Catherine

 PlayStation 3
Catherine Image
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 61 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 520 Ratings

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  • Summary: Vincent is a normal salaryman with a somewhat normal life, With a girlfriend of 5 years or so named Katherine, Katherine is pushing to get married, and Vincent is a bit afraid to do the final tie-downs. During a night of drinking and contemplation of marrying with Katherine, Vincent meets aVincent is a normal salaryman with a somewhat normal life, With a girlfriend of 5 years or so named Katherine, Katherine is pushing to get married, and Vincent is a bit afraid to do the final tie-downs. During a night of drinking and contemplation of marrying with Katherine, Vincent meets a rather beautiful, young girl by the name of Catherine. Catherine's charms and beauty are just enough to sway the intoxicated Vincent into sleeping with her, and after that night of sleeping with this mysterious girl, Vincent begins to have horrible nightmares of falling, and strange sheep men. The nightmares are slowly getting worse, and Vincent can't shake off this strange feeling that Katherine knows of his cheating on her, as if that wasn't enough, Vincent learns of unfaithful men, dying in their sleep, and his friend tells rumors of dreams...."When you have dreams of when you're falling and you can't wake up, you'll never wake up again, and die."… Expand
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E3 2011: Catherine - Intro to Vincent Brooks Trailer

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 46 out of 61
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 61
  3. Negative: 1 out of 61
  1. 1UP
    Jul 19, 2011
    100
    In an era increasingly defined by developers' ever-growing fear of creating anything that isn't a safe, conservative million-seller, Atlus' willingness to create and publish something as unique as this is truly commendable. Best of all, it's not just a weird game -- it's a great one, too.
  2. TheSixthAxis
    Aug 3, 2011
    90
    Going through the story for the first time is an intriguing affair that ultimately makes you question the type of person you truly are, maybe even more than you'd like to admit. While the difficulty might be too much for some people to handle, it's an experience that is just as rewarding as it is punishing.
  3. Level7.nu
    Feb 11, 2012
    90
    In Catherine, Atlus successfully combines a puzzle game with heavy emotions (and a large bit of surrealism). It's an important game, that might appeal to an older crowd.
  4. PlayStation Universe
    Aug 2, 2011
    85
    Catherine is a mind trip, blending the impact of real life decisions, the nightmares of finally growing up, and the fear of dying young. While the core puzzle-platforming offers nerve-wracking excitement, players are likewise gifted with an engaging, authentic story.
  5. PALGN
    Aug 17, 2011
    80
    If you hate puzzle games,Catherine will be like a scorned lover, vying desperately for your attention with methods that don't always work. If you love puzzle games though, Catherine will be the closest you will ever get to having the perfect relationship, drawing you in with its strong and compelling storyline and deep and multi-faceted gameplay.
  6. CD-Action
    Mar 13, 2012
    75
    An interactive story enriched with puzzle elements or an arcade/puzzle game with an exceptionally mature and expanded plot – depends on how you look at Catherine. Either way it's both frustrating and fascinating. [April 2012, p.80]
    All this publication's reviews
  7. Giant Bomb
    Jul 28, 2011
    40
    Catherine's limited character interaction, shallow characters, and monotonous puzzles combine to form a unique experience that feels frustratingly limited in every respect.

See all 61 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 92 out of 125
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 125
  3. Negative: 11 out of 125
  1. TheGoodGoat
    Feb 10, 2015
    10
    This is my first review on here and I chose this game because it is unique and fun. A lot of people here complain about the difficulty on evenThis is my first review on here and I chose this game because it is unique and fun. A lot of people here complain about the difficulty on even the easy level. I had little trouble beating the game on normal, though I died many times. Some of the deaths were due to the sometimes confusing camera and others were due to mistakes made during the puzzle. The puzzles are challenging but are intuitive (once you understand how the blocks can and can't connect) and by the end of the game, 2 or 3 techniques is all you need to beat the game.

    Perhaps the best part of game is the story and the decision making process that the protagonist must go through. What is portrayed as the generic "good choice vs bad choice" dynamic quickly turns out to be something a little different. The questions are not the clear cut obvious right answer and obvious wrong answer. Some of the questions make you think and the game, using online data gathered from other gamers, lets you know how other people have answered the same questions. The way the questions are answered, combined with other decision making within the game, lead you to one of many endings, some of them wholesome and conclusive and others bordering on the ridiculous.

    Overall, Catherine is a great game with a lot of unique elements and a great story filled with metaphors, allusions, trivia, and dilemmas.

