Gaming the Pandemic - Day 16: Catherine (PS3)

I'm playing one randomly selected title from my 630 game backlog for every day that the UK is in lockdown. Todays game is...

Catherine on PS3

I don't really know why, but for a long time I felt almost obligated to buy Catherine. Generally speaking my taste in games falls outside the mainstream, and definitely away from the strong western influences that dominated so much of the games zeitgeist ten or so years ago. I think Catherine's ostensible existence outside these themes had a lot to do with the strange magnetism it held for me. It's very apparent oddness somehow appealed beyond the fact that the gameplay appeared to be an amalgamation of two genres I don't really care for: Sliding block puzzles and visual novels.

The visual novel aspect sees the player character Vincent torn between two women. The block puzzle elements are a nightmarish dreamscape that Vincent finds himself in whenever he sleeps. The presentation of both is beautiful, with first rate animated cut-scenes segwaying into the cell shaded graphics extremely well. Voice acting is also of the highest calibre, and the music, too, is high quality throughout. I found myself a little surprised at the level of polish on display, apparently I was subconsciously expecting a more 'indie' quality experience.

Unfortunately I found the game to fluctate wildly between being completely dull when it was too easy and infuriatingly frustrating when it was too hard - in the three levels I played it never found the sweet spot of enjoyable challenge.
To exacerbate this there are (well documented) control issues. The most prevalent is that, at times, the required directional control is unclear - in itself this wasn't something that bothered me too much. However, a short time into the game an enemy arrives who's primary mode of attack is to reverse the input controls. It was at this point that I stopped playing. 

Were the other part of the game, the visual novel/ role playing element, more compelling I may have been tempted to try again. But, having constantly read over the last ten years that Catherine appears to present maturity in the sleazy way, but actually delivers maturity in the more literal, 'grown-up' way, I was perturbed to find myself somewhat uneasy with it's themes - or rather, how they are conveyed. 

Without knowing how the story plays out I hesitate to throw words like 'misogynistic' around, but neither version of C/K-atherine is particularly sympathetic. One is a cold, marriage-obsessed control freak, and the other an emotionless temptress. In this game-world women are to be either feared or lusted after.
And I'm not really cool with that. 

There's always the argument that we are interacting with characters with these thoughts and worldviews, that this misogyny isn't what the game is conveying, just the thoughts and actions of 'realistic' characters with the flaws and misjudgements thereof. 
But even if this were true it doesn't make me want to spend any more time interacting with these characters or playing this game.

Catherine - Disappointingly, not for me.