Sheep, puzzles and cheating: The Official Catherine Thread

Catherine is the first current gen game from thePersona team. It is an original (to put it mildly) gameabout a young man (Vincent) in a long term relationship whose girlfriend (Katherine) is preasuring him to marry her. One night while out drinking he hooks up with a younger, more curvaceous women who is a lot less demanding (Catherine). Vinctent's actions in the real world (who he talks to and how he shapes his responses to those he talks to) impact both his real life and also the dreams he experiences. I've seen a screenshot which indicates how drunk he gets in the real world impacts how fast he moves in the dream world (presumably there's a positive correlation).

In the nightmare world gameplay consists of climbing mountains of blocksandtalking to sheepmen (some of whom can sell you items or teach you techniques to help you beat mountains). On block mountainsare sometimes bonus items (money, extra lives and suchlike) which require you to go a little out of your way to reach them. Death always chases you and sometimes it has a really big fork, so dawdling (or even making a mistake, which is possible since the game allows you to paint yourself into a corner) which climbingcan end Vincent's story real quick. You get graded on how quickly and efficiently you reach the top of a mountain and what difficulty you are playing on.

The demo's up on PSN (and presumably XBL) so the curious should give it a shot. There are three levels of difficulty in the full game but one can only play on easy in the demo (in the puzzle sections, easy gives you the ability to undo your last move).

I'm not a big puzzle guy, but I like crazy and Catherine brings the crazy so on July 26th, I am picking it up.

http://www.catherinethegame.com/home.html

I have it pre-ordered on gamefly, I hope I get it.

I've been waiting for this game for awhile now. Catherine will be the first game of this gen that I'm buying new.

good demo. the easy setting wasnt as boring as i thought it would be. i could see the normal setting getting good and tense. i like the text system too.

still, dare i say i would like the game to actually get weirder? its easy to make the connection between the demo boss and vincent's personal life. im not saying i hope there is no connection with later bosses (quite the contrary), but i do hope that they dont jump right out. that bizarre sort of mystery would help out a lot.

Great news, I'll be getting this demo and buying the game when it is out anyway!

Tried the demo today and enjoyed it so I will definitely be picking it up. The story and atmosphere are the most intriguing part, but the puzzles were pretty good too I thought (even though I usually don't like puzzles all that much:P). Regardless of how the demo went I was still going to buy this to show my support for Atlus.:D

Also IGN just put up their review and gave it a 9!

After playing the demo this game is my personal GOTY. Same as Persona 4 was my GOTY in 2008.

I don't know. I'm interested but I can't shake the feeling that behind the crazy will be a somewhat insubstantial experience. Also, by 'puzzle game' do we mean 'you will actually have to think hard about this'? I'm not very clever and I'd like to know if that will be a handicap.

I don't know. I'm interested but I can't shake the feeling that behind the crazy will be a somewhat insubstantial experience. Also, by 'puzzle game' do we mean 'you will actually have to think hard about this'? I'm not very clever and I'd like to know if that will be a handicap.

Business_Fun

I don't know. I'm interested but I can't shake the feeling that behind the crazy will be a somewhat insubstantial experience. Also, by 'puzzle game' do we mean 'you will actually have to think hard about this'? I'm not very clever and I'd like to know if that will be a handicap.

Business_Fun

Why not try the demo?

[QUOTE="Business_Fun"]

I don't know. I'm interested but I can't shake the feeling that behind the crazy will be a somewhat insubstantial experience. Also, by 'puzzle game' do we mean 'you will actually have to think hard about this'? I'm not very clever and I'd like to know if that will be a handicap.

CarnageHeart

Why not try the demo?

It hasn't made it over here yet (last I checked). But I shall certainbly check it out when it arrives.

It's alright. The infantile writing and exaggerated voice acting make it difficult to relate to Vincent's plight which is a serious drawback since the storytelling is the main focus of the game. The presentation isn't really doing it for me, either. Everyone looks about 15 years younger than they really are and if people's ages weren't mentioned, Catherine might fairly be labeled as a game in which minors drink and have sex. The music is terrible.

