Catherine. What an odd game to talk about. Essentially what most would think the game was is half adventure game, half puzzler. And from its ads at least, you’d be right… The thing is, that isn’t really true. I might’ve not been playing it right, but the adventure aspect of the game is pretty sparse. Basically when you’re not in the “puzzle mode” of the game, your at a bar drinking with your buddies, engaging in conversations with the locals or playing another puzzle arcade game stationed in the same bar for practice. That’s pretty much it. There is some sort of meta game in the act of talking to the patrons of the bar (The Stray sheep) but when not engaging in that or the puzzle part of the game, all you’re basically doing is watching how the story is unfolding.

I won’t lie to you, that doesn’t sound fun in the least, and while I will agree with any notion that this doesn’t make for the most engaging game to play, something about the game just clicked for me. I know it wasn’t because of the characters since most, if not all, are pretty crappy people on a whole. Vincent is a weak, wishy-washy and just frustration individual to watch, let alone control. Katherine (With a K) is extremely shrewd and naggy all the time and Catherine (That’s with a C) is a flat out whore. Vincent’s friends doesn’t fair too well either. They’re not as bad as the main three listed above, but they aren’t exactly shinning examples of great characters either. Despite not having great characters however, the thing that had me honestly was in fact the flaws in each character and how it was presented and told in this story.

I love Catherine’s story. No, I really really love it or, I love the idea of it, at least. Is it the best story in video games? No. But it’s something that isn’t ever dealt with pretty much ever in the medium. It’s basically a story of a man who’s extremely apprehensive about starting a future with his current girlfriend that he’s been with for years, Katherine, and is just comfortable with his relationship and his state in the world as a person. That is all turned upside down when he is ultimately tempted into throwing it all of that away for a younger, sexier and more exciting vixen, Catherine. Like I said, the characters doesn’t always make sense or do the smartest things, so it makes relating to the story a lot harder than it should be (Like, why does Vincent still go to the bar night after night if he has a nightmare at each nights climax?) and [the story] isn’t always told in the greatest fashion, but the way each characters flaw are highlighted and used ad nauseam as well as the game using its “climbing blocks that are falling right from under your feet” as a metaphor for something greater is, in my opinion, nothing short of amazing and very earnest for some crazy Japanese game.

Maybe I’m reading a bit too much into it, but as someone who has been in a long-term relationship, its just really interesting to see from an outside, albeit animeish, perspective on how much going outside of your comfort zone and finally growing up is such a terrifying endeavor. Would I recommend this game to everyone? No, not at all. But I think anyone who’s in a long-term relationship, or was at least in one at some point in time should give it a go. You might learn something about yourself… Well, that depends if you don’t get the demon infested endings.