Blood, nudity, foul language, and babies who attack you with chainsaws. Man, Catherine’s got everything.
Atlus’s upcoming Catherine has been raising a lot of eyebrows, especially now that we’ve all seen how utterly bizarre the game’s Collector’s Edition is. Now, the ESRB has rated the game, and the information that the group’s released to the public makes it sound even more crazy.
Catherine received an “M for Mature” rating, which, honestly, comes as a surprise to nobody who’s been paying attention to the various news stories about the game. Also unsurprising is the list of reasons for the rating: “Blood, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language and Use of Alcohol and Violence.”
On top of this, Catherine will not only feature a “chainsaw-wielding baby” as a boss, but there will also be “topless female demons.”
Here’s the full summary from the ESRB, explaining why the game received its M rating:
This is a puzzle adventure game in which players assume the role of Vincent, a man with relationship issues that are manifested in his dreams. The game transitions between animated cutscenes and puzzle stages (i.e., nightmares); in the nightmare world, players must help Vincent ascend crumbling towers by pushing, pulling, and climbing blocks to reach an exit. If players make the wrong move, they can be killed by spike traps and giant boss creatures (e.g., a demon bride, a chainsaw-wielding baby); death scenes are accompanied by exaggerated splashes of blood as Vincent is stabbed, crushed, shot, or bitten. During one cutscene, a character is stabbed in the stomach with a knife; a large pool of blood quickly forms under her body. In order to move faster in the puzzles stages, players can order Vincent alcoholic beverages (e.g., mixed cocktails, beer, sake, whiskey); after three drinks, he begins to stumble around when moving. These sequences are accompanied by voice-over narration: “It’s said that chugging alcohol isn’t good for you, but sometimes it’s necessary” and “[T]ake a big swig of cognac!” Throughout the game, sex and sexuality are frequently referenced, sometimes while two characters are in bed together (e.g., “I finally became a man! Got rid of my V-card, BOOM,” “If the one you loved confessed to a sexual habit that you found absolutely unacceptable, what would you do?” and “After all you’ve done to my body . . . Night after night . . .”). One bedroom sequence pans across a man’s legs, then to his curling toes; another scene briefly depicts a woman caressing her body while making suggestive comments (e.g., “I’ve got such a hunger for these feelings . . . I know you have some hungers as well, don’t you?” ). The game also depicts the central character surrounded by topless female demons-though shadow effects obscure most details. The words “f**k” and “sh*t” can be heard in the dialogue.
Catherine is due out here in the U.S. this July and will be playable at E3, so expect a full write-up then. I can’t speak for the rest of the crew here at The Escapist, but any game that pits me against demon brides and babies wielding power tools has my full approval.
