In recent years, we’ve had more and more Western developers rising to prominence in the game industry. And while no one is complaining that we are receiving games like Fallout 3 and Gears of War, there exist those of us who wish we were receiving more of the Japanese-only gems. Thankfully, a company called Atlus has dedicated itself to bringing over as many games from the Land of the Rising Sun as possible – and they’ve also been producing brilliant titles like Persona. This year, the boys at Atlus outdid themselves by developing and bringing over a quirky game called Catherine. Drenched in enough sexual content to make an adult film star blush, and distinctively Japanese, Catherine is a game that re-invents and invigorates the puzzle genre.
The story follows the life of tortured soul, Vincent. He’s a thirty-two year old engineer with a beautiful girlfriend, but he isn’t ready to settle down yet. So when he gets a few cocktails and whiskey shots into his system, and he meets a voluptuous young seductress in the bar, he ends up having an affair. Soon, poor Vincent finds his life spinning out of control. Every time he goes to sleep, he finds himself forced to climb a nightmarish tower that reflects the psychological issues that he is confronted with in day-to-day life. Also, he’s become a sheep.
The gameplay in Catherine is highly addictive, if not extremely challenging. As you claw and scratch your way to the tower’s summit, you’ll be seeing a lot of game over screens. If you’re a gamer whose first console was the Playstation 2 (or you’ve never played Ninja Gaiden), this will probably come as something of a shock to you. Yet despite the numerous occasions on which I sent Vincent plummeting to his death, I was unable to put Catherine down.
While Vincent is asleep, the puzzles are extremely enjoyable, and each stage is crowned with a memorable boss encounter. While he’s awake, a gripping tale of murder and sex plays out. The bar that he frequents is full of lively characters, and getting to know them is a treat; and then there’s also the fact that the choices you make will drastically affect the way the game ends. The branching romance angles are far more interesting than could ever have been expected from a puzzle game. Then again, this is a game from Atlus.