wisdom from ages past. How you respond to the people you talk with affects the Mysterious Meter, so take a little time to consider your choices whenever prompted. You'll also want to be careful with how you spend your time in the bar. If there's someone you want to talk to, be sure to speak with that person as they will leave if not interacted with. Other activities in the bar includes a Jukebox for selecting the background music, an ATM, and an arcade game called Rapunzel that looks rather familiar. Whenever you decide to leave the bar, the Nightmare portion begins.
The Nightmare phase of Catherine is where you will be spending the most time. This is a puzzle where you have to get Vincent up a tower by way of pulling and pushing blocks in various positions in order to make the steps necessary for Vincent to climb. The only rule the blocks follow is that if it's connected to another block on any of its edges, it will stay put. Even if there is nothing below it. You will see the blocks connect with a blue flash whenever a connection is made. Vincent can also hang off of blocks that he pulls out of a wall, or blocks he steps off of if there isn't a block below him. You can use this to maneuver around the tower to out of reach places, or get yourself into a better position. If you find that you've made a mistake (like accidentally pushing a block instead of pulling it), you can hit the Select button to undo your last move. You can repeat this multiple times, but if you're playing on Hard difficulty, you'll have to live with those mistakes (which won't be long, by the way). There are also various items that you can find while climbing the towers. These items can give you a boost that allows you to climb two to three blocks at a time, eliminate all enemies on screen, generate an extra block, bonus enigma coins to increase your score, or change the status of certain blocks on the stage. You can only carry one item at a time. If you try to pick up another item while holding the one you have, the new item will replace the old one. One item that you can always collect without fear of replacement is the Mystic Pillow. This item gives you extra chances in case you fall off the tower, or get killed by something on it. You will also be able to find checkpoints that allow you to choose either to start from the beginning of the tower or the checkpoint in case you don't make it.
The tutorial in the beginning of the game consists of only one tower. This gives you a good feel of the pure basics of making your way up the tower, and getting you accustomed to the controls for Vincent. The remaining Nightmare stages are broken up into Towers and Landings. At the beginning of each Nightmare, make your way up the first tower as quickly as possible as the bottom of it is constantly collapsing. You can use the meter on the left hand side of the screen to see how far Vincent is from the top of the tower, and how much of the bottom of the tower has fallen off. Stick around the bottom too long, and Vincent's a goner. As you make your way up the tower, a bell will ring letting you know when you're getting close to the top.
After a successful climb, you will get your rating (Bronze, Silver or Gold) and some Enigma Coins. The faster you climb the better your prize and score. As you climb, you'll see a combo meter start to fill up in the upper right corner of the screen. If you are able to climb up one level before the meter runs out, the combo multiplier increases. Use this to build up a score worthy of the Gold prize. When your score is tallied up, you will then be placed at the Landing. This is a safe area for all the survivors of the climb. In this area, you can talk to the other sheep for some techniques on ways to climb the tower efficiently. Look closely enough, and you'll be able to recognize some of the other climbers in the same predicament as you. Just like at the Stray Sheep, some responses you give to the other climbers can affect the status of the Mysterious Meter. In some Landings you will see a heavy set sheep surrounded by items and coins. Talk to him to use your enigma coins to buy items to help make your climb easier. Choose carefully, though, because purchasing an item replaces whatever item you have. While at the Landing, take the time to look for a podium with an open book to save your progress. When you've taken care of all your business in the Landing, proceed to the Confessional Booth to answer a question given by someone judging Vincent's worth. There's no right or wrong answer for these questions, but they will affect the Mysterious Meter, so think carefully when making your choice. After making your decision, you are taken to the next tower to climb.
