Catherine: Full Body Review (PS4)
Introduction
This is an expanded remake of the original Catherine game on PS4, with new endings, new story route, as well as a new game mode called Remix Mode. Not to mention, this version also has online co-op in Babel stage and new gameplay changes in the main game such as the new Autoplay feature.
Story
The game stars Vincent Brooks, who is a man that always spends his time at the bar called Stray Sheep with his friends after working. One night, he met a beautiful girl by the name of Catherine, coincidentally same name as his girlfriend, Katherine, albeit in different spelling. On that particular night, he slept with Catherine, and he started to have weird nightmares of climbing walls of blocks. Should he die in the nightmare, he will die in real life. Not only that, Vincent met another girl who is named Rin, and finds that she is another mysterious person who happens to have mysterious powers that can help him during his nightmares.
The game's story is very interesting, unique, and bizarre. Pretty good twists, as well as many funny scenes. The characters are incredibly well developed, both main and supporting characters. All of the characters in the game deserves their spotlights, having their own dilemmas about love, guilt, and many other problems.
Gameplay
The game is both puzzle platformer and adventure. In most times, you will spend most time to play the puzzle levels in Nightmare mode. Each levels have several sub-levels, and they are different for every new levels.
Your main objective in the Nightmare levels is to reach the top in every stages. In order to do so, you need to climb up blocks and move to the top of the stage. If you are unable to reach the top, you can always create new footings by moving blocks front, back or on top of a block. This will be a key technique for you to traverse each stages safely.
During the final sub-level of a Nightmare Stage, you have to fight a boss. They can impede you from progressing in the final stage of a sub-level, so you have to think creatively to climb up the blocks fast while evading their attacks.
You have the option to Retry the stage from the beginning or from a checkpoint if you die or when pausing the game. The different difficulty modes also affects the difficulty of every stages in the game. If you think the current difficulty is too hard, you can always change it during playing.
Not only you can push and pull a block, you can hang on a block and and climb vertically of the blocks. This allows you to get through harder areas, as well as escaping boss' attacks. Sometimes while playing a sub-level, there are other sheep that can attack you. In later stages, they can kill you, but in earlier levels, they don't and just simply knock you down. You can also shove them down by running towards them.
After completing a sub-level, your score will be ranked. The faster and more perfect your climbing in a sub-level, you can get high score and get a Gold prize. It is not really important, but unlocking enough Gold prizes will unlock newer and more challenging levels called Babel.
After completing a sub-level, you will go into a safe spot where you can save your game and talk to other sheep. Talking to the sheep can help motivate them to climb further, get new techniques, solving their dilemmas, or buy items. It is highly advisable that you choose carefully when talking to sheep that are having dilemmas, as it can affect your Alignment bar.
The Alignment bar is important as it will affect the game's story, and especially the ending(s) after completing the game. The Alignment bar also affects the game's cutscenes, as it will affects Vincent's thoughts and morality in the game itself.
During Daytime, you can also do side quests of solving the customers at the bar dilemmas by talking to them and choosing the correct responses. This will affect their fate at the end of the game. You will mostly watching a plenty of cutscenes that are integral to the game's story itself. You can also skip them if you want, but the cutscenes are definitely worth watching repeatedly. You will also receive text messages via your phone, where you can reply with. Some text messages also grant you the chance to increase your Alignment to your current favoured alignment by choosing the correct replies to the messages.
I love the gameplay of this game. It is simply great, addicting, and awesome. The new gameplay additions such as the Remix Mode, new story route, new endings, and other gameplay enhancements make this is the definitive version of Catherine to play. Rin's story is pretty cleverly integrated in the main game, where it can be ignored or attained easily by picking different choices. However, I find that Atlus should have added a bit more of new blocks, as one of the new blocks is kind of uninteresting. Regardless, solid gameplay with many good new additions.
Graphics
The game's graphics are awesome. I love the game's in-game graphics, as it catches the anime feeling perfectly, as well as creating an identity of itself as great graphics. The anime cutscenes are great as well, and the characters, bosses, environment, and puzzles designs are top-notch in my opinion. Also, no slowdowns encountered in this version, as it was prevalent in the original release.
Sound
The game has a good soundtrack in my opinion. Intro rap song, jazz song, rock song, etc. The songs used in the game befits many situations in the game, like classical arrangement songs in the Nightmare levels.
The game also has good English voice acting, with many veterans voicing the characters well. Not only that, you can switch the voiceover to Japanese voices if you want to in new playthroughs.
Replay Value
The replay value of the game is high. You can play Rapunzel minigame, further testing your puzzle solving abilities. You can also play harder difficulties in either Classic or Remix Mode. You may also play the game to unlock different endings, as there are several new endings in the game. You may play the Babel levels with your friend, either in online or offline co-op.
Conclusion
Excellent game, and I like all of the new gameplay and story additions to this version. I actually wish there are more Nightmare Stages in this game, because I think there is a huge potential of the gameplay system. Worth playing for new and current Catherine fans.
Score
Story - 10/10
Gameplay - 9/10
Graphics - 10/10
Sound - 9/10
Final Score: 38/40 or 9.5/10.0.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Great and addicting story of choosing between three girls.
