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Catherine (Video Game)

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Catherine (キャサリン Kyasarin?) is a horror[1] puzzle-platformer[2] Adventure game[3] developed and published by Atlus for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game is Atlus' first internally-developed game for seventh-generation consoles in high definition, and is described as an "adult-oriented" title by the game's character designer, Shigenori Soejima.[4] The cinematic portion of the game is handled by Studio 4°C.[5] The game was released in Japan on February 17, 2011, and in North America on July 26, 2011.[6] Deep Silver will release the game in Europe on October 28, 2011.[7]

Gameplay

Vincent (center-bottom) being chased by the Fists of Grudge.

Players control a man named Vincent who, after meeting a strange girl named Catherine, begins having strange nightmares, during which he might be killed[8]. The main story mode, Golden Playhouse, follows the story between Daytime and Nightmare scenarios. During the daytime, Vincent will converse with his friends as well as try to handle his relationship with the two women, Catherine and Katherine. Most of this time takes place in the Stray Sheep bar where Vincent can save and send text messages from his mobile phone, talk to customers, order drinks, play a minigame titled Rapunzel or listen to a jukebox containing tracks from other Atlus games such as the Shin Megami Tensei: Persona series.[9][10]

The main gameplay takes place in the Nightmare stages. In a nightmarish dreamworld inhabited by other men, who are represented as sheep, Vincent must climb up giant staircases that are slowly collapsing underneath him and safely reach the top. To accomplish this, Vincent must push, pull and climb blocks as quickly as possible while avoiding various traps such as spikes and ice. Climbing up steps in quick succession increases a score multiplier, and at the end of the level, players are given an award based on their score. Each stage is split up into numerous areas, culminating in a boss stage in which a nightmarish creature also attempts to kill Vincent. Items found throughout the levels include pillows which give extra lives, block items that can be placed anywhere in the level and lightning that can destroy sheep which block Vincent's path. There are also certain attributes Vincent can get depending on what he drinks during the day.[11] Vincent will die if he falls off the bottom of the level, gets caught by a trap or is killed by a boss, with the game ending if Vincent runs out of retry pillows. In between action stages, Vincent can interact with the other sheep, save his game, learn techniques or spend coins on special items. When playing on easy difficulty, players can push the Select/Back button to correct a single block move.[12][13]

Throughout the game, the choices the player makes during certain sections of the game will affect the development of Vincent's character and the route the story takes place. These can occur in several ways, such as how Vincent types out a text message to one of the girls, or how he responds to certain questions. The game will feature multiple endings based on the route Vincent takes, and has over twenty hours of gameplay.[14] The game also features a non-linear morality system much more subtle than most other games. Instead of choosing Vincent's reaction at major plot points, the morality meter is affected by responses to seemingly insignificant questions posed by non-player characters, which in turn dictates how Vincent reacts to unexpected situations.[15] Babel Mode features four large stages playable with up to two players, while Vs Colosseum features two players simultaneously playing a stage in order to reach the top first.[16]

Plot

In the neighborhood in which Vincent lives, there have recently been a number of bizarre incidents in which people die in their sleep with a look of anguish upon their faces. Strangely enough, all of the victims are young men. The story quickly spreads throughout the media, attracting widespread attention and theories as to the cause of death. A strange rumor begins to spread that if a person dreams of falling, then they must wake up soon or they will be unable to wake at all and will die.

Vincent is at a bar contemplating marriage to Katherine, his lover of five years who is pressuring him to get married, when he meets a beautiful and mysterious woman named Catherine. Although there are many vacant seats, she sits next to Vincent and turns out to be exactly his type. The two end up spending the night together at Vincent's house.

