It’s time for a new edition of my secret favorite column, namely “Why I play”. Here I showcase games that have particularly occupied me and that, in my opinion, haven’t received the attention they truly deserve. Today, the PS3/Xbox360 game “Catherine” joins this category.
Because who could be indifferent to a game that combines adventure, erotic thriller, puzzling, and crazy psychological games? Right, many people, but not the succubus of duty.
The Story in Brief
The programmer Vincent Brooks is actually quite satisfied with his life. He lives in a small apartment, meets his buddies at the pub almost every evening, and loves his “bohemian life”. His girlfriend “Katherine”, however, has different plans for his future: She wants Vincent to finally move into an apartment together, lead a more responsible life, and take the step towards marriage. On one hand, he understands his loved one’s concerns, but on the other hand, he doesn’t want to change his habits.
So it comes to pass: One evening Vincent drinks significantly more than he should, and the prettiest woman he has ever seen sits down at his pub table. When they wake up together in his apartment the next morning, he already suspects that his life will now fall apart. Things get a bit mysterious when the blonde beauty introduces herself as “Catherine”. How should Vincent deal with this infidelity now? Should he confess to his girlfriend? Or maybe a worry-free life with free love and the hot blonde is the better choice? At the same time, he begins to be plagued by nightmares in which he seems to have to fight for his life every night – or are they just the effects of his bad conscience?
The Day – Vincent’s Life
The gameplay of “Catherine” combines two gameplay styles that couldn’t be more different. During the day, most of the plot unfolds: Vincent meets with his colleagues, his girlfriend, and spends his evenings at the pub. They talk about problems in the relationship, the strange murder cases in the news, and how to arrange a date for the youngest in the group with the bartender.
On the side, you send a few texts to “Katherine” or “Catherine” – or both at the same time. While chatting with different bar patrons or focusing on your phone, time passes relentlessly. Guests leave, new visitors arrive, and the alcohol level slowly rises. You have the freedom to either head home at any time or stay until the bar closes. Those who perform particularly well might even receive some suggestive MMS pictures from their ladies. And who knows: Maybe the infidelity can be repeated…?
The Night – Nightmares and Sheep
At night, you experience Vincent’s dream world. He seems trapped in an abstract game where he has only one task: Climbing, climbing, and climbing some more. Before him lies an endless wall of blocks to climb. By skillfully moving the blocks, he slowly builds his way forward, but beware: a single wrong move can bring down the beautiful staircase that he has meticulously constructed. Meanwhile, time ticks away relentlessly in the background.
In the beginning of the game, the puzzles are still very simple and the time is generous, but the game quickly increases its tempo and also steeply raises the difficulty level. At the end of each stage, there is a “safe area” where Vincent can catch his breath. Here, talking sheep give Vincent valuable tips and oddly seem familiar to him… What seems absurd at first glance quickly takes on a deeper significance that I won’t spoil here.
A highlight are the questions posed to the player when he wants to move from one “safe area” to the next level. That’s right, the questions are quite clearly directed at the player and some of them are really daring.
- “Does life begin or end with marriage?”
- “You have to kiss someone, choose: A tentacled alien or a beautiful corpse”
- “Have you ever been aroused by being publicly embarrassed?”
- “Could you marry the perfect robot?”
Answering the questions affects the further gameplay, and those who wish can even compare their answers with those of other players, sorting them by gender – I often had to smile and was amazed at how honest many players were with their responses.
The Boss Fights – Abstract, Perverse, Creepy
Before each night ends, Vincent must overcome a very special level: Aside from the gradually collapsing wall, a boss appears that makes his dream hell. Corpse-like faces in wedding dresses want to impale him with a pregnancy test, and unborn babies want to strangle him with the umbilical cord. This is both incredibly creepy and utterly fitting: After all, these are Vincent’s nightmares in which he processes his worries and experiences from the day. You can believe me: There is nothing more liberating than leaving these boss opponents behind and finally being allowed back into the next day and the next story sequence.
Faithfulness or Adventure?
The developers at Atlus impressively show that love, eroticism, and romance in games can be more than just a dialogue option followed by a grope scene. “Catherine” deals, despite its anime aesthetic, with fairly serious questions: How important is faithfulness and a structured life compared to the thrill and excitement of a spontaneous adventure? When is it worth breaking out of your everyday life, and what should you retain?
Of course, the game doesn’t give clear answers to these questions, but the theme of faithfulness and infidelity has hardly been addressed in games so far – after all, it is much too serious to provide an entertaining evening program. The developers at Atlus impressively demonstrate that love, eroticism, and romance in games can be more than just a dialogue option followed by a grope scene.
It manages surprisingly well to view both ways of life as neutrally as possible and never pressures the player in a fixed direction. And exactly the missing “moral” badge gives the game added value and makes the person in front of the console think: What is important to me? And is it even important that it is accepted by society?
Conclusion: A Must for Everyone. Yes, even for you.
For those who view games as mere shallow entertainment and cannot go beyond the narrative complexity of a “Super Mario”, they might want to avoid “Catherine”. However, anyone looking for an exciting, challenging game with high replay value due to 9 different endings and different storylines should definitely seek out this masterpiece, which is now probably available for a mere €15. “Catherine” will be an enrichment to your life. But do yourself a favor and kick your partner out of the apartment – because this game is an experience to be had alone. All alone.
And so, in the end, only one question remains: Catherine or Katherine?
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