The gameplay seems pretty good, but nothing to write home about, really. Perhaps the puzzles become more complex and engaging later on.

I love it for what it's trying to do, but the talent to pull it off just isn't there. Mature themes seen through 12-year-old eyes.

Gamespot and IGN have reviewed Catherine, both like it quite a bit.

Gamespot's review praised the puzzle design,the writing, the story, the atmosphere, the graphics, the gameplay, the difficulty, the high level of difficulty and the voice acting, but took issue with the camera (which the writer claims sometimes chooses to be cinematic rather than useful) and the controls (if Vincent is in the middle of say pulling a block, you can't abort the pull, you have to wait for him to finish).

One noteworthy area the game was praised is its attitude towards morality. It sees things not as good or bad, but as chaotic or ordered (though its worth noting order is an angel and chaos is a devil). The writer feels that the way choice is presented to players and the nature of those choicesmakes it more likely they will answer honestly, rather than resolve to always play 'one way'.

IGN's review didn't mention those flaws, but otherwise dovetailed with GS's review. Both agree that Catherine is an extremely well done, extremely difficult game unlike anything else out there. Sounds like the full game lives up to the demo.

It's looking interesting, but fear the repatition of the same puzzle types might spoil things

It's alright. The infantile writing and exaggerated voice acting make it difficult to relate to Vincent's plight which is a serious drawback since the storytelling is the main focus of the game. The presentation isn't really doing it for me, either. Everyone looks about 15 years younger than they really are and if people's ages weren't mentioned, Catherine might fairly be labeled as a game in which minors drink and have sex. The music is terrible.

The gameplay seems pretty good, but nothing to write home about, really. Perhaps the puzzles become more complex and engaging later on.

I love it for what it's trying to do, but the talent to pull it off just isn't there. Mature themes seen through 12-year-old eyes.

UpInFlames

[QUOTE="UpInFlames"]

It's alright. The infantile writing and exaggerated voice acting make it difficult to relate to Vincent's plight which is a serious drawback since the storytelling is the main focus of the game. The presentation isn't really doing it for me, either. Everyone looks about 15 years younger than they really are and if people's ages weren't mentioned, Catherine might fairly be labeled as a game in which minors drink and have sex. The music is terrible.

The gameplay seems pretty good, but nothing to write home about, really. Perhaps the puzzles become more complex and engaging later on.

I love it for what it's trying to do, but the talent to pull it off just isn't there. Mature themes seen through 12-year-old eyes.

GodModeEnabled

I picked up a copy on my way home from work a few minutes ago. It came with a soundtrack and stuff, cool!! I look forward to delving into today but for now...I Barbeque steaks 8)

Got Catherine in the mail today :D. Can't wait to dive into it tonight (once the kids are in bed).

I'm on the third day day 1 or something. So far its been really awesome, I love the artstyle and the cutscenes are such a treat, I'd watch a movie if it was based on this and the animation was that good, actually I'll probably hunt down some anime after I beat this, theres lots of Ghibli movies I haven't checked out. Considering I'm not a huge fan or anime, thats a big compliment.

The puzzles are pretty hard for my simple mind (playing on normal), I know they are going to kick my ass later on. I forgot to save before starting a nightmare and I ran out of Retrys so I had to go back and do the conversation parts again. I noticed it didn't play out exactly the same though, there were subtle differences in the conversations and one of my buddies went to the washroom and we started talking about him. I also like how your conversations with people evolve over time.

I tried playing P3 portable and wasn't feeling it too much but this game is really immersive, Atlus is now on my radar.

This game in particular might have good puzzles later on but it surprises me people are still so into these foriegn type games that seem to juvenille on purpose.GodModeEnabled

I thought gaming was all about the gameplay?

Got Catherine in the mail today :D. Can't wait to dive into it tonight (once the kids are in bed).

