What Games Are You Playing?

[Spark_Heal]

Still slowly making my way through Persona 3 Reload. At about 40 hours in and it feels like the story is 60%-65% complete. I definitely missed a Social Link by ignoring the art club for too long but getting eveerything in one playthrough wasn’t the goal. Bumping up the difficulty was a wise choice because it's forced me to use every tool the game provides to win, using skills I'd normally avoid because now they have a lot of value and also getting really invested in fusion. It’s time for a break though because fatigue is starting to settle in.

In the meantime I played through Caladrius Blaze again. Finally beating the whole game without needing to Continue at any point. Which feels like enough of an accomplishment to say that I have actually 'beaten' the game. Caladrius is a vertical arcade Shoot 'em up that I have spontaneously booted up several times a year since I brought it. Which has lead me to trying several different Shoot 'em ups but I still haven't found one I like as much as this.

Chrono Cross The Radical Dreamers Edition - Masato Kato’s passion project and incredibly decisive sequel to seminal RPG classic Chrono Trigger. This PS4 port was incredibly shoddy at launch and has since been been patched up, so the game runs incredibly well now. Chrono Cross is infamous for having over 40 possible party members and being designed to ensure you can’t see everything in a single playthrough. In 5 hours I've already accidentally gotten one party member and missed out on another. The story has stressed it is about choice and rippling unforeseen consequences so this feels appropriate even if it understandably annoys people.

The combat is different from what I expected. Firstly Chrono Cross doesn't have a normal levelling system. You gain a level after every boss fight and minus some possible bonuses that's it. So the party has fixed strength and victory comes down to equipment and correctly using your abilities. You have a few basic options: attack, element and defend. You use attack to hit the enemies and build up points to spend on elements. Elements are (confusingly) both magic spells and items. Attacking and using Elements drains a stamina bar. If you run out of stamina completely through relentless offence then it recovers slowly as other character act. You can recover stamina completely by defending, which also means you will take less damage from the enemy’s attacks. Honestly the game has been bad at explaining its systems and I am still waiting for it to open up for more options. It's unfortunately, hovering in this middle ground where I could end up dropping it if it doesn't pick up or being really positive on it after a few more hours.

 

[Yuzzi]

Still slowly making my way through Persona 3 Reload. At about 40 hours in and it feels like the story is 60%-65% complete. I definitely missed a Social Link by ignoring the art club for too long but getting eveerything in one playthrough wasn’t the goal. Bumping up the difficulty was a wise choice because it's forced me to use every tool the game provides to win, using skills I'd normally avoid because now they have a lot of value and also getting really invested in fusion. It’s time for a break though because fatigue is starting to settle in.

In the meantime I played through Caladrius Blaze again. Finally beating the whole game without needing to Continue at any point. Which feels like enough of an accomplishment to say that I have actually 'beaten' the game. Caladrius is a vertical arcade Shoot 'em up that I have spontaneously booted up several times a year since I brought it. Which has lead me to trying several different Shoot 'em ups but I still haven't found one I like as much as this.

Chrono Cross The Radical Dreamers Edition - Masato Kato’s passion project and incredibly decisive sequel to seminal RPG classic Chrono Trigger. This PS4 port was incredibly shoddy at launch and has since been been patched up, so the game runs incredibly well now. Chrono Cross is infamous for having over 40 possible party members and being designed to ensure you can’t see everything in a single playthrough. In 5 hours I've already accidentally gotten one party member and missed out on another. The story has stressed it is about choice and rippling unforeseen consequences so this feels appropriate even if it understandably annoys people.

The combat is different from what I expected. Firstly Chrono Cross doesn't have a normal levelling system. You gain a level after every boss fight and minus some possible bonuses that's it. So the party has fixed strength and victory comes down to equipment and correctly using your abilities. You have a few basic options: attack, element and defend. You use attack to hit the enemies and build up points to spend on elements. Elements are (confusingly) both magic spells and items. Attacking and using Elements drains a stamina bar. If you run out of stamina completely through relentless offence then it recovers slowly as other character act. You can recover stamina completely by defending, which also means you will take less damage from the enemy’s attacks. Honestly the game has been bad at explaining its systems and I am still waiting for it to open up for more options. It's unfortunately, hovering in this middle ground where I could end up dropping it if it doesn't pick up or being really positive on it after a few more hours.