After meeting Catherine, Vincent begins to have nightmares every single night, which he believes may be related to the rumors. In these dreams, he and several other men, who appear to him as sheep, must escape from various horrors trying to kill him, for if he dies in his dream, he will die in reality. As dreams and reality begin to blend together, Vincent must not only fight to survive, but he must choose between Katherine and Catherine.[17]

Endings

Depending on the way certain questions and text messages are answered, Catherine has a total of eight endings based on three central narratives. The alignment endings (i.e. Catherine and Katherine) feature a good, bad, and an extended true version while a neutral "Freedom" ending only has two versions.

Characters

Vincent Brooks (ヴィンセント・ブルックス Vinsento Burukkusu?)[18]
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Vincent is the game's main protagonist. He is a 32-year-old single office worker at the point in life between independence from one's parents and marriage. He has no ambitions in terms of love and romance. He is under pressure to marry Katherine, but wants to continue his carefree ways of living alone. His life changes when he meets Catherine, a mysterious beauty, by chance, at a bar. Dreams and reality begin to blur together, and he seemingly becomes trapped in a different world within his nightmares. He previously made a cameo appearance in Persona 3 Portable.
Catherine (キャサリン Kyasarin?)
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Catherine is a mysterious 22-year-old woman who has a charming face and a "well-proportioned" body, which makes men turn and stare. She also has a "Koakuma (Gyaru) air" about her, which happens to be Vincent's type, and the two end up spending the night together after she seduces him. Her carefree behaviour begins to disturb Vincent's life. It is after meeting Catherine that Vincent begins to have nightmares. Catherine is featured on the PS3 version's cover art.
Katherine McBride (キャサリン・マクブライド Kyasarin Makuburaido?)
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Katherine is a 32-year-old mid-management level employee at an apparel maker. She and Vincent are from the same town and were classmates at school, and after a chance meeting at a school reunion they strike up a relationship. Katherine suggests marriage to Vincent, which he is not ready for.[19] Katherine is featured on the Xbox 360 version's cover art.
Orlando Haddick (オーランド Ōrando?)
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Orlando is a divorced 32-year-old software engineer, a long time friend of Vincent, and also a regular at the bar. He often hangs around the sushi bar, Kappa Heaven, during the day. He is carefree in both his words and actions, doesn't seem too fond of the idea of marriage and advises a worried Vincent against. He suffered a lot when his former wife dumped him when he had a financial problem, and still feel betrayed. [20]
Jonathan "Jonny" Ariga (ジョニー Jonī?)
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Jonny is a 32-year-old used car salesman. He's Vincent and Orlando's old friend, a bachelor, and also a regular at the bar. He works at his father's used car lot and plans on continuing the family business. He has high ideals with regards to marriage, stating that he believes marriage should be with one's destined partner.[20]
Tobias "Toby" Nebbins (トビー Tobī?)
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Tobias is a 23-year-old used car salesman and a colleague of Jonny's. He is also a regular at the bar. He has a strong desire to get married, saying that the moment he gets a girlfriend he will marry her. He has a thing for older women and a crush on the bar's waitress, Erica.[20]
Erica Anderson (エリカ Erika?)
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Erica is Stray Sheep's 32-year-old bar waitress and Vincent's childhood friend. She has a bright personality and is up to date on town gossip.[21] Tobias has a crush on her and loses his virginity to her. It is revealed during the Lovers' true ending that she is transsexual, something that was alluded to throughout the game, and was previously known as Eric.
Thomas "Boss" Mutton
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Boss (known as "Master" in the Japanese version) is Stray Sheep's barkeeper. The player will go through him to make friends with new customers. Although some articles for the game affirms that "Boss has personally experienced many scenes of carnage", there's not a single reference to this in the entire game. Even this very phrase doesn't appear at all. [21] Very little is known about him and he is seldom seen without his sunglasses. Later in the game, he reveals himself to be an incarnation of Dumuzid the Shepherd as well as the very cause of the nightmares.
Mysterious Voice/Astaroth (声 Koe?)
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A strange voice that cryptically announces that he chose Vincent to test if his life is worth continuing before killing him by having him climb the tower night by night, talking to him from a window of a confession booth. It can talk to Vincent outside of the Nightmares too, mostly informing him of what is to come in the next Nightmare while Vincent is washing his face in Stray Sheep's bathroom.
Trisha/Rue Ishida (石田☆ルウ Ishida Rū?)
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Trisha, the "Midnight Venus" is the host of Golden Playhouse mode who sports a large red afro. She provides an introduction to the game's modes and will text Vincent concerning his achievements in the Nightmare stages and to provide him with hints. She reveals herself prior to the final stage of the game's "Babel" challenge mode to in fact be Ishtar and the true identity of Astaroth, and breaks the fourth wall by telling the player she was waiting for them to show exceptional climbing skills via Vincent so as to find a replacement for her consort, Dumuzid, of whom she had grown tired due to his cheating.

