E139: Catherine

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!

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Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K

Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another

Catherine OST: Shoji Meguro

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What did you think of Catherine? Was there a particular ending you thought the best?
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