The Stray Sheep bar – where Vincent, Rin, Erica and the rest of the gang hang out – is an outstandingly atmospheric little hub where you can drink your lights out, chat to patrons, put some music on the jukebox or hone your skills on Super Rapunzel, the game's excellent old-school arcade take on its very own puzzle elements. With Persona's Katsura Hashino at the helm, this was always going to be a slick and super-stylish game and the story gains so much from just how well-realised its world and characters are. Needless to say, between his seriously messed up relationship status, the newly added Rin and constantly looming threat of death via enormous nightmare puzzle demons, Vincent absolutely goes off at the deep end and it's the game's excellent portrayal of his fantastically sweaty struggle to stay sane, via some excellent writing and voice-acting (particularly on the part of Troy Baker and Laura Bailey) where Catherine: Full Body really takes flight. There are somewhere in the region of twenty new cutscenes added to the original story in this souped-up edition, and overall, they've been patched in without ruining the flow of the delicately-poised plot. Rin is a strong addition to the central storyline, even becoming a potential love interest for Vincent if very specific expectations are met, and, by and large, Atlus has done a fantastic job of seamlessly integrating this new story arc into the already existing material. On top of all of this, Full Body adds in a new character, Qatherine – or Rin – an amnesiac pianist who moves in next door to Vincent and starts to play at the Stray Sheep, slowly becoming entangled in our protagonist's complicated web of relationship woes. Set over the course of nine days, the game's narrative sees Vincent begin to lose his grip on reality as the stresses of lying to his pregnant girlfriend, dealing with the increasingly unhinged demands of Catherine and the constant threat of death every time he falls asleep slowly erode his ability to cope. Vincent gives in to temptation, they have a steamy one night stand and embark upon an ill-advised affair.Īs this illicit relationship develops, however, Vincent begins to experience hideous nightmares in which he's forced to climb terrifying death towers composed of huge blocks which he must move around in order to fashion an escape route as horrors from his subconscious attempt to drag him to his doom. Catherine seems to embody just about everything he is about to give up she's spontaneous, breaks the rules and is the polar opposite of his rather serious bride-to-be. Whilst struggling with the notion of fully committing himself to marriage with Katherine and, in turn, the perceived loss of freedom that this represents, Vincent meets the mysterious, free-spirited Catherine (yes, with a 'C'). However time, it seems, is running out for dear Vincent and his bachelor ways as his long-term girlfriend, Katherine, announces she's pregnant and ready to take the next big step in their relationship. In Catherine: Full Body you assume the role of Vincent Brooks, a terminally stressed out, sweating mess of a systems engineer who, aged 32, has so far managed to avoid any real adult responsibility, spending his days working and his nights drinking with his knuckleheaded pals at the Stray Sheep bar. It is, in short, the ultimate version of a surreal cult classic, and it's one that looks and plays absolutely beautifully on Switch. Originally released back in 2011, it arrives here on Switch in this upgraded Catherine: Full Body edition which beefs up the base game with a brand new character woven into the story, five new endings, new cutscenes, lighting and texture upgrades, a remix mode, online versus and a safety mode that allows players to sit back and enjoy the story side of things. One of our absolute favourite games from the last console generation, Atlus' Catherine is a sublimely stylish mix of visual novel, dating simulation and fiendish block tower puzzler that tells a captivatingly warped story whilst constantly challenging its players with its clever and rewarding platform puzzle elements.
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