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Catherine PlayStation 3
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Metascore
79 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 60 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.5 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 124 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Summary: Vincent is a normal salaryman with a somewhat normal life, With a girlfriend of 5 years or so named Katherine, Katherine is pushing to get married, and Vincent is a bit afraid to do the final tie-downs. During a night of drinking and contemplation of marrying with Katherine, Vincent meets a rather beautiful, young girl by the name of Catherine. Catherine's charms and beauty are just enough to sway the intoxicated Vincent into sleeping with her, and after that night of sleeping with this mysterious girl, Vincent begins to have horrible nightmares of falling, and strange sheep men. The nightmares are slowly getting worse, and Vincent can't shake off this strange feeling that Katherine knows of his cheating on her, as if that wasn't enough, Vincent learns of unfaithful men, dying in their sleep, and his friend tells rumors of dreams...."When you have dreams of when you're falling and you can't wake up, you'll never wake up again, and die."… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 45 out of 60
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 60
  3. Negative: 1 out of 60
  1. 1UP
    Jul 19, 2011
    100
    In an era increasingly defined by developers' ever-growing fear of creating anything that isn't a safe, conservative million-seller, Atlus' willingness to create and publish something as unique as this is truly commendable. Best of all, it's not just a weird game -- it's a great one, too.
  2. Games Master UK
    Feb 15, 2012
    72
    Great anime rudely interrupted by a messy game. Patience is rewarded though, just about. [March 2012, p.92]
    All this publication's reviews
  3. Giant Bomb
    Jul 28, 2011
    40
    Catherine's limited character interaction, shallow characters, and monotonous puzzles combine to form a unique experience that feels frustratingly limited in every respect.

See all 60 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 39 out of 48
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 48
  3. Negative: 5 out of 48
  1. Dyskresiac
    10
    FINALLY! A game that is intended for adults. And no, I don't mean the Bulletstorm "12 year olds pretending to be adults" demographic. REAL adults. It's not just the subject matter, either. The game is hard, as in you actually have to think. You WILL die, you WILL struggle. And that'll only make you that much more determined to find the solution and climb. And that's the beauty of it that has been missing from so many games for so long. Most of us grew up on games that made us start over when we shut it off, and while Catherine doesn't go that far, it still pushes you to use your noggin, as a good puzzle game should. I realize the Puzzle Genre isn't for everyone, but the game market has been virtually dead outside of Tetris/Bejeweled knockoffs (Which are a different kind of puzzle game.) It's a welcomed change, and it's enjoyable. In addition, Catherine hits on the simplicity of games in the past. Like a good, perfectly cooked steak. It's not fancy. It doesn't try to woo you with inedible garnishes and sauce smeared on your plate. Catherine is, at its core, a fantastic puzzle game. Pushing boxes, but delivered in a method that you wouldn't expect. There's a reason why ATLUS games have the highest price retention out of any other publisher. Persona 4 is still $35 at Gamestop and it's a PS2 game. ATLUS makes quality games that people won't want to give up. Catherine will be no different.… Expand
    • 16 of 21 users said yes
  2. Wendigo2064
    6
    You'll be challenged - Not by the puzzles, which are a chore, but by the story itself. Since Finding out it had a moral choice system that typically results in one of two relationships, I decided to go for capital "C" catherine, the bad one, the "evil" option. Part of this decision was an attempt to undermine the game's attitude towards monogamy, since the "evil" option at least hints at multiple partners (Though Catherine does threaten to kill you if you cheat on her). I mean, the whole plot revolves around a character cheating and refusing - REFUSING, despite all options given to the player, to tell his current committed partner that he got drunk and cheated on her. It's not much of a choice system when the most obvious choice is one that is not there. Nonetheless, the dual-morality system is a bit more nuanced than, say, "Infamous," where the evil option means decapitating children and the good option means martyring yourself for a bus full of nuns - in other words, no real grey area. "Catherine's" morality challenged me, though not how I thought it would. I honestly couldn't tell at many points what the "right" decision was. Maybe this is because of my 5-year committed polyamorous relationship, making the code of monogamy baffling to me. Despite actively trying to be with "Catherine, Vincent was swinging back to Katherine, the "good" option. My answers confused the game. I believed in multiple partners (BAD!), but believed strongly in honesty for all involved (GOOD!). Now I could keep ranting about how out of touch this system is with queer identity, but I won't. I didn't expect much from a morality system anyway. What's interesting is how the game "Translated" my beliefs into the pathetic cheating monogamist I was supposed to be. It felt like real roleplay, as opposed to the kind of roleplay where I can kill everyone in a town one second and save the world the next. This alone made Catherine interesting. Oh yeah, the game - it's a dating sim with block pushing puzzles. The puzzles try to represent inner challenges Vincent faces based on his daily moral conundrum. It's neat, but difficult and is completely unrelated to the development of your character. You probably won't play the game for the puzzle system, You'll play it for the story. And the story is weird, but surprisingly challenging. For people like me, anyway.… Expand
    • 2 of 2 users said yes
  3. GrumpyReviewer
    2
    Not my kind of game. It's different, yes, and I never played anything like it. But... then again, is it normal that I enjoyed the cutscenes more than the actual gameplay? By one time, I just wanted to finish it to see what would happen, having 0 fun. Not for me, definitely and - definitely - not for everyone.… Expand
    • 1 of 2 users said yes

See all 48 User Reviews

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