Should I play this game?

[Yuber6969]

I love Persona but I suck at puzzle games.

Edited December 27, 2020 by yuber1234

[EDGES]

this is 100% a puzzle game

[Plague_Dominate]

This isn’t a persona game, it was developed by the same people who did persona.

 

To answer your question, No. i don't think its worth it if your not good at puzzles and don’t like to do then. This is a puzzle game.

[Potter13579]

This game was actually what led me to discovering and playing Persona 5, so to answer your question I do still think it's worth playing, but it's more of a case like, you'd probably rather have it be Catherine that led you to Persona instead of Persona leading you to Catherine.

[PatinumNumemon]

If you don't like puzzle games and also don't care about trophies then I'd say go for it! The story is really awesome, you can always play on safety or easy mode and overall there really is no other game like it. However, the trophy list is not easy, but it can be made easier by watching YouTube videos of other people playing the Rapunzel arcade, getting gold on all stages on all difficulties and using a guide to help you view all endings. Babel is a pain though because it requires skill and luck to beat, and lots of both. It all depends on if you care about trophies.

[Yuber6969]

13 minutes ago, PatinumNumemon said:

If you don't like puzzle games and also don't care about trophies then I'd say go for it! The story is really awesome, you can always play on safety or easy mode and overall there really is no other game like it. However, the trophy list is not easy, but it can be made easier by watching YouTube videos of other people playing the Rapunzel arcade, getting gold on all stages on all difficulties and using a guide to help you view all endings. Babel is a pain though because it requires skill and luck to beat, and lots of both. It all depends on if you care about trophies.

 

It's not that I don't "like" puzzle games; I'm just really bad at them. And I definitely do care about trophies lol.

 

The story looks great though. I'm really on the fence.

[sunnydaleAlumni]

Just now, yuber1234 said:

 

It's not that I don't "like" puzzle games; I'm just really bad at them. And I definitely do care about trophies lol.

 

The story looks great though. I'm really on the fence.

 

If you are looking at Catherine: Full Body which is the remake, I believe it has an auto mode for the puzzles.

[Yuber6969]

13 minutes ago, sunnydaleAlumni said:

 

If you are looking at Catherine: Full Body which is the remake, I believe it has an auto mode for the puzzles.

 

But I'm assuming auto mode would lock me out of trophies?

[PatinumNumemon]

10 minutes ago, yuber1234 said:

 

It's not that I don't "like" puzzle games; I'm just really bad at them. And I definitely do care about trophies lol.

 

The story looks great though. I'm really on the fence.

 

ooh, then yeah I wouldn't mess with it lol Babel is pretty hard, even if you memorize all the possible patterns that they throw at you, especially the later stages like Obelisk and Axis Mundi. The story is really good though, along with the soundtrack. I'd say if you have an alternate account and you can pick up the game cheap then play it on the alternate on safety or easy mode. The once you've seen it and played it for yourself you can decide if it is something you'd like to try and platinum on the main account. Do note that you have to play normal and hard difficulty to get all the gold prizes for a gold trophy, and the difference between easy and normal is noticeable BUT you can always use YouTube videos and copy what the person does to get you the gold prize (although random attacks can happen on boss stages, which would require you to have to improvise or get lucky.)

12 minutes ago, yuber1234 said:

 

But I'm assuming auto mode would lock me out of trophies?

 

oh no it won't lock you out of trophies you can earn when you're in the Stray Sheep bar, but it probably won't give you some trophies you have to earn during the nightmares. Those trophies tend to be easy, however, like moving a certain type of block back and forth 10 times in a row or trying to move an unmovable block twice in a row.

[punkshepherd]

This game is fun, quirky and unique.

 

For these reasons, play it. Broaden your gaming horizons. 

[Yuuria_]

I currently have around 80 hours into the game and almost have the Platinum trophy (I just need the Trivia Collectible trophies and 1 Gold Cup on Normal difficulty).

 

First of all I'd like to say that the game is really really good, both it terms of gameplay and story, but also really challenging if you care about trophies. The game has 2 modes of play, Classic and Remix, and 4 difficulty options (safe, easy, normal and hard). You are required to get a Gold Cup in every single level of the game on all difficulties and modes making it a 7 playthroughs minimum journey by also counting a first guide-less run. You can of course re-try any levels you have already completed during the game but doing so will lock you out of the possibility of saving between stages of the same level, practically forcing you to obtain the Gold you are looking for in 1 session. 

About difficulties 

- Safety: turns all blocks into normal blocks / has an auto-undo if you mess up /  has auto-play / the layout is the same as the easy mode

- Easy: auto-play (I don't know if using it locks you out from obtaining Golds, haven't tested it) / has an auto-undo if you mess up

- Normal has an auto-undo if you mess up

- Hard has none of the perks the other options offer. 