Development

The game's existence was first hinted at in the PlayStation Portable game Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable. In this game, Vincent appears at Club Escapade on certain days, though in the game he never reveals his name and is simply referred to as "Man Drinking Alone" in his dialogue boxes. However, on a certain day, if you put in the right choices in the pop-up, a picture will appear and will speak more about his relationships in the game. In conversing with the player character, he reveals hints related to his problems, though also states specifically that they are "nothing that [the player character] needs to worry about." It is unclear what, if any, connection Catherine has with the Megami Tensei universe.

The game was also mentioned at Konami's Tokyo Game Show 2010 booth.[22]

Producer Hashino stated less than two weeks after its announcement that Catherine has actually been in development for quite a while, saying: "the Persona 4 development team would switch back and forth between developing Catherine's first stages and polishing up Persona 4.[14]

A playable demo was released on January 27, 2011, in Japan,[23] but was later removed from PlayStation Network.[24] It has since been put back up. To prevent gamers from posting spoiler videos, specifically those after Night 8 of the game, or hosting live streams of the game before its intended street date, Atlus posted a humorous public service announcement picture of an in-game sheep, warning gamers who post spoilers on video sharing sites, such as YouTube and Nico Nico Douga, run the risk of having their accounts banned.[25][26] In response to players' complaint on the game difficulty, Atlus released a patch with a new difficulty mode called Super Easy mode for the PS3 in March 2011. The patch for the Xbox 360 version was released on March 31.[27][28]

To promote the game, Tokyo restaurant Collabo Dining offered a Catherine-themed drinks and meal menu between February 17, 2011 and March 31, 2011.[29]

Atlus made an announcement on March 1, 2011, and confirmed the game would be coming to North America in Summer 2011.[30][31] Prior to the official announcement, GameStop accidentally made the game available for pre-order on their website, revealing a more definitive release date of July 26, 2011,[6] which was later officially confirmed.[32] In North America, due to the game's somewhat risqué cover art, an edited version will be used on a "small percentage" of launch copies at select retailers in consideration of more "sensitive" shoppers.[33]

Marketing

Deluxe Edition

On May 2, 2011, Atlus announced that Catherine would receive a "Love is Over" deluxe edition in North America. In addition to either the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 version of the game, it includes a pair of boxer shorts identical to those worn by Vincent; Vincent's T-shirt, worn by Catherine, featuring four heart containers reminiscent of those found in The Legend of Zelda series, one-and-a-half of which are full, with the word "Empty" beneath them; a pillowcase featuring artwork of Catherine and the game logo; and a replica of a pizza box from the game's "Stray Sheep" restaurant, which serves as the external packaging. The cover art of the game included with the deluxe edition is the original, unedited version. Atlus had said that the deluxe edition would be available only in "very limited quantities," with stock built according to pre-order demand.[32][34]

Pre-order bonuses

The cover of the Japanese edition of the art book, which houses the CD. In America, the art book is smaller, resulting in a cropped version of this image for its cover.

Pre-orders of the game in Japan and North America, either standard or deluxe (North America only), included a "sound disc" (soundtrack CD) and art book.[32][34] For the soundtrack, composer Shoji Meguro chose to remix classical music in order to emphasize the game's horror aspects, and to make it more "Persona-like".