    Good for: Puzzle gamers, anime fans, fans of story driven games, fans of philosophy, fans of psychology and fans of sociology.

    Not suited for: Those who like easy games.    … Expand
  2. zhihui
    Jan 20, 2013
    10
    Catherine is a game that must be played. The game is solid. It's fun, challenging, original and interesting. It can be hard at times, but onceCatherine is a game that must be played. The game is solid. It's fun, challenging, original and interesting. It can be hard at times, but once you finally get the hang of its unique gameplay, you'll be hooked.… Expand
  4. Dyskresiac
    Jul 27, 2011
    10
    FINALLY!

    A game that is intended for adults. And no, I don't mean the Bulletstorm "12 year olds pretending to be adults" demographic.    FINALLY!

    A game that is intended for adults. And no, I don't mean the Bulletstorm "12 year olds pretending to be adults" demographic. REAL adults.

    It's not just the subject matter, either. The game is hard, as in you actually have to think. You WILL die, you WILL struggle. And that'll only make you that much more determined to find the solution and climb.

    And that's the beauty of it that has been missing from so many games for so long. Most of us grew up on games that made us start over when we shut it off, and while Catherine doesn't go that far, it still pushes you to use your noggin, as a good puzzle game should.

    I realize the Puzzle Genre isn't for everyone, but the game market has been virtually dead outside of Tetris/Bejeweled knockoffs (Which are a different kind of puzzle game.) It's a welcomed change, and it's enjoyable. In addition, Catherine hits on the simplicity of games in the past. Like a good, perfectly cooked steak. It's not fancy. It doesn't try to woo you with inedible garnishes and sauce smeared on your plate. Catherine is, at its core, a fantastic puzzle game. Pushing boxes, but delivered in a method that you wouldn't expect. There's a reason why ATLUS games have the highest price retention out of any other publisher. Persona 4 is still $35 at Gamestop and it's a PS2 game. ATLUS makes quality games that people won't want to give up. Catherine will be no different.    … Expand
  5. Kanazawa
    Nov 15, 2012
    9
    The puzzles are frustrating yet fun and require a lot of patience to get through. The story was great, and so were the graphics. The voiceThe puzzles are frustrating yet fun and require a lot of patience to get through. The story was great, and so were the graphics. The voice acting was unbelievably perfect in every way. If you want to be challenged and aren't easily agitated, give this game a shot.… Expand
  6. PlayerAmz
    Mar 17, 2020
    8
    puzzles don't change so when u learn one way to up, it's done, there's no fun and challenge anymore. and the day part was so limit and peoplepuzzles don't change so when u learn one way to up, it's done, there's no fun and challenge anymore. and the day part was so limit and people leave fast u can't talk to all of them or interact with them.… Expand
  7. BubblegumImp
    Jul 27, 2011
    7
    A breath of fresh air in a gaming landscape cluttered with military shooters. Catherine is a unique and engrossing experience which featuresA breath of fresh air in a gaming landscape cluttered with military shooters. Catherine is a unique and engrossing experience which features some of the highest production values I've seen in years. If you don't have any strong distaste for anime, play it now.… Expand
  8. Wolfmother
    Oct 4, 2011
    0
    Very underwhelming, you cannot deny the fact that this game lacks variety. This game was made by the people who made persona, so its only fairVery underwhelming, you cannot deny the fact that this game lacks variety. This game was made by the people who made persona, so its only fair that I attempt to compare it a little. The ONLY place you can interact with is the bar, other than that its just the puzzles, in persona you can move in ALL different areas of the town. When I heard it was a puzzle game, I assumed there would be several different puzzles, not the same way one over and over again. Personally I hate games with alternate endings and this one has 8, its just a cheap way to give the illusion of a long game, which it was not. It was fairly short. The concept and story are ok, but once again compared to the story of persona series, its just ok. This would have been a good game maybe if it was released for the ps2 or psp, but for a huge console like the ps3, we expect a little more from the people who gave us Persona 3 and persona 4. The block puzzles dont get boring, but they also dont get fun either, it simply isnt addicting and has not much of a replay value. I can only guess the bright side of this is the ability to fight with your friends, but even that comes with some restriction, you need to achieve certain things to go online. Bottom line is, this game lacks variety, Persona was very long and had a big amount of variety. It was too underwhelming, nothing about it is grand, everything was short, story, characters, gameplay, etc. Im not saying its a bad game, but for its time, its not good enough.… Expand

See all 125 User Reviews

Trailers

Awards & Rankings

69
#69 Best PS3 Game of 2011
24
#24 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2011
6
#6 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2011