Has there ever been a game where you found it difficult to understand relationships but also have the utter desire to have one? “Catherine: Full Body” is the kind of game that romantic video gamers and strategy gamers would definitely love. Players who played “Catherine” from 2011 would understand that “Catherine: Full Body” is a remastered edition for the PlayStation 4, but with better sound, picture quality, a more diverse cast and different modes of gameplay. For action or fighting fans that want to see blood and gore, there is very little – however, if you include the amount of sheep that are slaughtered within the game or the amount of names that are posted on a television set, then I would say that there is some destruction in the game.
For those who do not want spoilers, you have been warned. In the game, you play as Vincent Brooks, a 32-year-old man who struggles to understand what kind of life he wants to have and who he wants to live with. While he contemplates at his local bar, called “The Stray Sheep,” he has strange dreams in which he is a sheep trying to reach “true freedom.” Wherever this “true freedom” leads, there is always a catch to the decisions that Vincent makes within the game. Similar to the original “Catherine,” he has the choice to choose but with three different paths, along with new endings. The plot-line itself, in my opinion, seems to be like a typical soap opera that you would see on television.
In addition to the game’s plot, added cut scenes and a change in the introduction, there is a new mode for newcomers that desire to have an easier experience. Under remix mode, there are bigger blocks to push across with no hassle of pulling out one block at a time; whereas in classic mode, the blocks are basically what can be expected from a typical “Catherine” game. The difficulty level mechanics in the game is well-crafted and forgiving if the player has an issue with a certain puzzle. Unlike the original “Catherine,” there is additional assistance in which the player is able to go over the climbing techniques that he learns from his fellow sheep friends. Also, there is a competition mode that was not seen in the original, where other players can test their skills online to see who the better climber is. Though I have not tried this mechanic yet, I feel far more attached to wanting to discern the plot.
As a gamer, I found the new “Catherine” game to be riveting and deeply insightful. Though I did not see any drawbacks, I noticed that there was a lot of mature content in regard to relationships, as well as the usage of religious tones – such as a confessional that is present after completing a puzzle. There is also an issue of sexism that is heard when talking to some of the side characters in the game. If the video game happened to change Vincent’s gender role to female, as well as his love interests, the gameplay would still be the samebut with a different perspective. Other than these issues, I found the game to have no problems, but that is just my own opinion.
The positive that this new game has that the other “Catherine” did not have is a new gendered character named Rin, aka “Quatherine.” After creating Catherine from 2011, Atlus decided to extend its love options to include lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) relationship in order to support a more diverse audience. At first, I was a bit skeptical, but upon seeing Rin’s character interact with Vincent and the rest of the cast, I believe Atlus did a fine job in adding a new character in the game.
Other than its new star, “Catherine: Full Body”’s music has a lot of familiar songs that were implemented from Atlus’s previous games. For instance, “Persona 5,” one of the best Japanese Role Playing Games (RPG) from 2016, has some of their songs in the jukebox. I found great delight in choosing one song after another in order to explore the vibrant mood that the game had to offer. This even includes a mini-game called Super Rapunzel that I found delightful in my pastime at the bar.
Overall, “Catherine: Full Body” is a definite buy despite its mature setting. For those that are interested in getting “Catherine: Full Body,” I suggest going to your nearest GameStop and getting a copy or digitally buying it on PlayStation Store. I happened to pre-order mine and was awarded a steel box with the game attached. There is also a collector’s edition of the game too, even though it costs 20 dollars more than the average 60 dollars.
Nicholas Bartelmo is a fourth-year student majoring in history. NB790429@wcupa.edu