There's a major push right now in the gaming industry for something new; for new ideas that could breathe new life into an industry seemingly growing stagnant with constant rehashed ideas. You know, not another World War II shooter or zombie game?

Well, Catherine is no doubt different. The Atlus Persona team developed half puzzler, half virtual psychotic soap opera is nothing like anything you've ever played before, but it doesn't rest on being different, it's also an incredibly addicting and satisfying game that dares to go where no title has before. Let down your preconceived notions of what a game can be and try Catherine, you won't regret it.

Vincent Brooks is a complicated man. He toils in the tech industry of Japan, and gets hammered with his friends in between doubting his relationship with his girlfriend Katherine. To make matters worse, he meets a buxom blonde named Catherine, and ends up sleeping with her. He attempts to escape, filled with regret and shame in the morning but he finds things aren't that easy. After meeting Catherine, Vincent begins having weird dreams; and I mean weird, like having goat horns and collecting pillows in your underwear weird.

"Be warned though, there's a lot of dialogue here..."

This brings us to the first half of Catherine's two very different halves. Catherine explores its adult themed storyline with integrity and style as well as substance. Catherine is broken up into days and nights as opposed to chapters like a traditional game, and each one gives you more options to explore and dig for more clues as to why you're going crazy. It's important to interact with pretty much anyone and everything you can find to get as much info as you can. The story is a bit hokey, but it works well in the context here. In certain ways, this aspect of Catherine reminded me of Sony's Heavy Rain, but it's not as serious and not nearly as pretentious. Be warned though, there's a lot of dialogue here, and if you're not ready for it, it could take you out of the game a bit.

Catherine's other half begins when Vincent leaves the bar and goes home for the night. Those weird dreams mentioned earlier are presented as simple yet complicated puzzle levels that you're not likely to expect. Your basic task in these puzzle levels is to get to the top of a series of blocks by rearranging specific blocks..in your underwear...with...goat horns. These puzzles start off easy enough, but soon heavier blocks, enemies and even a few boss battles are thrown in and make things a bit more complicated. While the puzzles are extremely satisfying to solve, some of the controls are a bit loose, so when you're trying to push one block and get rid of another, it's all too common to end up doing things in the wrong order and having to find a new solution.

"...a remarkably different and unforgettable experience."

Perhaps Catherine's biggest draw is just how well its' two completely different sides work together. The day segments of the game allow you to explore more or less at your own pace, kicking back at the pub with your friends and even play a few fully functional arcade games, but the night time sections, which I viewed as the game's main portion are a timed and tense experience. It's these differing experiences that make Catherine such a remarkably different and unforgettable experience.

While some skilled players could finish the game in around a day, it's likely they've missed a lot. With all of the style Catherine comes packed with, a lot of the substance sometimes gets lost. During the day time segments for instance, there's a morality meter that will affect the outcome of the story. It may not change what happens a huge amount, but it does warrant another play through. Whether you do experience another play through or not, expect for the game and its world and characters to stay with you long after you've turned the console off.

Going into Catherine, I had no idea what to expect, and after completing the game, I still don't know exactly what to think. Unlike anything before it, Catherine captures your imagination and attention with a mix of style and substance that draws you in and refuses to let you go until the credits roll. Is it weird? Undoubtedly, but that's all part of the charm of this quirky puzzler. Catherine may not be like everything else on store shelves, but it's one of the best experiences you'll have this year.