Each difficulty has its own level layout

 

Also, since you care about the trophies, there's also the Babel Tower to consider, which is basically 4 randomly generated levels of increasing difficulty with each its own trophy. While the first 2 levels are quite doable after you get used to the game mechanics the other 2 are much harder with the 3rd being extremely RNG based (made worst by the fact that you cannot undo any moves in Babel) and the 4th requiring full mastery of the gameplay system. That said, you can make every level in Babel easier by playing it with a friend or by yourself with 2 controllers since Duo mode has easier layouts to navigate.

 

Rapunzel is a mini-game with 128 levels that has 2 trophies attached to it. Its probably the hardest thing in the game and will most likely force you to check out a guide more than  few times. The mini-game has a set number of attempts per day during your first playthrough but from the second run onward you get limitless re-tries. On top of the high difficulty you are also required to complete the last few levels in one sitting since the Rosaries (collectibles) needed to get the trophies don't carry over between sessions.

 

There are more endings than the runs required to get all the Golds but some tactical saving will go a long way. You can also skip levels to rush to end for the different trophies but it requires you to have already cleared the level on your current difficulty/mode combination.

 

Despite being hard I think you can pick the game up anyway since Babel has Duo mode and both the story mode and Rapunzel have YouTube guides to help you out if you get stuck. 

Catherine is a game anyone can enjoy but the Platinum requires lots of time and dedication. Good luck and have fun!

Edited December 11, 2021 by Yuuria_
Just grammar, as always. 11/12/21, update with small grammar corrections and additions for a more complete overview in case anyone reads this in the future

[thefourfoldroot]

Gameplay is pure puzzle game. I played it long ago on 360 and it was surprisingly difficult, but I think this new version has an easy mode type thing if you just want to experience the story (hopefully someone lease can confirm)

 

edit: Never mind, above guy confirmed in a much better post.

Edited January 7, 2021 by thefourfoldroot

[Yuber6969]

5 hours ago, Yuuria_ said:

I currently have around 80 hours into the game and almost have the Platinum trophy (I just need the Trivia Collectible trophies and 1 Gold Cup on Normal difficulty).

 

First of all I'd like to say that the game is really really good, both it terms of gameplay and story, but also really challenging if you care about trophies. The game has 2 modes of play, Classic and Remix, and 4 difficulty options (safe, easy, normal and hard). You are required to get a Gold Cup in every single level of the game on all difficulties and modes making it a 7 playthroughs minimum journey by also counting a first guide-less run. You can of course re-try any level you have already completed during the game but doing so will lock you out of the possibility of saving between stages of the same level, practically forcing you to obtain the Gold you are looking for in 1 session. 

About difficulties 

- Safety: makes all blocks normal blocks / has an auto-undo if you mess up /  has auto-play / the layout is the same as the easy mode

- Easy:  auto-play (I don't know if using it locks you out from obtaining Golds, haven't tested it) / has an auto-undo if you mess up

- Normal has an auto-undo if you mess up

- Hard has none of the perks the other options offer. 

Each difficulty has it's own level layout

 

Also, since you care about the trophies, there's also the Babel Tower to consider, which is basically 4 randomly generated levels of increasing difficulty with each it's own trophy. While the first 2 levels are quite doable after you get used to the game mechanics the other 2 are much harder with the 3rd being extremely RNG based (made worst by the fact that you canno undo any moves in Babel) and the 4th requiring full mastery of the gameplay system. That said you can make every level in Babel easier by playing it with a friend or by yourself with 2 controllers since Duo mode has easier layouts to navigate.

 

Rapunzel is a mini-game with 128 levels that has 2 trophies attached to it. It's probably the hardest thing in the game and will most likely force you to check out a guide more than  few times. The mini-game has a set number of attempts per day during your first playthrough but from the second run onward you get limitless re-tries.

 

There are more endings than the runs required to get all the Golds but some tactical saving will go a long way. You can also skip levels to rush to end for the different ending trophies but it requires you to have already cleared the level on your current difficulty and mode

 

Despite being hard I think you can pick the game up anyway since Babel has Duo mode and both the story mode and Rapunzel have YouTube guides to help you out if you get stuck. 

Catherine is a game anyone can enjoy but the Platinum requires lots of time and dedication. Good luck and have fun!

 

Thanks for typing out such a detailed answer. I'm definitely not gonna be down for that, at least not any time soon.

[Yuuria_]

12 hours ago, yuber1234 said:

 

Thanks for typing out such a detailed answer. I'm definitely not gonna be down for that, at least not any time soon.