You’re juggling some solid games! Persona 3 Reload sounds tough but rewarding with that difficulty boost. Congrats on beating Caladrius Blaze without Continues! Chrono Cross has a unique system, but it might take a bit to fully click. Hopefully, it opens up soon

 

[Geriatric hedgehog]

Honestly the game has been bad at explaining its systems and I am still waiting for it to open up for more options. It's unfortunately, hovering in this middle ground where I could end up dropping it if it doesn't pick up or being really positive on it after a few more hours.

You’re juggling some solid games! Persona 3 Reload sounds tough but rewarding with that difficulty boost. Congrats on beating Caladrius Blaze without Continues! Chrono Cross has a unique system, but it might take a bit to fully click. Hopefully, it opens up soon

I'm definitely in the camp that adored chrono cross back when I played it on the ps one. Do remember it's gameplay being quite different but, if I recall correctly, once you get the hang of it it is quite rewarding. If you like a strong story and narrative then definitely try to stick with it, as like chrono trigger, the story in my opinion is excellent and arguably one of the best from that era. Can't remember now why all chrono trigger fans weren't enamored with it, was it gameplay or the story that divided people? Ah man, I really need to get to playing the switch version I pre-ordered only for it to collect dust

 

[Gemsy-chan]

Completed the story of Trails Through Daybreak II.



just got the extra to do in Marchen Garten.

 

[HWR]

I’ve finally started playing Fallout 3 GOTY Edition via the Xbox Series X backwards compatibility. Whilst the game is unforgiving in many aspects and I wish there was a better map system I have enjoyed stumbling upon new quests and areas with plenty to uncover.

 

[Dai]

Long Gone Days
I probably would have enjoyed this more if it had been released 15+ years ago. Playing it now, this indie RPG's story set in the flashpoint of an impending war between Russia and Europe just feels too close to reality to do anything but push up my anxiety level. Granted, the developers inserted an obvious Bond villain faction in an attempt to abstract things from reality, but so many countries are run by Bond villains now that no level of satire or parody could be enough to make things more ridiculous than the world we live in. It's a shame that I probably won't complete this as it's well made, has interesting systems, and its story is intriguing. But if I wanted to live in a state of existential dread, I'd watch the news more.

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered
I wasn't paying attention to the series when the original version of this was released, so it totally passed me by that this is essentially a Criterion Burnout game in all but name. If anything, it feels more like classic Burnout than Paradise did. Trying to crowbar the Burnout formula into a grid-based open world was a mistake IMO, and thankfully it's not one this game makes. It also offers lots of races as either a street racer or cop, with unique weapons for each, and enough variation in race types to keep things interesting. I'd rank this as the second-best Burnout game (after Takedown), never mind the title.

 

[Lucky_Deity]

Donkey Kong (NES via Switch) (re-play)

Donkey Kong Jr. (NES via Switch)

Donkey Kong 3 (NES via Switch)

Mario Bros. (NES via Switch)

Super Mario Bros. (NES via Switch) (re-play)

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (NES via Switch)

I've decided to go through and play / re-play all the main series titles for a lot of Nintendo's flagship titles starting with Mario, Donkey Kong and adjacent series (e.g. Yoshi, Wario etc.)

The first four games are all arcade titles so there isn't really an end to them but I at least got through all the different levels before they reset (though variations can continue for a long time). These were all simple games and a bit of fun for a little bit but got repetitive, I'm glad I gave them a good amount of play time though to experience these games.

Super Mario Bros. I've played many times and is a classic though the controls feel rough but is always a fun time and can be beaten quickly.

The Lost Levels (a.k.a. Super Mario Bros. 2) I have never beaten before but I have now and is a decent game as well though with the tough level design and rough controls it wasn't the best experience compared to the original title but I'm glad I beat it and will probably re-visit it from time to time even if I don't play all the way through.