CarnageHeart

Aw come on, it's fun for the whole family.:twisted:

[QUOTE="GodModeEnabled"]This game in particular might have good puzzles later on but it surprises me people are still so into these foriegn type games that seem to juvenille on purpose.QuistisTrepe_

I thought gaming was all about the gameplay?

[QUOTE="GodModeEnabled"]This game in particular might have good puzzles later on but it surprises me people are still so into these foriegn type games that seem to juvenille on purpose.QuistisTrepe_

I thought gaming was all about the gameplay?

No, it was always about the whole package, not just one element.

I absolutely love it. Gameplay and presentation alike. The branching conversations and text messages lead to a real connection with Vincent and the characters, and the way you can see how the choices you make effect the people around you is awesome. The puzzle gameplay finds a sweet spot between depth and simplicity. It's hard at times, but once you figure out the proper technique it's really gratifying.

My favorite game of the year so far.

I absolutely love it. Gameplay and presentation alike. The branching conversations and text messages lead to a real connection with Vincent and the characters, and the way you can see how the choices you make effect the people around you is awesome. The puzzle gameplay finds a sweet spot between depth and simplicity. It's hard at times, but once you figure out the proper technique it's really gratifying.

My favorite game of the year so far.

raven_squad

Yeah, the visuals are gorgeous. Persona 5 with this engine will be insane. As for the writing and VA, I've always been of the opinion that despite their small size, Atlus has one of the best localization teams out there. Thus far Catherine is reaffirming that belief.

I'm playing the puzzles on normal and its tough (I suck as puzzle games, so normal is hard for me) but its not as bad as I feared...yet. I like how you have the option fo viewing tutorials on helpful techniques before the start of each new stage. I love that one isn't being forced to find the one solution the developer had in mind (there are multiple ways to scale the block mountains even without the use of power-ups).

I got the game yesterday and have mostly been enjoying it, but I have a quesion for anyone playing this on the PS3; how do the controls work? The d-pad was recommended for the 360 version, but I found it a bit too slow. I switched to the stick, but it's very slippery and I've had a few occaisions where Vincent will literally keep moving ot the left when I'm moving the stick to the right. Very frustrating for what's otherwise an intriguing title.

Yeah, the visuals are gorgeous. Persona 5 with this engine will be insane. As for the writing and VA, I've always been of the opinion that despite their small size, Atlus has one of the best localization teams out there. Thus far Catherine is reaffirming that belief.

I'm playing the puzzles on normal and its tough (I suck as puzzle games, so normal is hard for me) but its not as bad as I feared...yet. I like how you have the option fo viewing tutorials on helpful techniques before the start of each new stage. I love that one isn't being forced to find the one solution the developer had in mind (there are multiple ways to scale the block mountains even without the use of power-ups).

CarnageHeart

I got the game yesterday and have mostly been enjoying it, but I have a quesion for anyone playing this on the PS3; how do the controls work? The d-pad was recommended for the 360 version, but I found it a bit too slow. I switched to the stick, but it's very slippery and I've had a few occaisions where Vincent will literally keep moving ot the left when I'm moving the stick to the right. Very frustrating for what's otherwise an intriguing title.

JGonspy

Yeah, the visuals are gorgeous. Persona 5 with this engine will be insane. As for the writing and VA, I've always been of the opinion that despite their small size, Atlus has one of the best localization teams out there. Thus far Catherine is reaffirming that belief.

I'm playing the puzzles on normal and its tough (I suck as puzzle games, so normal is hard for me) but its not as bad as I feared...yet. I like how you have the option fo viewing tutorials on helpful techniques before the start of each new stage. I love that one isn't being forced to find the one solution the developer had in mind (there are multiple ways to scale the block mountains even without the use of power-ups).

CarnageHeart

I'm playing on normal also and can't imagine how hard the Japanese version was. I've gotten killed by Vincent inadvertently getting behind some blocks and when I swing it around to see, sometimes the controls are reversed and I have to push left to move right, etc. That could be a big problem on some stages. I do like the different approach on this game. I'm enjoying it immensely.