- Interesting new story route featuring Rin.
- New endings.
- Awesome puzzle levels with uniqueness and challenge.
- Dual audio.
- Superb voice acting by the English voice actors.
- Great graphics for the characters, environments, bosses, etc.
- High replay value.
- Great Morality/Alignment system that shapes the games's story and Vincent's personality and choice of girls.
Cons
- High difficulty. It is advisable for new players for puzzle games to play Normal or Easy modes first.
- Less sexy pics.
- Not enough Nightmare stages.
- One of the new Blocks are poorly implemented.
**Screenshots are from official Atlus page and official PlayStation game page.
This is an expanded remake of the original Catherine game on PS4, with new endings, new story route, as well as a new game mode called Remix Mode. Not to mention, this version also has online co-op in Babel stage and new gameplay changes in the main game such as the new Autoplay feature.
Story
Another girl joins in the game, Rin.
The game's story is very interesting, unique, and bizarre. Pretty good twists, as well as many funny scenes. The characters are incredibly well developed, both main and supporting characters. All of the characters in the game deserves their spotlights, having their own dilemmas about love, guilt, and many other problems.
Gameplay
Move and climb on blocks to survive in either Classic or Remix Mode.
Your main objective in the Nightmare levels is to reach the top in every stages. In order to do so, you need to climb up blocks and move to the top of the stage. If you are unable to reach the top, you can always create new footings by moving blocks front, back or on top of a block. This will be a key technique for you to traverse each stages safely.
During the final sub-level of a Nightmare Stage, you have to fight a boss. They can impede you from progressing in the final stage of a sub-level, so you have to think creatively to climb up the blocks fast while evading their attacks.
You have the option to Retry the stage from the beginning or from a checkpoint if you die or when pausing the game. The different difficulty modes also affects the difficulty of every stages in the game. If you think the current difficulty is too hard, you can always change it during playing.
Not only you can push and pull a block, you can hang on a block and and climb vertically of the blocks. This allows you to get through harder areas, as well as escaping boss' attacks. Sometimes while playing a sub-level, there are other sheep that can attack you. In later stages, they can kill you, but in earlier levels, they don't and just simply knock you down. You can also shove them down by running towards them.
After completing a sub-level, your score will be ranked. The faster and more perfect your climbing in a sub-level, you can get high score and get a Gold prize. It is not really important, but unlocking enough Gold prizes will unlock newer and more challenging levels called Babel.
Your choices will affect the ending that you will get upon finishing the game.
The Alignment bar is important as it will affect the game's story, and especially the ending(s) after completing the game. The Alignment bar also affects the game's cutscenes, as it will affects Vincent's thoughts and morality in the game itself.
During Daytime, you can also do side quests of solving the customers at the bar dilemmas by talking to them and choosing the correct responses. This will affect their fate at the end of the game. You will mostly watching a plenty of cutscenes that are integral to the game's story itself. You can also skip them if you want, but the cutscenes are definitely worth watching repeatedly. You will also receive text messages via your phone, where you can reply with. Some text messages also grant you the chance to increase your Alignment to your current favoured alignment by choosing the correct replies to the messages.
I love the gameplay of this game. It is simply great, addicting, and awesome. The new gameplay additions such as the Remix Mode, new story route, new endings, and other gameplay enhancements make this is the definitive version of Catherine to play. Rin's story is pretty cleverly integrated in the main game, where it can be ignored or attained easily by picking different choices. However, I find that Atlus should have added a bit more of new blocks, as one of the new blocks is kind of uninteresting. Regardless, solid gameplay with many good new additions.
Graphics
Amazing in-game cutscenes, as well as beautiful anime cutscenes, and great character designs.
Sound
Great soundtrack and good English voice acting. Japanese voiceover is also available.
The game also has good English voice acting, with many veterans voicing the characters well. Not only that, you can switch the voiceover to Japanese voices if you want to in new playthroughs.
Replay Value
High replay value.
The replay value of the game is high. You can play Rapunzel minigame, further testing your puzzle solving abilities. You can also play harder difficulties in either Classic or Remix Mode. You may also play the game to unlock different endings, as there are several new endings in the game. You may play the Babel levels with your friend, either in online or offline co-op.
Conclusion
Great game with tons of new additions.
Score
Story - 10/10
Gameplay - 9/10
Graphics - 10/10
Sound - 9/10
Final Score: 38/40 or 9.5/10.0.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Great and addicting story of choosing between three girls.
- Interesting new story route featuring Rin.
- New endings.
- Awesome puzzle levels with uniqueness and challenge.
- Dual audio.
- Superb voice acting by the English voice actors.
- Great graphics for the characters, environments, bosses, etc.
- High replay value.
- Great Morality/Alignment system that shapes the games's story and Vincent's personality and choice of girls.
Cons
- High difficulty. It is advisable for new players for puzzle games to play Normal or Easy modes first.
- Less sexy pics.
- Not enough Nightmare stages.
- One of the new Blocks are poorly implemented.
**Screenshots are from official Atlus page and official PlayStation game page.
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