Atlus has created a challenging, clever title that explores complex issues and marries them to solid gameplay. Catherine is a surprisingly good game.

Intriguing plot, good presentation and voice acting; Moderately high degree of difficulty; Extra challenge levels available outside the main campaign; Hypnotic title screen

The social interaction aspect isn't for everyone; some of the cut-scenes drag; some choices present a blatant false dichotomy while others appear superfluous

As an artistic medium, video games are still relatively young. Barely decades have passed since the first console was released to the home market, and while the advances in technology have been rapid, the evolution of theme and narrative has dwindled.

Trying to put together a review for Catherine has been one of the most challenging things I have done in four years of writing. It is a rare breed of game, and yet its base …

Katherine with a ‘K' is examining her life and wondering why she has been dating a man for five years now when the very thought of marriage causes him to break out into a cold sweat and stammer like a fourth-grader with his hand caught in the cookie jar.

As a JRPG fan, it was hard for me to be excited for Catherine at first. Here was one of my favorite JRPG teams taking a slight hiatus from the genre and making what turned out to be a puzzle game with a sexually charged story.

Vincent really likes his girlfriend. Katherine's pretty, smart, and successful. Trouble is, now she's sat Vincent down for "the talk," and Vincent's

There are quite a few odd Japanese games that never make the jump across to the West. Even some of those that do take a long time to reach these shores. The Atlus Persona team had created one such game, Catherine, which was originally released in Japan almost a year ago, before arriving in North...

But it's easy to see why the story was so revered when it released in 2011. Storytelling has come a long way in gaming in the last eight years. Catherine should still be celebrated for even broaching subjects like this in a world before Limbo .

Engaging modern arcade gameplay; Visual design that still pops; An excellent PC port full of modern options

Too many repetitive narrative beats; Imprecise controls that hurt nuanced play; Tags

Maybe it was the point when Vincent Brooks, Catherine%26rsquo;s protagonist, grew ram horns from the back of his head. Or maybe it was ...

Fun story with multiple endings; Gorgeous anime-style art; Lots of puzzle variation

Getting stumped on Easy setting; Occasional wonky controls; Solving yet another puzzle

The Mature rating on Catherine is an understatement, but not because of its anime-style partial nudity, overtly-suggestive sexual themes, devilishly-crafted cut scenes, and frequent use of alcohol.