Three Great Women Fall For A Mediocre Man In ‘Catherine: Full Body’

Catherine: Full Body makes a messy romantic situation even more complicated with the addition of a third love interest to the video game. However, this new character’s inclusion begs question: What do all these women see in this loser?

The original Catherine was released in Australia in 2012, and covered a week in the life of protagonist Vincent Brooks. A mediocre man in his early 30s, Vincent’s longtime girlfriend Katherine has begun to contemplate marriage. He is far more apprehensive about the idea.

After a poorly considered work night of solo drinking, Vincent wakes up next to a woman who is decidedly not Katherine. This is Catherine with a “C”, who joyfully interprets their encounter as the beginning of a romantic relationship — a notion Vincent is uncomfortable with, but fails to dissipate.

At the same time, Vincent begins to suffer nightmares in which he is forced to climb a tower of blocks. He becomes just one of many men who have been pulled into the hellish dreamscape, which seems to be a supernatural punishment for cheaters. And just like Inception, if you die in the dream you die in real life.

Due for release in September, Catherine: Full Body is a remake of Catherine with a few modifications. These include new difficulty options, as well as an autoplay mode which will complete the level for you — useful if you’re just after the story.

However, the most notable change to the game is the addition of an entirely new character: Pink-haired amnesiac Rin.

Rin literally runs into Vincent at the start of Catherine: Full Body, and is woven throughout the plot thereafter. Seeing that she’s in need of help, Vincent finds her a place to stay as well as a job playing the piano at his local bar. She also begins appearing in his Catholic-themed nightmares, obliviously playing the piano while a terrified Vincent climbs for his life.

Working through Catherine: Full Body‘s puzzles is fun and challenging. I enjoyed trying to help a computer-controlled fellow climber reach the top of the nightmare tower (though it wasn’t technically required), and climbing quickly enough to elude a pursuing monster felt suitably tense. I’d love to dedicate a few afternoons to playing through the entire game.

However, after two hours with the game I felt that Rin was an unnecessary addition. She’s folded in fairly smoothly, the seams only visible if you know to look for them. Yet she feels closer to a dilution of the original game than an enhancement.

The focus in Catherine is on Vincent’s confusion, and the dichotomy between Catherine and Katherine. In Catherine: Full Body, it begins to feel more about choosing from a selection of potential girlfriends. Which, while a respectable video game goal, seems unsuitable for the type of game Catherine is.

Vincent is already a somewhat unsympathetic protagonist. Though players can mitigate his jerkiness via dialogue options, the plot necessitates that he cheat on his girlfriend and hide it from her. Adding a cute amnesiac as a new love interest makes him feel even grosser, particularly considering the power imbalance between the two.

Further, though Rin’s presence in Vincent’s nightmares has significant lore implications, these additions are less like world building and more like adding things to justify her presence. She feels superfluous, a novelty added merely to beef up the remake.

Rin’s inclusion also brought up a significant, pressing question: What do all these women see in Vincent?

I’ll be the first to admit that the intricacies of human attraction often elude me. Even so, even I can see that this milquetoast mess of a man is hardly a prize. Though other characters said Vincent was a great guy, I heard it a lot more than I actually saw it. I could find three guys just like him if I closed my eyes and pointed at random in a Kmart.

I can kind of understand his girlfriend Katherine. Though we don’t know exactly how long she and Vincent have been together, it’s been long enough that their relationship has become a comfortable habit. Vincent doesn’t have to put in the effort he might have needed to in order to attract her in the beginning. Besides, who amongst us has not found ourselves associating with a painfully dismal man?

Catherine’s behaviour can also be somewhat justified as, minor spoilers, she has her own reasons for pursuing Vincent unrelated to any feelings of attraction.

Once you add in Rin though, it turns from a coincidence into a nonsensical pattern. That such a sloppy, insignificant man could accumulate this impressive bevy of paramours strains credulity, even more than the building block nightmare realm filled with talking sheep.

Rin is a sweet girl. It’s just easy to see how complete Catherine already was without her.

Catherine: Full Body will be released on PlayStation 4 September 3.