Track listing

No. Title Composer Length
1 "Planets Suite "Mars", "Jupiter"" Gustav Holst 2:33
2 "Symphony No. 5 in C Minor "Fate" 3rd Movement" Ludwig van Beethoven 2:22
3 ""Little" Fugue in G Minor" Johann Sebastian Bach 2:59
4 "Symphony No. 9 in E Minor "From the New World" 1st Movement, 3rd Movement Scherzo" Antonín Dvořák 3:10
5 "William Tell Overture Part 2 "The Storm" and Part 3 "The Ranz des Vaches"" Gioachino Rossini 2:19
6 "Polovtsian Dances" Alexander Borodin 4:37
7 "Pictures at an Exhibition "The Hut on Fowl's Legs (Baba-Yaga)"" Modest Mussorgsky 2:28
8 "L'Arlésienne Second Suite "Farandole"" Georges Bizet 2:02
9 ""Revolutionary Etude"" Frédéric Chopin 2:47
10 "Messiah "Hallelujah Chorus"" George Frideric Handel 1:45
11 "Piano Sonata No. 2 "Funeral March" 3rd Movement" Frédéric Chopin 2:31

Novel

Kadokawa Games published a novel based on the game on May 20, 2011.[35]

Reception

Catherine received a positive reception, with average aggregate scores of 7.6 out of 10 on GameStats,[36] 84% on GameRankings,[37] and 80 and 83 out of 100 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions, respectively, on Metacritic.[38][39] Famitsu gave the game a score of 35/40 based on four scores of 9, 9, 8 and 9. In an import review, GamesRadar gave the game a 5/10, praising the story but criticizing the game's difficulty due to random enemy AI, though they later gave the English release 8/10, citing crucial changes had removed most of the game's annoyances.[15][40] Some Japanese gamers have complained that the game is too difficult, even on the easy setting. Atlus has since released a patch that includes a Super Easy mode, which is included in the English version.[41] PSM3 gave the Japanese version a score of 8.0, praising its challenge and presentation, while criticizing its basic online play. IGN gave the North American version of Catherine an overall score of 9.0.[42][43] Game Informer gave the North American version of Catherine a 7.0, praising its overall story, but criticizing the game's difficulty. The PlayStation 3 version topped the Japanese charts in its opening week with over 140,000 copies sold while the 360 version came in 7th with over 21,000.[44] The game has also been commercially successful in America, selling 78,000 copies across both systems to consumers in its first six days, making it Atlus' biggest launch yet for a game.[45]

