Originally released in 2011, Catherine became a classic cult because of her quirks and her innovation. Partly visual and partially puzzled, the players fell on Catherine’s heels. With several new additions and improvements, Atlus has published Catherine: Full Body, but will it be a love walk in the past or a painful and forgettable adventure?

Vincent Brooks, a 32 -year -old computer programmer, is in a rut. Feeling obliged to succumb to his girlfriend, Katherine, and to get married, he frequently goes to the Pub Stray Sheep to discuss his problems. This is at this point where we are presented to Catherine, the polar opposite of Vincent’s current girlfriend and after a night of infidelity, things are starting to become uncontrollable.

Fans of the original will be aware of these events, but it is the reissue of Full Body and with this comes a third love interest: enter Qatherine (called Rin). Rin, an amnesiac pianist, lives next to our protagonist and adds a new dynamic to the game. Impressive, its integration into the game is transparent and does not feel nailed to it. Players will now have to explore different love interests which will have a direct impact on the points of the plot affecting which of the 13 possible ends you will discover.

Catherine: Full Body - Inside Gaming Review

During the day, you will converse with a range of characters and respond to the texts. Your answers change your moral indicator and this determines the end you receive. The dialogue and the conversation you have are full of humor and add to the general absurdity of the game. However, the basic gameplay takes place during Vincent’s nightmares. Each evening, you must climb a structure made up of boxes, certain dangerous, others climbing. You must move and handle boxes to create a path to safety, but it is not so simple. On your escape path, the blocks disintegrate, the agitated sheep obstructs and make its way to the tower, break your heels can be one of the many nightmarish beasts.

Although the premise of each level is the same, the game constantly adds new features in order to increase the tower a challenge. As you climb, you will find objects to accompany you. Whether it is energy drinks that increase your jump height, bells that change block or enigmatic parts that can be spent for items in the chapel, Catherine helps you with these thrilling climbs. With four selectable difficulties at any time, you can adapt the experience of Catherine: Full Body to meet your requirements. Players who simply want to explore the story can select the new “security” mode that allows you to completely jump the sections of the puzzle. On the other hand, Atlus added a “remix” mode which introduces new puzzle blocks that make the scale of the tower an exhausting feat.

During my time with the game, I have not encountered any performance problems, whether anchored or portable. The cutscenes are elegant and help tell the story in a engaging way. With its animated art style and its succulent use of color, the game is fantastic on the switch. The eclectic soundtrack accompanies it, ranging from sweet lounge music to remixed classic tracks which contribute to creating the atmosphere at key points.

Due to the accent put by the game on the narration, those who like their first part will probably want to replay the campaign in order to unlock a different end. However, there are other modes to quench your thirst. In the extremely popular multiplayer mode, “Colosseum”, you face a friend or an enemy to reach the summit. Here you can strategically place blocks on your opponent’s path to stifle his route and ensure victory. Do you always want more? The “Babel” mode offers randomly generated structures which can be climbed in cooperation or individually. These offer history extracts and some of the longest and most difficult levels of the game.

I would be wishes not to mention the representation of women in Catherine: Full Body. The game depicts women in a stereotypical way, from the dog harassing to the object of desire, and these elements may not suit the modern player. Although done in a humorous way, the suggestive nature and the characterization of females are something that seems definitively dated. Although the game deals with the consequences of cheating in a relationship, I think it does not do it with maturity. Is it sexist? Gynophobic? Gamophobic? I’m not too sure, but that certainly raises questions with which some players can disagree.

With more than 500 levels at hand, Catherine: Full Body has a richness of content that will entertain veterans and new arrivals for hours. Although the themes and the representation are questionable, the gameplay and the narration are undoubtedly fun, which makes Catherine: Full Body more than a standing stand.

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Good

  • Excellent puzzles
  • Beautiful art style

  • Morality counter

79

The bad

  • Stereotypical characters
  • A single type of puzzle