It’s been eight years since the original release of Catherine for PS3 and Xbox 360. What was only suppose to be a test engine for Persona 5 ended up becoming a cult classic for Atlus Co., Ltd. fans. It was an addicting game taking several new ideas to mind, being one of Atlus’s few titles that focused on an entirely adult cast, and with heavy erotic themes. One key feature about Catherine was that despite its heavily sexual tone, it always carried it with a style that kept it tastefully erotic instead of being offensively pornographic.
Who would have thought that a block climbing puzzle game would become a staple side-title to Atlus’s brand, next to Shin Megami Tensei and Persona? Players were begging year after year for something more — whether it be a direct sequel or a similarly styled spin-off under the Golden Playhouse logo. In December 2017, fans got their wish when Atlus announced an enhanced port of the game would be coming to the PlayStation 4, along with an expanded story featuring a new love interest named Rin. Little did fans know that Catherine Full Body would bring a lot more in store.
Pour a glass of box wine, order a pizza, and grab a few pieces of chocolate, because it’s time for J-List’s review of Catherine Full Body.
Story
The hero of Catherine is Vincent Brook — a 32-year-old man who has just transferred companies and is living happily in his day-to-day life with his long-time girlfriend, Katherine. All this ends when she tells him how her parents are questioning the status of their relationship, and that there is a possibility she is pregnant. In a state of panic and confusion, Vincent has a drunken one-night encounter with a beautiful younger woman, also named Catherine. His mistake turns into a week-long scandal. Meanwhile, he encounters an innocent enough girl named Rin (short for Qatherine) who has lost her memories. After he saves her from being chased by an unseen stalker she moves into the apartment next door to him, and gets a job at his favorite bar. Thus begins his three-timing tangled romance nightmare.
Okay, so maybe Vincent isn’t exactly the ‘hero,’ but he is the guy we are supposed to be rooting for in one direction or another.
From his first night forward with Catherine, Vincent is plagued with nightmares of being chased by horrifying monsters representing his fears of marriage and starting a family. Rumors in the media and around town are that whoever dies in their nightmares die in real life, and are believed true as several men around Vincent’s age are discovered dead every morning.
Between trying to figure out his future with his pregnant girlfriend, Katherine, wrestling with his desire for Catherine, and finding a peaceful solace between them both in Rin, Vincent has his hands full, and intoxication levels are high. Choices the player makes throughout the game determine the story route and who exactly Vincent will end up being with in the end… if anyone at all. Between it all, Vincent still manages to make time for pizza and drinks with his friends at The Stray Sheep each night. During these visits, players can recap events of the nightmares with friends, listen to the struggles of other patrons, or enjoy the Super Rapunzel mini-game.
New Content
Starting with Rin, her inclusion in the game can feel a little forced in the beginning, especially for those who played the previous version. The entire game has a grim tone with mostly dark color pallets to nearly all its character and set designs. Rin, having unnaturally bright pastel pink hair and a powder blue dress, makes her look like she doesn’t entirely belong in the same game. However, by the time she is established as a story-relevant character around Day 5, Rin starts to fit in just fine with the rest of world, and her story routes feel natural, smooth, and just as exciting as the other two girls.
There is still some controversy about her character when her origin and true identity are revealed, but for spoiler’s sake, we won’t get too much into it. How the story handles Rin and Vincent’s romance after the great reveal is overall endearing, mature, and wholesome. The shift from a three-timing cheating story to a sort of save-the-princess tale feels believable, and is possibly the most bizarre ending this game could ever have. All in all, nothing less should have been expected, but it’s still a surprise.
Along with the three Rin routes, there are two additional new story routes — one for Catherine, and Katherine — bringing the total number of routes up to thirteen. Each one of them gives their own special twist to Vincent’s ending, as well as each respective love interest. Another great inclusion is that after each boss level is complete, Vincent has flashbacks to his younger days in high school and college, showcasing precious moments with friends as well as giving more development to Katherine’s character.
Each ending also gives a little reward of a few photo cards depicting the aftermath and events that sums up how the character’s lives have turned out as a result, each one with a bit of humor to it.
However, on the downside, the way routes are split up pretty much promises that players will have to have multiple separate save files, and at least one from an early point in the game before any routes divide off. It’s not as easy getting all ending like in the original version. This can be a bit of an issue, having to replay more than half the game repeatedly. Luckily, new customization options make it less boring. Players are allowed to adjust level difficulty and switch from Classic mode to the new Remix mode at any time — giving players, new and old, something fresh each time. As a last resort, players can select Auto-Play on any level and let Vincent do all the gameplay himself. Sit back and just enjoy the cutscenes, which are also skippable.
Remix mode is a nice little inclusion in which there are new block shapes, similar to Tetris-style arrangements that have to be moved in bulk. This creates new possibilities when climbing the block towers, but just as easily can create as much discourse and backfire if players aren’t careful.
Multiplayer mode is a blast. The reworked online mode offers more efficient matchups and ranked battles. Casual mode and friends-only matches are also an option, for those looking to play just for fun. Offline local battles make a return, as well.
Last but not least, the music! The original Catherine had a few memorable tracks, but with most being rearrangements of old classical pieces, several just felt old and annoying after so many times. Catherine Full Body continues this, but with several new reworked and original tracks for scenes outside of the nightmares. In total there are seventeen new tracks added to Catherine Full Body, including a remix of the original theme song, “YO,” and a brand new piece of theme music performed by the Japanese rock group Sekai no Owari and Chinese vocalist Satsuki. It feels more vibrant than ever before.
Final Score?
Every new addition is an enhancement to the original without disturbing what made Catherine such a breath of fresh air back in 2011. It’s all there; the puzzles, the twists, the humor, the music, alcohol trivia, and even the little Easter eggs. Persona mascots appear in the bar, school emblems on the walls, and various tunes in the jukebox. It’s a Full Body experience that will leave players begging Atlus for another full-body bottle for eight more years. Overall, Catherine Full Body is the definitive edition. Cheers!