References

  1. ↑ Nathan Brown (March 1, 2011). "Atlus Confirms Western Catherine Release". Edge. http://www.next-gen.biz/news/atlus-confirms-western-catherine-release. Retrieved 2011-04-01. 
  2. ↑ Ryan Winterhalter (January 5, 2010). "New Catherine trailer shows gameplay for the first time". GamesRadar. http://www.gamesradar.com/xbox360/catherine/news/new-catherine-trailer-shows-gameplay-for-the-first-time/a-2011010515164065036/g-2010081911452055090. Retrieved 2011-03-07. 
  3. ↑ "Japanese Video Game Chart: Catherine Sexes Her Way to the Top". SPOnG. 25 February 2011. http://spong.com/article/23909/Japanese-Video-Game-Chart-Catherine-Sexes-Her-Way-to-the-Top. Retrieved 2011-03-18. 
  4. ↑ Anoop Gantayat (August 19, 2010). "Atlus Goes HD With Catherine". Andriasang. http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2010/08/19/catherine_preview/. Retrieved August 20, 2010. 
  5. ↑ "『キャサリン』アダルト＆ホラーな完全新作" (in Japanese). Famitsu. August 20, 2010. http://www.famitsu.com/news/201008/19032248.html. Retrieved August 20, 2010. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named NADATE
  7. ↑ http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/118/1183642p1.html
  8. ↑ http://vgamernews.com/articles/3327/catherine-review-learn-your-love-here/
  9. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Catherine Product Information
  10. ↑ http://www.gamesradar.com/xbox360/catherine/news/new-mini-games-revealed-for-catherine/a-2011020217623268063/g-2010081911452055090
  11. ↑ http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2010/11/30/catherine_drinks/
  12. ↑ http://kotaku.com/5725398/catherine-gameplay-is-quite-puzzling
  13. ↑ http://www.gamesradar.com/f/catherine-video-full-access-preview/a-2011012714652287090
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 http://scrawlfx.com/2010/08/catherine-is-twenty-hours-long-has-multiple-endings
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 http://www.gamesradar.com/f/catherine-import-review/a-2011030816833522052
  16. ↑ http://www.computerandvideogames.com/285619/news/multiplayer-detailed-for-atlus-catherine/
  17. ↑ http://cathy.atlus.co.jp/
  18. ↑ Anoop Gantayat (January 29, 2011). "Multiplayer Catherine: First Look". Andriasang. http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/01/29/catherine_multiplayer/. Retrieved January 29, 2011. 
  19. ↑ Anoop Gantayat (September 11, 2010). "Catherine: Meet Katherine". Andriasang. http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2010/09/11/catherine_katherine/. Retrieved September 11, 2010. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 Anoop Gantayat (October 26, 2010). "Catherine: Meet Vincent's Friends (Again)". Andriasang. http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2010/10/26/catherine_vincent_friends/. Retrieved November 2, 2010. 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Anoop Gantayat (January 12, 2011). "Catherine: Stray Sheep Bar Detailed". Andriasang. http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/01/12/catherine_stray_sheep/. Retrieved January 29, 2011. 
  22. ↑ http://www.4gamer.net/games/093/G009307/20100914074/
  23. ↑ http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/17/catherine-and-gal-gun-demos-available-in-japan-this-month/
  24. ↑ http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/07/catherine-demo-pulled-from-japanese-psn/
  25. ↑ http://asia.gamespot.com/news/6299608.html
  26. ↑ http://kotaku.com/#!5762814/spoil-catherine-and-get-your-ass-banned
  27. ↑ http://asia.gamespot.com/news/6303174.html
  28. ↑ http://www.siliconera.com/2011/03/31/catherine-patch-dodges-deadly-fork-reaches-xbox-live/
  29. ↑ http://www.gamesradar.com/ps3/catherine/news/catherine-themed-bar-open-for-business/a-2011021615499926013/g-20100819114534837010
  30. ↑ http://www.giantbomb.com/news/catherine-is-coming/2958/
  31. ↑ http://www.siliconera.com/2011/03/01/catherine-officially-confirmed-for-summer-2011/
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Deluxe
  33. ↑ http://ca.kotaku.com/5796354/catherines-cover-art-too-hot-for-some-sensitive-american-gamers
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 http://ca.kotaku.com/5710048/catherines-sexy-doesnt-stop-at-the-games-cover
  35. ↑ http://www.siliconera.com/2011/03/22/kadokawa-to-publish-catherine-novel-in-japan/
  36. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named GameStats
  37. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named gr_catherine
  38. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named mc_ps3
  39. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named mc_360
  40. ↑ http://www.gamesradar.com/ps3/catherine/review/catherine-review/a-20110725162620661034/g-20100819114534837010
  41. ↑ http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/03/09/catherine_super_easy_patch/
  42. ↑ http://ps3.ign.com/articles/118/1181622p2.html
  43. ↑ http://www.computerandvideogames.com/299467/reviews/catherine-review/
  44. ↑ http://www.computerandvideogames.com/290521/news/catherine-tops-marvel-vs-capcom-in-japanese-chart-battle/
  45. ↑ http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/11/npd-catherine-sold-78k-copies-in-july/

External links

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