Edge, Edge, Edge, EdgeĬatherine’s story is great, but it’s the absurdly deep and rewarding puzzle gameplay that keeps me coming back.

Rin also has probably my favorite romance route in Full Body, complete with an extra chapter that wasn’t present in the original game and some downright wild scenes that are best seen for yourself. One that is genuinely kind, thoughtful, and removed from having to deal with either the stress of his strained relationship with Katherine, or the guilt and fear that comes with his infidelity with Catherine. It also helps that Rin is just adorable, and brings out a side of Vincent that we never really got to see before. From there, Rin appears periodically in cutscenes both at the bar and at Vincent’s apartment complex, with new scenes and re-recorded transitions that truly make Rin feel like a natural part of the cast. After getting rescued by Vincent from a mysterious pursuer, Rin starts work at the Stray Sheep Bar as their resident piano player, and also moves in as Vincent’s next door neighbor. It’s woven directly into the already existing story.

Love QuadrangleĪtlus did a wonderful job of making sure Rin’s arc didn’t feel tacked onto the main plot of Catherine. Its characters are charming and relatable, and they actually get even better in Full Body thanks to the addition of Rin. There are a few other similar instances, but if you’re able to look past them, Catherine is still very engrossing. It’s like the writers wrote themselves into a corner and just decided to put a period and move on to the next page, leaving both me and any satisfying resolution to that build up hanging. As an example, a lunch between Katherine and Vincent gets extremely tense when Vincent hears Catherine’s voice as she starts making her way to the smoking area where he is, Vincent goes to the bathroom and the scene just ends. That said, Catherine has a frustrating tendency to present highly dramatic scenes that seem impossible for Vincent to navigate out of with his relationships intact, but then ends them abruptly before anything is resolved. It’s a very neat twist on the “light side/dark side” mechanic that was so prevalent in games around 2011, actually forming its alignment based on questions it asks you rather than questions it asks your character. You’re asked a multitude of moral questions over the course of Catherine, such as “does life begin or end at marriage,” and your decisions affect not only the outcome of the story, but also how Vincent reacts to big moments. This simple setup sends you on a roller coaster of emotion when Vincent meets Catherine, a blonde bombshell who offers a new relationship option: One that isn’t burdened by the immense stress and expectations for the future that comes with being with Katherine.Ĭatherine’s story is a definite high point, telling a dark and mature tale that molds itself based around the kind of person you want Vincent to be. Vincent is in a stable but stagnant relationship with his former high school crush, Katherine, and is having trouble committing to taking that next step. Its unusual story takes place over the course of several days and centers around the turbulent love life of the at times frustratingly dumb, but deep down good hearted Vincent Brooks.

For the uninitiated, Catherine is part action puzzle-platformer, part visual novel/dating sim.

Catherine full body game