 

[Dai]

Dead Space (remake)
This sticks pretty close to the original, just remixing a few elements. It takes the zero-g controls from Dead Space 2, which works better than I expected due to those sections being redesigned to account for the greater degree of control. There are some places where you encounter fuse boxes that can only have one switch on at a time, requiring you to choose between having lights or oxygen, for example. Perhaps the greatest change to the overall tone of the game is that Isaac speaks now. He always did in the sequels, but he was mute in the original. Most of the game's dialogue has been reworked to account for this. It's surprising how great an impact this has; somehow it makes Isaac feel less isolated, even outside of dialogue scenes. Perhaps this is why I didn't find the remake as scary as the original. I've played that one four times and it always made me tense, but the jump scares in the remake rarely caught me. It's also possible that there's a more subtle difference, with all the elements that build tension in the original not quite gelling the same in the remake; it's more an art than a science. Or I might have just acclimatised to the series' bag of tricks, since the remake doesn't try to subvert them.

Overall it's an excellent remake that almost completely serves as a replacement for the original. I think people would need to be attached to the specific quirks of the original already to choose it over this.

 

[HWR]

Finished Fallout 3 GOTY at the end of March and it was a buggy but engaging game with some fun DLC content. Think I’ll give New Vegas a bit of time as I don’t want to burn myself out on the franchise.

Dived back into South Park: The Stick of Truth over the last few days and finally platinumed it. Will likely revisit The Fractured But Whole next as well as they make for solid enough companion titles.

 

[DragoStark]

It's been a while since I last posted here. Since then I went on a Tomb Raider binge. Played Legend, Anniversary (again) and Underworld. Had a great time with them. Then I moved on to the new trilogy, played Rise (as I had already completed TR 2013 not long ago) and then I sprained my right wrist so took a break from strenuous gaming for a few months to let it heal. I was supposed to play Shadow next but I was gifted FF7 Remake Intergrade for my birthday so I've been currently doing nothing but playing that. I'm addicted! All the characters of the main cast are fantastic, and I love that they fleshed some of them out. Excited to see how things have changed from the original.

 

[Dai]

Tetris The Grand Master
Unavailable in the west for decades, the first entry in Arika's (in)famous arcade series finally hit modern consoles a couple of years ago. My Tetris time has mostly been spent in the far more recent Tetris Effect and Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 over the last several years, so going back to one from 1998 is taking some adjustment. Modern staples that make things easier hadn't been implemented yet, eg. holding a tetrimino in reserve, or the ability to postpone a tetrimino locking into place indefinitely as long as you keep rotating it or moving it left and right. Rotation also feels relatively stiff and it can become impossible to rotate certain tetriminos once the field fills up to a certain point. To counterbalance that you gain the ability to pre-rotate them in the instant before they appear on the field if you get the timing right. That technique quickly becomes essential as the gravity increases, since the Grand Master games are notorious for their insane speed and difficulty as they progress.

The game constantly grades your performance as you play, with ranks advancing from 9 down to 1, then S1 up to S9, and finally Grand Master. The best I've manged so far is rank 1, by which point tetriminos are already dropping and locking in almost instantly. I'm no Grand Master.

Grip
If you're as old as me, you might remember a PS1 game called Rollcage. It was a sci-fi combat racing game, rather like Wipeout, but with the gimmick that the cars could drive on the walls and ceiling as long as they're going fast enough. Grip is what would be called a 'spiritual successor' today (or what used to be called plagiarism). The developer and publisher of Rollcage are long gone though, so this is the closest we will ever get to a new one. The results are good. There's a lengthy campaign mode, a decent selection of weapons, and most tracks make good use of the wall-driving gimmick.

 

[HWR]

I decided to dive into Fallout: New Vegas whilst I was still keyed into all its mechanics and quirks. Haven’t stepped foot into the Vegas area yet as there’s been plenty to do in the wasteland as is.

 

[Neil.T]

the Grand Master games are notorious for their insane speed and difficulty as they progress.

Oh, man...

I've never played any of the Tetris Grand Master series, but I know that game research website The Cutting Room Floor describes the difficulty level as "shameless, sadistic cruelty", so my thoughts are with you!

For what it's worth, when the NES version of Tetris was added to the retro games selection of Nintendo Switch Online last year, I thought I'd have a go at trying to see all the ending cutscenes. I wasn't able to clear height 5 (the maximum level of randomised "junk" blocks placed in the playfield at the start of the round) on a speed setting beyond level 7, so I never got to see the level 8 and 9 cutscenes outside of YouTube. I'm too old and inflexible to even contemplate advanced techniques like hyper-tapping to help position fast-falling Tetriminos, never mind the even more insane "rolling".

