Catherine Full Body E3 2019 Hands-On Preview

Catherine: Full Body represents the definitive version of Catherine. While the remade version has been out in Japan since Valentine’s Day 2019, the localized copy is due to arrive in the West this September. The game was front and center at SEGA’s booth at E3 2019, and we have our hands-on Catherine Full Body E3 2019 preview.

Flashy Bits

Catherine: Full Body has been remade with the Persona 5 game engine. This resulted in a high frame rate and consistent performance. The graphics have also been updated, and while we couldn’t confirm that the game ran in 4K resolution, it can be assumed to be the case for those who have a PlayStation 4 Pro.

A new difficulty level was shown as a choice. The Safety level removes all threats and timers, so that players can take their time working through the many levels of the game. For those who are only playing for the story, puzzles can even be skipped entirely. We played on the Easy difficulty level, and the threat of the level collapsing underneath became basically non-existent. So, the Easy mode should be enough for those who are looking for an easier time, but don’t necessarily want all threats completely removed.

There is now also a new online mode in Catherine: Full Body. Naturally, this wasn’t running during the E3 demo – you try getting a decent internet connection at any convention! The online mode will feature random battles as well as ranked matches, presumably with the goal of being the first player to reach the top of a level.

Catherine With a ‘Q’

The new character Rin–which is hilariously short for Qatherine—was also not shown during our brief time with Catherine: Full Body. This third potential love interest for protagonist Vincent is fully fleshed-out, as they come complete with three different endings depending upon the player’s choices throughout the campaign. In order to make this work, however, it seems that going down the path of being romantic towards Rin is an all-or-nothing affair, because the existing story involving Vincent’s choices between Catherine and Katherine remain intact. Considering the original story was crafted for a love triangle, converting it into a love square would’ve required a serious rework.

A new “Arrange Mode” takes original levels and adds complex linked blocks to them. So, shifting one block may always move another, which adds to the depth of puzzle solving while under the pressure of a crumbling level. New stages have also been added to the “Rapunzel” mini-game. All told, there are over 500 levels in Catherine: Full Body, which is over twice that of the original release.

Catherine: Full Body should appeal to fans of the original release. Remixed and brand-new puzzles might be reason enough for players to come back into the darkly humorous world of Catherine. Considering there are over twice the number of levels as before, and more endings thanks to a new character, there are lots of reasons for fans to come back for more. Catherine: Full Body is currently scheduled for a worldwide launch on September 3, 2019.