Catherine Demo
I played and completed the demo for Catherine on the 12th. I was extremely impressed because it was graphically stunning, engaging, and original. It has been a while since I have played any kind of game with its originality. It’s rare Atlus ever fails to impress me, and I had high hopes for Catherine, even for the demo. It delivered everything it needed to.
Graphics
The graphics are, of course, in the usual Atlus “3-D anime” form. They are sharp and bright but with a certain theme. The point of the game is for it to be dark and gritty, but the colors chosen contrast each other, making each and every one stand out on its own. The colors seen most are pinks, reds, whites, and blacks.
Gameplay
What I was expecting was a kind of dating simulator that Japan is known all too well for releasing, but if that aspect is imbued in it, I didn’t notice. The demo takes you through what seems to be the introduction of the game, and the first two stages of the puzzles. Yes, there are puzzles. Even on the easy difficulty the demo plays by default, the puzzles are quite challenging and require the player to think on the fly. Also, there is a way you can text the “first” “K”atherine, literally, through Vincent’s phone. The main menu is active and has actual character models.
Story
This is what kept me engaged the most. The story plays out like an old time detective movie, and is about Vincent, a unfortunate man who has nightmares which are in the form of the puzzles. He is escaping what is a gigantic hand of a hysterical woman after him and has to move blocks in and out of his way to continue up. “Katherine” is his current girlfriend who pops one of the largest questions in one’s relationship: “marriage plz?”
Who Should and Should Not Be Playing This
This game is rated mature for a reason and has strong sexual themes with a dash of violence. This is a Japanese game that has anime cut scenes and 3-D graphics, as mentioned, in an anime form. If this is your type of game, I guarantee you will have a blast, even if it’s just a demo.
[youtube width=”600″ height=”480″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a69nmiAvSY[/youtube]
Overall
The demo ends with him meeting “Catherine” and a trailer of what is to come in the story. The trailer was even better than what I had played of the game. I have yet to see anything like it, and I can already see why there is so much hype for it. The demo is available on both the 360 and PS3. What are you waiting for? Get to it!
Hits: 465
