Catherine

Catherine is a 2011 puzzle-adventure developed by Atlus, made by the team behind the Persona series. It blends an adult narrative about commitment and infidelity with demanding block-climbing puzzles set inside surreal nightmares.

By day, protagonist Vincent navigates a stylish, dialogue-heavy story at the Stray Sheep bar, torn between his steady girlfriend Katherine and the alluring Catherine, with a morality meter shifting toward order or freedom based on your choices. By night, he must scale collapsing towers of blocks, pushing and pulling them to ascend while trapped in anxiety-fueled dreams shared by unfaithful men. Multiple endings, timed boss climbs, and competitive puzzle modes gave it strong replay value. This mix of mature storytelling, branching choices, and frantic action puzzling was unlike anything else at the time and earned it a distinct cult following.

Later releases expanded its content, added characters and new story routes, and the game remains playable on modern PC and console hardware for those seeking its distinctive tone.