I really can't think of a way to describe Catherine. This puzzle-focused, “romantic horror” has the feeling of a Shin Megami game, but plays like a full-fledged arcade game. This style gives the game its own unique feel in both positive and, unfortunately, negative ways and makes Catherine a very unique' experience. (Read: Bloody freaking weird)
Graphics 9
This game is chock full of animated cut scenes, and up front I have to say, if you hate the Japanese style of cartoons known as anime, you're not going to be happy with these cut scenes.
It doesn't end there though, the in-game models all have a similar look to them. If you can get past your hatred of anime, or better yet, if you actually like the anime style, however, everything about this game is gorgeous.
The animation, while a little goofy at times, is fairly well done, and the models are so well done and expressive that at times I actually preferred the in game models to the animated ones, a true rarity.
My only real beef with the graphics are the actual puzzle parts. I suppose they were going for a dark, dreary, horror-esque motif to go with the nightmare theme, but the result, while not offensive to the eyes, is not usually very stimulating either.
Its not that I ever really felt like the puzzle sections looked bad, but if you're hoping for the bright colourful eye catching puzzles that puzzle games usually give you, your going to be disappointed.
Gameplay 8
If you don't like puzzle games, subtract 5 from this score. Outside of the puzzles, which make up the majority of the game play, there are talking and texting sequences you go through which, especially in regards to the texting sequences, give you a surprisingly significant number of ways to interact with those around you, effecting both the fate of your main character, and their fates as well.
These sequences, however, are fairly short and as such, if these sequences are the only part of the game you're going to enjoy, your going to come away from the game pretty disappointed. As for the actual puzzles, there are a LOT of them, especially if you count the optional Rapunzel and Tower of Babel side puzzles.
The main game puzzles are a race against the clock similar to say tetris only with blocks disappearing over time instead of arriving, while the Rapunzel puzzles are un-timed, limiting you instead in the number of moves you can make, testing more your long term planning then your quick wits.
Regardless, every puzzle involves pushing, pulling, and climbing on blocks in an attempt to reach the top of a giant block tower. As you go on the block formations and types of blocks will become more and more varied, and the occasional boss fight will feature a boss who not only chases you, but use various special boss abilities to add extra wrinkles to the puzzles that lie a head of you.
Occasionally enemies will roam the blocks that you will want to avoid to knock away with your pillow, and various power ups can be accessed, such as ones that let you create blocks or climb up 2 blocks at a time for a short period of time. All in all, your going to spend a good portion of your game play interacting with blocks and using your noggin to find that key sequence of blocks needed to reach the top.
Probably second only to this games story is its renowned difficulty. Let me be clear. People aren't tricking you, this game IS hard.
The good news, is that, with maybe one exception, its hard for all the right reasons. This game will exercise your brain like few games out there today will. For some people, that's a good thing, but for others I know that its much unwanted.
Many puzzle game fans today like their puzzles mindless, you see 2 coloured gems, you instinctively move a third same colour game next to it, and repeat ad nasuem.
That's not what your getting here. Your going to really need to think, and plan, and take full stock of your surroundings constantly.
And I'll be honest, unless your naturally talented at these sorts of puzzles, your probably gonna get stuck, and your probably going to get frustrated. The ability to purchase helpful items in exchange for lowering you score can reduce this issue, as can lowering the difficulty, but you have to be the kind of person who enjoys being challenged to enjoy this game.
Now I do want to add, there is one aspect of the difficulty I did not care for. Between stages the game will teach you techniques for solving puzzles, some are essential, some optional, but in general I approve of them having these techniques.
The problem comes in the that far too often, you are taught techniques a stage after you needed to know them, almost defying the whole point. If you got to that point you likely already figured out the technique on your own, and these are the sort of hints a game of this difficulty really could have benefited making more readily available earlier on.
Still it is a fairly minor gripe and the point remains the same, to like Catherine, you've got to like (or at least not mind) a challenge.
Sound 10
Music is solid, as you would expect from the people who gave us persona 3 and 4.
That said, it didn't really stand out to me as much as it did in those aforementioned games. It seems to mostly be composed of remixes of classic songs which perhaps makes it a little less unique in that manner.
Overall I enjoyed the music, but I didn't find myself humming the tunes after I was done playing as I have with other Atlus games.
The voice acting is superb and really has that anime feel to it, yet at the same time it feels real, you can clearly feel the pain running through Vincents head as he is trying to figure his shit out.
As for sound effects, they're pretty standard, but they get the job done... If I'm being fair, you won't really notice them over the awesome voice overs and catchy music.
Story 10
The story of Catherine has probably gotten the most buzz, and rightfully so.
It deals with themes that many novel writers are afraid to touch, let a lone video game story writers, and yet in spite of some of the, at times, very uncomfortable source material (I won't give examples for spoiler reasons but lets just say the main character has commitment issues and a propensity to drink his worries away leading him only to more worries) it managed to get me emotionally on some occasions and to literally laugh out loud on many others.
There were times where I was practically yelling at my TV for the main character to do something, and while I can't say being frustrated with your main character is necessarily a good thing, it does show just how deeply attached this game can get you to the characters involved.
In spite of the occasional cartoony moment here and there, and the sort of supernatural side plot of people having nightmares that kill them, these characters act like real people, dealing with real difficult problems most of us don't even want to admit to having, and as such the story is both captivating, and like nothing you've ever seen before, at least in a video game anyway.
Overall 9
If you don't like puzzle games, subtract 5 from this score.
In spite of the puzzles, there's still a lot to like about Catherine, but ultimately the puzzles are the meat of this game. If you love puzzles, your going to find yourself with a very deep and unique puzzle game attached to a tremendously unique and well written story, unheard of in any games, let a lone a puzzle game.
If you don't love puzzle games, your going to find yourself painfully grinding through one immensely difficult puzzle section after the next just to see the new 15 minutes of story, and odds are as the puzzles grow longer and more numerous, your just going to lose interest and move on.
I will add though, if you don't like puzzle games, but have a friend who does, it might be worth you time to see if you can't talk them into playing it while you watch.
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