Each Nightmare stage has anywhere between two to five towers to climb before it is considered cleared. With each new tower, you'll be introduced to different types of blocks. One such type is the Cracked Block. Step on these blocks, and they'll begin to crumble. Too many steps and the thing disintegrates completely. Heavy Blocks takes much more effort to push and pull as the normal blocks. The remaining types are : Immobile Blocks (can't move 'em), Trap Blocks (death if you stay on top of it), Ice Blocks (sends you slipping and sliding), Bomb Blocks (step on one and the countdown starts), Spring Blocks (Boing!), Monster Blocks (moves on their own), Black Hole Blocks (stand on one to die instantly), Random Blocks (never know what you'll get), and sometimes, blocks that fly off of the tower and aims for you. Of course, blocks aren't the only thing you have to deal with. As the Landings suggest, you're not alone in your quest to get to the top of each tower. Some stages will have towers where other sheep are climbing with you. Other climbers can take your items, move blocks that are essential to you making steps with, or my personal favorite, push blocks out from under you while you're standing on them. Fortunately, you can treat these climbers like another block and push them down a level and out of your way. As you go further in the game, you'll see different enemies clogging up the tower. Giant Ants, Musclebound Sheep with sledgehammers, Fat Sheep taking up space, or Psycho Sheep with broad axes who can kill you outright. The worst enemies you'll face are the Bosses at the end of each Nightmare. These eerie monstrosities appear on the final tower of each stage, and will relentlessly chase Vincent from the start. There's no way to delay them, so the only option you have is to out-climb them. This is not an easy task. You can't sit and wait formulating a plan, you've got to keep moving up and moving up consistently. Not only do the bosses pursue you, they can also perform various attacks to hamper your progress. This includes transforming normal blocks into heavy blocks, knocking you down a level or two, even inverting the directions on your controller. During this climb, the blocks will turn red whenever Vincent is in a spot on the tower where he can be killed with the next attack. Obviously, if you find yourself in the red, get out fast. Upon defeating the boss to the top of the tower, Vincent survives the night, and the next part of the story begins.
Graphically, I'd say Catherine is better than average. I didn't see any slowdown or hitches in the animation during the Nightmare or Interaction phases of the game. It also helps having Studio 4°C doing the anime portions of the game to give some variety to the Story and Interaction modes. The only issue I had during these times was the audio level. The anime portions of the story were fine, but the level dropped pretty sharply when the graphical portion of the story kicked in. The music used in this game is a pleasant mix of hip-hop, techno, some smooth piano tracks, and remixed classical music. It's suspenseful and hectic during the Nightmare stages, and more mellow during Vincent's stay in the Stray Sheep. Personally, I'm enjoying this title, but I know it's not going to be for everyone. I would honestly suggest renting this title first to see if it's right for you. The difficulty of the puzzles in Catherine is brutal, and it only gets more intense the further you go. Make no mistake, this game will absolutely try your patience. I haven't seen a game this unforgiving since Demon's Souls, so with that in mind, prepare yourself for repeating levels a ridiculous amount of times, lots of trial and error, and forcing yourself to think faster than you ever have while playing a game. Think you can pause the game for a chance to view the tower and plan your moves? Forget it. The screen becomes a big undecipherable blur when you hit the Start button during a climb. If you want to see how Vincent gets through his ordeal, you're going to have to earn it every step of the way. By the way, did I mention that there are multiple endings to this game? That means multiple playthroughs in your future if you want to see all the ways Vincent gets through his Hellish week, as well as opening up extra modes of play.
Catherine is a unique piece of work that definitely deserves a look. If you have a high tolerance for difficulty and like the Japanese style of animation and storytelling, then I'd say this a worthy addition to your video game collection.
For those of you who aren't familiar with Catherine, the story revolves around 32 year old Vincent Brooks, a systems engineer who enjoys life best when it's simple and uneventful. Unfortunately for him, life throws him a curve when his girlfriend of five years, Katherine McBride, brings up the topic of marriage. This has Vincent worried about the future of his carefree, low-keyed lifestyle. In addition to these worries, Vincent has recently been having nightmares involving sheep, pursuit by monsters, falling, and lots of climbing. Trouble is, he can't remember any of the details of these nightmares once he wakes up. The next day, Vincent and Katherine have lunch together. Katherine tells Vincent about how her mother has been asking her about the condition of their relationship, how most of her friends are married, and how some have even started a family. Suddenly out of his comfort zone, Vincent nervously suggests that things are good the way they are. This is obviously not what Katherine wanted to hear. Later on that day, Vincent decides to go to the Stray Sheep neighborhood bar and talk with his friends about his situation. After a few drinks too many and seeing his friends off, Vincent is approached by Catherine, a vivacious, free spirited young lady who appears to be the opposite of Katherine in every way. This sexy, blonde bombshell is quite the seductress. With a little subtle aggression, it takes her no time at all to get Vincent right where she wants him. The following morning, Vincent wakes up in his apartment with a naked Catherine blissfully clutching his arm. From that point on, Vincent's life becomes anything but simple or uneventful. If the potential disaster of being caught in an affair wasn't enough for Vincent to deal with, there's also the increasing number of local men dying suddenly throughout the city. Perfectly healthy beforehand, these victims were found in their beds, wasted away with tortured, shocked looks on their faces as if they were going through some genuine suffering before meeting their end. Rumor around town is that all of these men have fallen victim to the "Woman's Wrath", a curse that targets unfaithful men. Vincent shouldn't worry about any of that, though. It's just a rumor ... Right?