I'm going to go download the demo. I think this looks like a hoot. You heard me right; it's a hoot. Deal with it.Oilers99

I think I'm in the last level, and I have to say I'm disappointed with the last set of puzzles. They looked hard, but they were actually easy and very short. Granted, I was playing it in easy, but the previous puzzles did give me some trouble and were kind of fun.

The gameplay is good, and I do like that they add new tricks or traps to the levels. It keeps it from getting awfully repetitive. Also enjoy that you can approach the levels in different ways including the usage of items.

Presentation-wise, I think it's top-notch. Beautiful visuals, solid voice-acting, nice music, well-done bar setting, interesting story with multiple endings, etc. I enjoyed some of the questions that were asked, and I was suprised to see most of my answer choices were considered "good." At first, it was split-even, but the last set of questions made it tilt towards Katherine. Speaking of the morality system, I do have one small complaint or concern about it...(not much of a spoiler but I would suggest you get to at least halfway through the game if you're interested)..

[spoiler] One time, I had the morality system all the way towards Katherine. Katherine was asking me a question, and the meter popped up, showing that the marker was all the way towards the right. However, Vincent's reply was practically nothing and indecisive. It was just "ummm....uh...well you see..." He didn't flat out say what the morality system reflected. [/spoiler]

I'm going to go for the opposite alignment in my second playthough, and if that happens in the other alignment as well, then it'll be kind of disappointing.

One time, I had the morality system all the way towards Katherine. Katherine was asking me a question, and the meter popped up, showing that the marker was all the way towards the right. However, Vincent's reply was practically nothing and indecisive. It was just "ummm....uh...well you see..." He didn't flat out say what the morality system reflected. [/spoiler] DJChuy

Just finished the game earlier today, and it took me about 12 hours to finish it on easy. The puzzles on the last night were a little disappointing, imo, but I enjoyed the game overall. The game had a pretty good presentation, and it certainly felt nice experiencing something fresh (both gameplay and story!!) Pvt_r3d, I also felt satisfaction when finished some of the puzzles.

Anyways, I don't see myself replaying this game anytime soon. I did get a little burned out with the gameplay, and all the optional stuff is more block pushing.

I'm only on the sixth day but so far I'm loving this. The puzzles on normal are challenging without being too hard, and new elements and techniques are always being thrown in to keep them interesting.

Its hard to talk about the story without going into spoiler territory, but there are a lot of funny parts that remind me of life back when I was single.

Started up my second playthrough of Catherine, buton 'Hard'. My goal is to get all Golds on Hard. Not only does Hard make it more difficult to make it to the top, it also makes it harder to earn Golds.

• Less time available to you
• Less checkpoints to work with
• Less Mystic Pillows pick ups(Worth 1 Retry) for your efforts
• Less power ups
• More black blocks you can't move are thrown in the mix
• Puzzle layouts are different,
• The more advanced techinques make up majority of your path making,
• Lack of a bonus multiplier which makes chains and gold coin collecting much more important
• Retrying from a checkpoint kills any and all chances of getting Gold
• Making a single mistake in many many cases will utterly **** you over completely.

Needless to sayI love the old school mentality of the game. :)

Started up my second playthrough of Catherine, buton 'Hard'. My goal is to get all Golds on Hard. Not only does Hard make it more difficult to make it to the top, it also makes it harder to earn Golds.

• Less time available to you
• Less checkpoints to work with
• Less Mystic Pillows pick ups(Worth 1 Retry) for your efforts
• Less power ups
• More black blocks you can't move are thrown in the mix
• Puzzle layouts are different,
• The more advanced techinques make up majority of your path making,
• Lack of a bonus multiplier which makes chains and gold coin collecting much more important
• Retrying from a checkpoint kills any and all chances of getting Gold
• Making a single mistake in many many cases will utterly **** you over completely.

Needless to sayI love the old school mentality of the game. :)

N3MO