Catherine: Full Body

Catherine: Full Body is an expanded and refreshed version of the unique logic-adventure game that debuted on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 4. The game was developed by Atlus, a Japanese studio founded in the eighties. The developer is known for jRPG series like Shin Megami Tensei and Persona. Catherine was released in 2011. It was an experimental project, which used a new graphics engine created to support HD resolution. The experience gathered during the development of the game helped the developers in completing Persona 5. Catherine: Full Body enriches the original game with previously unavailable features like new endings, cutscenes, characters, gameplay modes etc.

Plot

In Catherine: Full Body the players assume the role of Vincent, a 32-year-old man who is bored and left with no illusions about his career and love life. Since five years, he remains in a dull relationship with Katherine. Contrary to the protagonist, the girl wants to formalize their relationship as quickly as possible. Suddenly, while sitting in his favorite pub, Vincent meets mysterious Catherine, a girl that invites him to her apartment. Enjoyable moments are revealed to be the beginning of great problems – the protagonist has nightmares each night. During these nightmares, he must escape from terrible beasts. There are rumors in the city that a demon took over minds of young men and that the demons are killing them in their sleep. Vincent is trying to set things right with Catherine and Katherine, and he attempts to solve the mystery. The Full Body version of the game introduces a new key character – Rin. She is a delicate and sympathetic pianist who works in Vincent’s favorite bar. New endings and scenarios are related to her.

The story in Catherine: Full Body is constructed in such way that a player’s actions determine the plot of the game. Conversations with characters and Vincent’s actions in the nightmare world impact the story of the game.

Mechanics

Catherine: Full Body is an unusual adventure game. The gameplay consists of three segments. In the first one, the player spends evenings in the above-mentioned pub where he talks with friends and random people. The second one is similar to a typical visual novel – the player is trying to keep decent relations with the female characters. In the last one, the players are controlling Vincent who is fighting for survival in action sequences. He must beat complex levels in the nightmare world. These levels are based on a few simple principles that require good reflexes and quick thinking from the player. The players are climbing on a wall made of cubes. The cubes can be moved in various directions in order to open a path to the top of the level. On the way up the players must avoid traps and frequently other men that are also fighting for their survival. A monster is chasing Vincent during these sequences. If the players aren’t fast enough, they are attacked by the monster and the sequence must be repeated.

Game modes

In addition to a story campaign, Catherine: Full Body features a multiplayer mode in which players are competing with each other by beating the levels from the game. The title supports both local and internet play. The latter also supports online scoreboards.

Technical aspects

The remastered graphics of Catherine: Full Body features full HD resolution, new textures, and animations. The style of the visuals is similar to one present in the newest entries in the Persona series – they share the same designer, Shigenori Soejima. During the gameplay the players can listed to a soundtrack composed by Shoji Meguro.

Last updated on 22 December 2017