 

[Dai]

For what it's worth, when the NES version of Tetris was added to the retro games selection of Nintendo Switch Online last year, I thought I'd have a go at trying to see all the ending cutscenes. I wasn't able to clear height 5 (the maximum level of randomised "junk" blocks placed in the playfield at the start of the round) on a speed setting beyond level 7, so I never got to see the level 8 and 9 cutscenes outside of YouTube. I'm too old and inflexible to even contemplate advanced techniques like hyper-tapping to help position fast-falling Tetriminos, never mind the even more insane "rolling".

I've never played the NES game, but Tetris Effect has a mode that supposedly mimics it. Definitely takes some getting used to as it's pretty unforgiving on lock-in time.

BTW, have you seen that we've started doing simulwatches again? They have their own sub-forum now.

 

[Neil.T]

BTW, have you seen that we've started doing simulwatches again? They have their own sub-forum now.

Your magical girl retrospective? Yeah, I noticed! Neat idea.

I must have a read of the thread.

 

[Professor Irony]

I decided to dive into Fallout: New Vegas whilst I was still keyed into all its mechanics and quirks. Haven’t stepped foot into the Vegas area yet as there’s been plenty to do in the wasteland as is.

I think there might be a little too much to do in the wasteland, tbh. I spent so much time on little quests in the wilderness that I actually lost interest in the game before I even got to Vegas. I don’t hold it against them, I enjoyed my time with the game, but it still feels weird to me that you can put a good number of hours into it and never even see the titular town…

 

[HWR]

I think there might be a little too much to do in the wasteland, tbh. I spent so much time on little quests in the wilderness that I actually lost interest in the game before I even got to Vegas. I don’t hold it against them, I enjoyed my time with the game, but it still feels weird to me that you can put a good number of hours into it and never even see the titular town…

Yeah I get what you mean I’ve only just reached the strip to do the main quest only to find that due to 30+ hours of playing that a chunk of the objectives are already complete - it’s been a fun time so far at least.

 

[NormanicGrav]

Here's my March & April progress! Last year I ran a poll to ask which JRPG I should play next and one was chosen, which was going to be pretty long regardless. I started it around the second week of March and finished it on the second week of April.

I'm currently playing the new French RPG game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, so you'll have my overall thoughts on that hopefully in the next post.

---

#06 - Persona 5 Royal (PlayStation 5)
Acquired: August 2024

Spoiler: Persona 5 Royal

To think it's been about 8 years since the original Persona 5 was released. I started it in 2017 but was put on hiatus until around March 2018 as I wanted to finish the game's story before the anime adaptation was released. My overall thoughts are still on this forum! But a lot of time has passed and eventually Atlus re-released the game with its expansion/extended cut Persona 5 The Royal, aka Persona 5 Royal for the west.

Released in 2020 around the same time as Final Fantasy VII Remake, this added a lot of changes and new content throughout the game and because it's such a long game I didn't play the PlayStation 4 copy that I bought on day one. Instead I ended up playing the re-release that was on PlayStation 5 which adds a vast majority of the paid DLC on the disc plus improved framerate and load times. Since I owned the base PS4 console, I also now have 4K resolution with the PS5 version (PS4 Pro users got it as well).

Going into Persona 5 Royal I expected the long journey and what I also got were a lot of moments that made me think "was this here in the original?" and more. There's a lot of new things that I've uncovered and bear in mind that I pretty much avoided a lot of the discussion over what was new to this game in the media as I felt they would spoil a lot of it. In terms of the dungeon, the biggest changes I noticed were Baton Passes were made available from the start rather than tied to the social links (and can be powered up), Joker using a grappling hook for various parts throughout the game, new hidden areas that introduce a Will Seed which you can combine to create a new item which I never bothered to use in all honesty, and there's silhouette type shadows that explode to cause damage against all of the enemies in the fight which adds more fun to the mix. All were cool adjustments to make the gameplay a lot better.

In the Mementos area, they also made the journey a lot more lively with the addition of the character Jose and the flowers system, which upon collecting throughout each level you can then redeem for additional items and perks. There's also stamps that you can uncover that can also be redeemed for an additional boost to gaining experience, items and money which is very handy for levelling up your team in case you needed either one for an easier playthrough or better gear. The floors are also randomised and sometimes have surprise perks like the reaper himself randomly spawning in front of you which caught me off guard.