I just wanted to give you an idea about what you were getting yourself into. Hope you'll pick up the game at some point because it's worth it, I've never played anything like it.

I'm glad I could help you make a more informed decision! ?

[hoff_jager]

I enjoyed Catherine on PS3 and I like that they added an extra character to the PS4 version, that it's not a plain remaster.

I played it again recently for Halloween and I found it to be relaxing when at the Stray Sheep, talking to characters, drink trivia, etc.

The anime and horror go well together, getting to make your own choices in each playthrough, that's solid replay value ??

 

[HuntingFever]

Yes, yes, yes and yes again. This is one of my all time favourite games on the PS3 and I really must sit down and start work on the PS4 release.

[Yuber6969]

For anyone curious, I platted the game and I can say with zero exaggeration that it was harder than my bachelor's degree. Best story I've seen in a game though.

 

Thanks for all the info @Yuuria_!

[Yuuria_]

10 hours ago, yuber1234 said:

For anyone curious, I platted the game and I can say with zero exaggeration that it was harder than my bachelor's degree. Best story I've seen in a game though.

 

Thanks for all the info @Yuuria_!

 

A fine accomplishment indeed!

I'm glad you went through with it, I knew you could do it and I bet you it was worth it in the end; its not the type of experience you'll be forgetting anytime soon.

Thank you kindly for the mention, it makes me happy knowing I could provide useful information.

Congratulations!

 

(I'm actually very curious about which one of the many endings, and partners, you liked the most; let me know if you'd like ? )

 

 

 

Edited December 11, 2021 by Yuuria_
Grammar, yay...

[Yuber6969]

57 minutes ago, Yuuria_ said:

 

A fine accomplishment indeed!

I'm glad you went through with it, I knew you could do it and I bet you it was worth it in the end; its not the type of experience you'll be forgetting anytime soon.

Thank you kindly for the mention, it makes me happy knowing I could provide useful information.

Congratulations!

 

(I'm actually very curious about which one of the many endings, and partners, you liked the most; let me know if you'd like  )

 

 

 

 

Thanks! Out of rep points for now.

 

Honestly, I absolutely hated the gameplay, but it was worth it for the story.

 

I liked Rin's route the best, but I feel like it got silly near the end. I liked the New Catherine ending too. Other than that, I liked the journey more than the endings. If you want to know more about what I thought about the game, I reviewed it here.

 

What were your thoughts on the game?

 

Spoiler

The Erika reveal caught me off guard too.

 

Edited December 11, 2021 by yuber1234

[Yuuria_]

On 11/12/2021 at 10:47 AM, yuber1234 said:

I liked Rin's route the best, but I feel like it got silly near the end. I liked the New Catherine ending too. Other than that, I liked the journey more than the endings. If you want to know more about what I thought about the game, I reviewed it here.

 

My favorite ending is Catherine's new ending directly followed by Rin's true ending so we actually have the same preferred endings! 

 

On 11/12/2021 at 10:47 AM, yuber1234 said:

What were your thoughts on the game?

 

I just finished reading your review.

I have quite the opposing view when in comes to the gameplay actually; I really really like it, in fact I still boot up the game from time to time, when I know I'm short on time, just to give the Axis Mundi another shot to hopefully beat it Solo.

 

I personally didn't find the game all that difficult, sure there were some levels that took me upwards of an hour to figure out the optimal route for but I never really got stuck at any point and I happen to enjoy the process of repeating a level in order to increase efficiency. The fact that there are multiple ways to climb the stages while still earning a gold prize, allowing for player expression, felt great.

RNG was only an issue for me when I'd die due to the input delay after those boss attacks that freeze time; I got impaled by trap blocks so many times because of that mechanic, it honestly baffles me how it passed testing. I liked the normal, non time-stopping attacks since they're quite easy to work around and forced a bit of improvisation.

At the end of the day I just loved the feeling of accomplishment that perfect runs provided me with, the mastery needed for high difficulties is what kept me hooked.

 

I don't intend to discredit your opinion/experience in any way, shape or form; we just happen to be very different types of player and that's the beauty of it I think, it would be boring if we all liked and disliked the same things.

 

I just love good, story driven, puzzle games. Another one of my absolute favorites alongside Catherine is The Talos Principle; it's just as hard but has more 'classic' puzzles while also boasting a very strong, albeit different, narrative. I very much recommend it if you'd like to try another interesting, story driven, puzzle game; and it doesn't have RNG stages!

What I appreaciate most about puzzle games is how they push a very different type of skill from those we are usually required for most other games, namely mechanics (aiming, tracking, timing) and strategy. They're niche, that much is true, but I personally find them quite fun.

 

 

Edited December 13, 2021 by Yuuria_