After pressing start to begin your first playthrough of Catherine, you have the option of setting your configuration, or playing through the main story, The Golden Playhouse. The mode called "Babel" is opened up by meeting certain requirements while playing through the main story. Single player, two player co-op and versus can be found here as well. After selecting Golden Playhouse, you will then select your difficulty (Easy, Normal, or Hard). This alters the layout of the puzzles, how punishing the game is when you make mistakes during said puzzles, and the number of chances you can earn to retry a stage if you fail. The gameplay for the main story is broken up into three elements : Story, Interaction and Nightmare.
During the Story element, you will see how Vincent progresses through the week dealing with the circumstances of his affair with Catherine. There are elements of the story that will change depending on the choices you make during the Interaction and Nightmare phases. You will see this by way of a Mysterious Meter that pops up while watching the story. I won't spoil what the meanings of the Red and Blue areas are in this meter, but know that what Vincent says and how he acts during the story changes based on what the meter says.
The Interaction element is where Vincent and his friends meet up in the Stray Sheep bar. During this time, you will receive messages on your cell phone, some of which you can reply to. When replying to these messages, you can choose the sentences that Vincent uses. These responses can range from soothing to harsh depending on how you feel. You can also receive pictures on your phone, some of which may be considered too risky to be caught looking at in public. Go to the restroom to see those pics privately. While using your phone, you can save your progress by way of the "Diary" option. You can sample the liquor on sale while sitting at the bar, or at the table with your friends. You'll see a meter consisting of three bottles. The default setting is one full bottle, but the more you drink, the more bottles begin to fill up. The benefit to this is some trivia about the beverages you choose (there's ash in Sake?), and the ability to climb faster during the Nightmare portions of the game. You can also talk to the other customers in the bar by leaving your table and sitting at the bar, or walking up to the person you want to speak with. Some folks may have problems that you can help with, others may tell you strange supernatural tales, or words of wisdom from ages past. How you respond to the people you talk with affects the Mysterious Meter, so take a little time to consider your choices whenever prompted. You'll also want to be careful with how you spend your time in the bar. If there's someone you want to talk to, be sure to speak with that person as they will leave if not interacted with. Other activities in the bar includes a Jukebox for selecting the background music, an ATM, and an arcade game called Rapunzel that looks rather familiar. Whenever you decide to leave the bar, the Nightmare portion begins.
The Nightmare phase of Catherine is where you will be spending the most time. This is a puzzle where you have to get Vincent up a tower by way of pulling and pushing blocks in various positions in order to make the steps necessary for Vincent to climb. The only rule the blocks follow is that if it's connected to another block on any of its edges, it will stay put. Even if there is nothing below it. You will see the blocks connect with a blue flash whenever a connection is made. Vincent can also hang off of blocks that he pulls out of a wall, or blocks he steps off of if there isn't a block below him. You can use this to maneuver around the tower to out of reach places, or get yourself into a better position. If you find that you've made a mistake (like accidentally pushing a block instead of pulling it), you can hit the Select button to undo your last move. You can repeat this multiple times, but if you're playing on Hard difficulty, you'll have to live with those mistakes (which won't be long, by the way). There are also various items that you can find while climbing the towers. These items can give you a boost that allows you to climb two to three blocks at a time, eliminate all enemies on screen, generate an extra block, bonus enigma coins to increase your score, or change the status of certain blocks on the stage. You can only carry one item at a time. If you try to pick up another item while holding the one you have, the new item will replace the old one. One item that you can always collect without fear of replacement is the Mystic Pillow. This item gives you extra chances in case you fall off the tower, or get killed by something on it. You will also be able to find checkpoints that allow you to choose either to start from the beginning of the tower or the checkpoint in case you don't make it.
The tutorial in the beginning of the game consists of only one tower. This gives you a good feel of the pure basics of making your way up the tower, and getting you accustomed to the controls for Vincent. The remaining Nightmare stages are broken up into Towers and Landings. At the beginning of each Nightmare, make your way up the first tower as quickly as possible as the bottom of it is constantly collapsing. You can use the meter on the left hand side of the screen to see how far Vincent is from the top of the tower, and how much of the bottom of the tower has fallen off. Stick around the bottom too long, and Vincent's a goner. As you make your way up the tower, a bell will ring letting you know when you're getting close to the top.