For the story progression, we have two new characters - Kasumi and Maruki. Kasumi is this game's equivalent to Marie from Persona 4 Golden but is way more memorable, likeable and developed throughout with a really interesting storyline that is uncovered during the new story portion of the game. Maruki is a wild card, he's a really intriguing character but I felt he didn't add much to the general story until much later on which is annoying. Akechi was also more fleshed out compared to the original which was great and the way things turn out was pretty interesting.

A new area to explore called Kichijoji was introduced, which lets you play darts with your companions (and also uses the controller's motion controls which works pretty well), play snooker to gain an extra point to each character's social ranks, attend a Jazz club to build a companion's abilities/stats, and also a temple to increase your SP points. When you hang out with someone and increase their rank, there's also an extended dialogue which has Joker on the phone with them which adds more points to the social rank which is handy.

In the Velvet Room, they added some new changes. When you fuse demons together you can now add additional perks like reduced SP for a specific power or double damage upon Baton Passes and more, which is pretty cool. As Royal will also include the additional demons on-disc (and not as paid DLC), you can also access and fuse them. I was able to naturally fuse demons to reach Messiah but I did use Izanagi for some pretty OP moves in the end game. During your dungeon explorations a red door will appear which means the Velvet Room will let you fuse demons to some unpredictable results, whether its a change in abilities or a game of chance on receiving a better or worse demon for your list. For the most part I was pretty unlucky but there were some chances that helped provide me with a demon that had a higher level than my current one.

Something that I also noticed during my playthrough were the character design templates during conversations were also updated which looks way better than the original. The music has new songs which were great, especially the one that plays in the Jazz Club, but admittedly a lot of the ones used during combat was actually replaced by the music that's attached to the special costumes (that were initially paid DLC) so I had Joker wear the Strange Journey outfit, Makoto wear the Shin Megami Tensei IV outfit, Ann wear the Catherine outfit, Yusuke wear the Revelations: Persona outfit, Ryuji wear the Shin Megami Tensei if outfit, Haru wear the Velvet Room outfit and Futaba wear the Dancing on Starlight outfit.

So there's a lot of additions that Royal has added which works pretty well with the game. Now let's talk without giving way too much on the new storyline, aka the third semester. This is actually shorter than what you would call a semester, but it adds a whole new layer to the themes of the game. It's a very interesting take that just feels weirdly placed in the storyline. To put this into perspective, we had a solid conclusion and then a very long continuation which is great but it just felt jarring somehow. The new palace looked amazing and the final boss was a surprise challenge which I figured was the case after I was levelling up pretty damn fast in the dungeons. I just think that they haven't figured out how to position it without ruining the pacing and what we got was an interesting but weird conclusion to the story.

A misstep with Royal were also the new cutscenes. I like their inclusion but the quality is not on the same level as the base game. The original was done by Production I.G and Domerica, the latter known for their adaptations of Gnosia and The World Ends With You, and the new Royal footage was mostly done by Domerica with MAPPA in some parts. I was also let down by the new storyline having a lot of moments where I felt they should have had voiced dialogue especially considering the base game did.

Other than that, Persona 5 Royal is still the definitive way to play the game and even though I have mixed-to-positive thoughts on the new semester storyline, you can still unlock the original ending if you prefer to end the playthrough that way and New Game+ is available if you want to max out your confidants faster like in the original version. The trophies for Persona 5 Royal are much easier and you can get the Platinum trophy without worry but you will need to reach the new storyline which is missable if you don't focus on the Social Ranks for Akechi, Kasumi and Maruki in advance.

My playtime for Persona 5 Royal ended at 94 hours 15 minutes with a single playthrough (83 hours was around the point where I started the new storyline), in comparison to the original which funny enough was at 94 hours 10 minutes (plus I went through another playthrough to get the remainder of the trophies which brought the total playtime to 144 hours 28 minutes). The gameplay changes made the game faster to finish the original story from the looks of it surprisingly!

Persona 5 Royal is available across different platforms (initially was PlayStation 4 exclusive) but the PS5 version is pretty solid and I think the Switch version has some ups and downs, but if Atlus does decide to bring it over to Switch 2 then I would highly recommend you go for that if you want the best of both performance and portability.

