These nightmares comprise the puzzle side of the game, and players must quickly organize the blocks to create a path to the top. Interspersed with these narrative episodes are Vincent’s “nightmares,” in which players must move Vincent to the top of a precariously terraced tower of blocks before time runs out and he falls to his death. Additionally, NPC behavior is also affected by Vincent’s responses. Responses that reflect a caring, thoughtful character move the meter to the right (blue), while selfish and avoidant responses push it to the left (red). Each time Vincent responds to a conversation, players are confronted with a meter that represents Vincent’s “inner feelings” and that operates in roughly the same way that a morality meter works in other games. Players control Vincent as he walks around the bar and choose dialogue options that best convey their chosen attitude of the character. Players can speak with these characters to uncover narrative context or to advance the story through more dialogue options.Įssentially, these actions (among a few minor ones) comprise the story half of the game, excluding the cinematic cutscenes that typically open and end each segment. Beyond this relationship, players also encounter Vincent’s friends at their hangout at the Stray Sheep, the local bar. Players as Vincent are tasked with maneuvering through this interpersonal minefield by way of dialogue options, typically in the form of text messages but occasionally over phone calls. Vincent, on the other hand, feels comfortable with where things are and is reluctant to change. As the story opens, Vincent’s girlfriend Katherine has been hinting that she’s ready to move forward in their relationship, mentioning her feeling excluded when her friends group begin talking about their marriages and/or children. However, this analysis will focus on the “Golden Playhouse” mode in which gameplay alternates between an interactive narrative and an action puzzle game.
#Catherine full body text messages full#
Catherine: Full Body (shortened to Catherine from here) continues Atlus’ track record of innovation by successfully combining both narrative and puzzle gameplay to create a meaningful experience that is greater than the sum of its two parts.Ĭatherine features multiple game modes, some of which are multiplayer and focus on collaborating or completing in alternate versions of the game’s puzzle levels. Both games were developed and published by Atlus, a Japanese company known for their unconventional and innovative games. This game is a re-release and expansion of Catherine (2011), adding new storylines, new game modes, and a new potential romantic interest, Rin. For this analysis, I am examining the Nintendo Switch version of the game, which was released in 2020.
#Catherine full body text messages series#
You can find the instructions for the assignment here.Ĭatherine: Full Body (2019) is a “romantic horror story” in which a player assumes the role of Vincent, a 32-year-old man who must make an important life decision amid a series of recurring (and reportedly deadly) nightmares.
The following is an example paper I wrote for my students in a Videogames: history and theories course.
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