Bonus Stage - Catherine

Catherine is a game which I think I had to study and discuss if studying narrative and gameplay as it has some very interesting elements of both, and they come together in a very original way. On the surface many people judged Catherine due to its anime style graphics and cutscenes and its racy promotional material as nothing but some lonely man’s fancy game. This I find to be very unfortunate as those who would be so quick to judge are missing out on a narrative experience I have seldom encountered among the myriad of video games I have played.

Narrative is very important within Catherine, however it doesn’t particularly tell a tale which is grandiose or epic like most video games do. Indeed the characters (including the main character) all have their fair share of character flaws and elements which don’t immediately make them likeable. This however is exactly what makes Catherine such an astounding step in the evolution of narrative in gaming. Catherine tells a tale which I think appeals more to the older gaming audience, a story about just a regular guy. Admittedly the story has some supernatural and weird elements to it but generally this is supposed to be a game about the some of the tribulations of adult life. Vincent the main character is a guy with a decent job and a loving girlfriend Katherine , however when she starts talking of marriage and children Vincent grows anxious of the commitment involved in such massive life steps. Next thing we know seemingly accidently Vincent wakes up with another woman (this one called Catherine), and the rest of the narrative is a downward spiral of guilt and deceit. The player chooses through gameplay whether Vincent will try to do right by the loving Katherine, or be seduced by the lust of Catherine or in see-saw both ways and cause them more trouble.

I believe this is what makes Catherine shine so greatly, it has many elements which people can relate to. Many of us myself included have had stirring thoughts of anxiety about commitment and the future, and Catherine almost makes you ponder your feelings on such things. What makes the game even better in this regard is none of characters are perfect, they each have their share of traits which may cause different people to like or dislike them. Vincent is a coward, Katherine is overbearing and Catherine is a salacious woman with trust issues so your feelings on these characters aren’t necessarily as simple as they would be in most games.

Another intriguing thing about Catherine is what could be thought of as a disconnect between the narrative and the gameplay, however it manages to pull it off effectively. The gameplay comprises of equal parts puzzle game to social simulator, which would seem to be a strange combination. However the game addresses this strangeness by fitting the gameplay directly into the narrative. The puzzle elements involve climbing up a tower of shifting blocks with Vincent, while the bottom of the tower crumbles or in some stages a demon (embodiments of Vincent’s anxiety) chases him. Within the context of the story these parts take place in Vincent’s dreams each night and if he dies in the dream we are told he dies in real life. Meanwhile during the days the social simulation element takes over as we play as Vincent as we talk to the customers of his Vincent’s bar. Through these day area it is discovered other men are suffering similar dreams to Vincent and people Vincent will meet during the day will appear in the dream scenes and can even die within the dream. This mutual support between narrative and gameplay I found very interesting as both elements at a glance are so very different from one another, but by addressing one another they strengthen the experience.

Catherine is a unique experience and I think the way it deals with issues many adults could relate to is a step towards a maturity in video games which I think is somewhere which is essentially untouched in games.  In terms of narrative Catherine does what I think all prominent narratives should do, it makes the audience question parts of themselves and consider deeper issues then ‘good’ and ‘evil’. Whereas the gameplay of Catherine is also a difficult experience which only skilled players can master on any difficulty above easy. Though Catherine is such an impressive experience the combination of unfamiliar narrative (displayed through anime aesthetics) and difficult gameplay inevitably alienates many players, which is an unfortunate fact I must consider when creating games myself.