---

#07 - Catherine (PlayStation 3)
Acquired: May 2017

Spoiler: Catherine

Continuing the Atlus train is a puzzle game that has been on my backlog since May 2017, that's almost 8 years ago. Catherine is an intriguing game for Atlus because it's not their usual RPG style combat but still maintains the sinister dark tone that they are known for. It is a story about a man stuck in a dilemma dealing with having to choose between his girlfriend Katherine or a girl he randomly sleeps with called Catherine, and at the same time also experiencing nightmares that require him to move forward otherwise he will die in reality, and it is a pretty solid time.

Before going over the gameplay I want to talk about its presentation. This game was developed by the same trio who worked on the Persona 3+ games with director Katsura Hashino, character designer Shigenori Soejima, and music composer Shoji Meguro, and it was made before they eventually made Persona 5. While it doesn't use the same engine as Persona 5, it did feel like the ideas and aesthetic in its gameplay and presentation especially in the bar carried over into their next game.

The character designs I love and the voice-work was pretty solid as well with some well-known actors in the English cast and most of them have done work on other Atlus games - Troy Baker (Kanji in Persona 4) as Vincent, Laura Bailey (Rise in Persona 4) as Catherine, Michelle Ruff (Kawakami in Persona 5) as Katherine, Liam O'Brien (Akihiko in Persona 3) as Orlando, Yuri Lowenthal (Yosuke in Persona 4) as Toby, and Erin Fitzgerald (Chie in Persona 4 Golden) as Erica. As this is the original localised version that I've been playing, also known now as Catherine Classic, the Japanese audio track is not available unless you have the PC version but Atlus dubs are really good quality so that makes up for it.

The gameplay is split into two portions; the interactions you have at the bar and the tower puzzles. In the bar, you can speak to people who are in the bar and sometimes choices will appear and whatever choice you decide to choose can impact the fate for some of the people later down the line. There's also a morality meter of sorts, one based on freedom or order, and this meter will impact what ending you wish to choose. The heroine of choice is mainly decided in the final act, but everything before that does impact whether you achieve a good ending, a neutral ending or a bad ending. As I want to a nice person, I always chose the options that felt like it would be supportive of other characters whilst also not being an asshole to one of the heroines, therefore I ended up with the Good Ending for one of the characters I was rooting for. So it's similar to a visual novel, but with gameplay!

In the bar, you can also choose to drink which will influence the tower puzzles and there's a mini-game you can play that provide tons of mini-puzzles that are in the same style as the main tower puzzles. I played a few of the stages but there's hundreds so I didn't spend too much time on it.

Now let's talk about the core aspect of Catherine and that's the tower puzzles. The aim is to reach the top of the tower blocks before you fall to your death or die horribly whether its by being crushed by blocks or a spike got to you out of nowhere. Catherine Classic is known for its pretty steep difficulty and it shows - this game does not mess around and every move you make does impact how you proceed to the end goal of the puzzle. I have died hundreds of time and in many cases it's pretty funny and frustrating at the same time, because in most of them it's my own fault. But the game is smart to where you can make your way through to the end thanks to the different combinations and techniques that it teaches you to help you progress and they're all really useful and worth paying attention towards.

In these tower puzzles, also known as nightmares, you will see a lot of sheep around. They just want to reach the top of the tower as much as you do, so you may end up in scenarios where you just decide to shove them out of the way or they may want to kill you for the sake of it. The puzzles can do that to people sometimes.

The gameplay of the tower puzzles I was unsure about and was why I never bothered to play it in the first place. But as soon as I started the game and listened to what the game's rules about how to proceed, it immediately clicked with me and I ended up loving the gameplay entirely. The way it works is that you can move blocks to create a path up the tower, you can move them forward, backward and even in a position where it can stay hanging on the edge to be able to create different combinations that will allow you to proceed even further. You can also hang on the edge and move to the other side if you can't climb any higher, but only if the blocks are available on the same row. If you are in a position where you can't climb any further but have tons of blocks higher up, you can move blocks out of the way to bring the tower down a row, but you want to be careful as it could lead to an impossible situation, especially when the blocks at the bottom will eventually fall and disappear.

