As an example, ice blocks mean that Vincent slides across them, changing your approach to a tower completely. It makes for a game that never really gets boring. Then, the game introduces a new block or a new mechanic that makes you change up your approach. You slowly develop your little strategies, formations that best let you climb quickly. As such, a lot of the difficulty comes from the pressure placed on you, forcing you to make decisions on-the-fly.Īs a puzzle game, Catherine is immaculately paced.
The pressure comes from the fact that the level falls away below you, giving you little time to relax as you plan your next move. Vincent can push and pull blocks, as well as drop-down and sidle along the edges of the blocks he moves. Think of it as Jenga, except instead of removing blocks you move them around to create a path to climb. In the nightmare, you’ll have to climb up giant staircases as they slowly collapse before you. The nightmare is a dreamscape inhabited by other men, who appear as sheep to Vincent. You can also drink, and how drunk Vincent gets affects how quickly he moves in the nightmare too. Your chosen tone for these messages and the answers you give your friends in conversation affect which of the paths the story will take. Creating the text messages is intuitive and lets you create the message you want to send. Vincent can talk to his friends, get their take on events, and respond to text messages from the three girls. It’s here where you make a few decisions about how the story will play out. When you’re outside of Vincent’s nightmares, you’ll spend your time drinking at the Stray Sheep. The nightmare segments are the core of the gameplay and play out like a puzzle game in which Vincent must climb a tower. You’ll play through around seven days with your time as Vincent, with the way you play and behave affecting which path his story takes. The day plays like a pretty standard visual novel, where you’ll interact with characters and discussing events that have just transpired. The game splits itself into two distinct phases – one is in the normal world while the other is in Vincent’s nightmares. Also, the entire game can be played in a remix mode, offering a better challenge to players who are familiar with the original game too. Her story slots in seamlessly to the content that was already here. Named Qatherine (yes, I know) she is a more demure option for Vincent. It introduces a wealth of new content that appeals to newcomers and veterans themselves.
#CATHERINE FULL BODY WEBSITE PS3#
Your mileage might vary, but you’d not be surprised to learn I ended up with Katherine at the end of my first run.Ĭatherine: Full Body is a complete version of the original game that released for Xbox 360 and PS3 in 2011. He is someone you don’t want to root for, and someone I found myself wanting to steer in the right direction.
The writing, no matter how problematic you find it, does an excellent job at establishing Vincent. The situations that Vincent finds himself in are gut-wrenching, and one of his interactions with one of the girls is especially uncomfortable.
You can argue the game has feminist themes with the way it ends, but a late-game twist quickly removes any semblance of this idea.ĭespite these sleazy themes, I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t find Catherine engaging. But I don’t like that the game boils down its women to the most reductive of stereotypes. I like the idea of a video game dealing with infidelity, especially when I’m playing as the person who does so. But several years on I can’t help but feel that it’s all slightly sleazy. When it first released, critics praised Catherine for dealing with concepts and themes that we often don’t see in games. Vincent has a one-night stand with Catherine and starts being plagued with nightmares as he wrestles between his love for Katherine and dealing with his feelings for Catherine. She represents everything Katherine is not, younger, and carefree without the need for a long-term commitment. One night, Vincent meets another woman at his local bar named Catherine. Despite this, Vincent is unwilling to commit to marrying Katherine despite loving her. Catherine follows the story of Vincent Brooks, a web programmer who has been in a long-term relationship with his partner Katherine.