Catherine is a game about relationships, infidelity and the shackles of love.
It’s also a game about pushing blocks. Released in 2011 by Atlus, Catherine initially appears to be the odd duck in the Persona developer’s catalogue. Characters in their 30s, real-time gameplay and a sub-hundred hour runtime. But a deeper look reveals many familiar themes such as order, chaos and the great lengths players will go to for their in-game romantic interests.
But can a developer best known for their turn-based RPGs pivot to real-time puzzle action with ease?
On this episode, we discuss:
Story
Catherine’s narrative tackles relationships in a way not often seen in video games.
Does it have the writing pedigree to support its promiscuous themes?
Or does the cast come across as shallow and two-dimensional?
Presentation
From sound design to visuals, Catherine oozes style and atmosphere.
But does this commitment to symbolism come at the cost of a deeper narrative?
Gameplay
Does Catherine’s block-pushing gameplay compliment its steamy romantic narrative?
Just how much depth can one game squeeze out of two simple rules?
Are the game’s developers as clever as they claim in their 4th wall breaking epilogue?
We answer these questions and many more on the 139th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!
Podden och tillhörande omslagsbild på den här sidan tillhör
rspodcast.net. Innehållet i podden är skapat av rspodcast.net och inte av,
eller tillsammans med, Poddtoppen.