After a successful climb, you will get your rating (Bronze, Silver or Gold) and some Enigma Coins. The faster you climb the better your prize and score. As you climb, you'll see a combo meter start to fill up in the upper right corner of the screen. If you are able to climb up one level before the meter runs out, the combo multiplier increases. Use this to build up a score worthy of the Gold prize. When your score is tallied up, you will then be placed at the Landing. This is a safe area for all the survivors of the climb. In this area, you can talk to the other sheep for some techniques on ways to climb the tower efficiently. Look closely enough, and you'll be able to recognize some of the other climbers in the same predicament as you. Just like at the Stray Sheep, some responses you give to the other climbers can affect the status of the Mysterious Meter. In some Landings you will see a heavy set sheep surrounded by items and coins. Talk to him to use your enigma coins to buy items to help make your climb easier. Choose carefully, though, because purchasing an item replaces whatever item you have. While at the Landing, take the time to look for a podium with an open book to save your progress. When you've taken care of all your business in the Landing, proceed to the Confessional Booth to answer a question given by someone judging Vincent's worth. There's no right or wrong answer for these questions, but they will affect the Mysterious Meter, so think carefully when making your choice. After making your decision, you are taken to the next tower to climb.
Each Nightmare stage has anywhere between two to five towers to climb before it is considered cleared. With each new tower, you'll be introduced to different types of blocks. One such type is the Cracked Block. Step on these blocks, and they'll begin to crumble. Too many steps and the thing disintegrates completely. Heavy Blocks takes much more effort to push and pull as the normal blocks. The remaining types are : Immobile Blocks (can't move 'em), Trap Blocks (death if you stay on top of it), Ice Blocks (sends you slipping and sliding), Bomb Blocks (step on one and the countdown starts), Spring Blocks (Boing!), Monster Blocks (moves on their own), Black Hole Blocks (stand on one to die instantly), Random Blocks (never know what you'll get), and sometimes, blocks that fly off of the tower and aims for you. Of course, blocks aren't the only thing you have to deal with. As the Landings suggest, you're not alone in your quest to get to the top of each tower. Some stages will have towers where other sheep are climbing with you. Other climbers can take your items, move blocks that are essential to you making steps with, or my personal favorite, push blocks out from under you while you're standing on them. Fortunately, you can treat these climbers like another block and push them down a level and out of your way. As you go further in the game, you'll see different enemies clogging up the tower. Giant Ants, Musclebound Sheep with sledgehammers, Fat Sheep taking up space, or Psycho Sheep with broad axes who can kill you outright. The worst enemies you'll face are the Bosses at the end of each Nightmare. These eerie monstrosities appear on the final tower of each stage, and will relentlessly chase Vincent from the start. There's no way to delay them, so the only option you have is to out-climb them. This is not an easy task. You can't sit and wait formulating a plan, you've got to keep moving up and moving up consistently. Not only do the bosses pursue you, they can also perform various attacks to hamper your progress. This includes transforming normal blocks into heavy blocks, knocking you down a level or two, even inverting the directions on your controller. During this climb, the blocks will turn red whenever Vincent is in a spot on the tower where he can be killed with the next attack. Obviously, if you find yourself in the red, get out fast. Upon defeating the boss to the top of the tower, Vincent survives the night, and the next part of the story begins.
Graphically, I'd say Catherine is better than average. I didn't see any slowdown or hitches in the animation during the Nightmare or Interaction phases of the game. It also helps having Studio 4°C doing the anime portions of the game to give some variety to the Story and Interaction modes. The only issue I had during these times was the audio level. The anime portions of the story were fine, but the level dropped pretty sharply when the graphical portion of the story kicked in. The music used in this game is a pleasant mix of hip-hop, techno, some smooth piano tracks, and remixed classical music. It's suspenseful and hectic during the Nightmare stages, and more mellow during Vincent's stay in the Stray Sheep. Personally, I'm enjoying this title, but I know it's not going to be for everyone. I would honestly suggest renting this title first to see if it's right for you. The difficulty of the puzzles in Catherine is brutal, and it only gets more intense the further you go. Make no mistake, this game will absolutely try your patience. I haven't seen a game this unforgiving since Demon's Souls, so with that in mind, prepare yourself for repeating levels a ridiculous amount of times, lots of trial and error, and forcing yourself to think faster than you ever have while playing a game. Think you can pause the game for a chance to view the tower and plan your moves? Forget it. The screen becomes a big undecipherable blur when you hit the Start button during a climb. If you want to see how Vincent gets through his ordeal, you're going to have to earn it every step of the way. By the way, did I mention that there are multiple endings to this game? That means multiple playthroughs in your future if you want to see all the ways Vincent gets through his Hellish week, as well as opening up extra modes of play.
Catherine is a unique piece of work that definitely deserves a look. If you have a high tolerance for difficulty and like the Japanese style of animation and storytelling, then I'd say this a worthy addition to your video game collection.