In addition to regular blocks, you also have different variations to make the gameplay even challenging. These include an ice block which makes you slide to the next regular block (and if there isn't one in your row, you will fall off the block and die), a spike block where if you don't move fast enough you will die instantly, a dark block which is heavy but can still be moved around, a trampoline block which lets you move to higher ground, a randomiser block, and a black hole block which will kill you (and even a block) if you step on it.

As much I have enjoyed the puzzles, Catherine Classic does have some pretty nasty flaws. The controls for when you are hanging is pretty painful at times as the game decides to shift the controls perspective especially when you are moving around from behind the blocks. This was technically fixed in the game's remake Catherine Full Body thanks to the camera being able to see the blocks from the other side of the tower. Another flaw is the difficulty which is great but you do have to restart the whole stage unless you reach the checkpoints but even so the game does borrow the classic 'you have x amount of lives before game over'. Now again, the difficulty has been addressed in Full Body as well, replacing the lives system with you going back a step (which is like this version's Undo feature). The pillows in this game do give you two lives and if you have a level where the pillow is next to you, you could easily grind the lives to make progress more accessible in your playthrough.

When you finish the game you also have two additional game modes available; Babel and Coliseum. Babel offers additional stages for you to go at, but I was unable to play this because it asks for you to earn Gold Ranks during the story mode which is not particularly easy to achieve. Coliseum mode is a co-op type game where you can go up against another player on the tower.

My playthrough for Catherine took me 14 hours 45 minutes to finish the game, and I managed to get some trophies along the way which was in Japanese for some weird reason. I also don't recommend going for the Platinum because this is one of the hardest to complete from its time due to asking to go after every ending and beat all of the challenges.

Overall, Catherine is a surprisingly fun puzzle game with a solid story and great presentation. The classic version is solid but does have its challenges so I would say going for Catherine Full Body is more ideal as it offers some improvements plus has more content including a playable Joker from Persona 5.

---

My backlog so far:

Spoiler

#​	PC/Steam Backlog - Game Name:​	Genre:
1​	The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky	Turn-Based RPG
2​	The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC	Turn-Based RPG

#​	PlayStation 3 Backlog - Game Name:​	Genre:
1​	3D Dot Game Heroes	Action RPG
2​	Bleach: Soul Resurrección	Fighting
3​	Castlevania: Lords of Shadow	Action, Hack n Slash
4​	Drakengard 3	Action RPG
5​	Eternal Sonata	Turn-Based RPG
6​	Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage 2	Action, Musou
7​	Folklore	Action RPG
8​	Gran Turismo 5 Academy Edition	Racing
9​	inFAMOUS	Action
10​	inFAMOUS 2	Action
11​	Katamari Forever	Puzzle
12​	MotorStorm	Racing
13​	Prince of Persia	Action, Platformer
14​	Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands	Action, Platformer
15​	Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed	Racing
16​	Split/Second: Velocity	Racing
17​	Tears to Tiara II: Heir of the Overlord	Tactical RPG, Visual Novel
18​	Way of the Samurai 4	Action

#​	PlayStation 4 Backlog - Game Name:	Genre:
1​	13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim	Tactical RPG, Visual Novel
2​	AI: The Somnium Files	Adventure, Visual Novel
3​	Black Clover: Quartet Knights	Action, Fighting
4​	Bullet Girls Phantasia	Action, Shooter
5​	Burnout Paradise Remastered	Racing
6​	The Caligula Effect: Overdose	Turn-Based RPG
7​	Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions	Sports
8​	Catherine Full Body	Puzzle
9​	Conception Plus: Maidens of the Twelve Stars	Turn-Based RPG
10​	CRYSTAR	Action RPG
11​	Cyberdimension Neptunia: Four Goddesses Online	Action RPG
12​	Danganronpa 1 Reload	Visual Novel
13​	Danganronpa 2 Reload	Visual Novel
14​	Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls	Action, Shooter
15​	Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony	Visual Novel
16​	Date A Live: Rinne Utopia (Rio-Reincarnation)	Visual Novel, Dating Sim
17​	Date A Live II: Ars Install (Rio-Reincarnation)	Visual Novel, Dating Sim
18​	Date A Live III: Twin Edition: Rio Reincarnation	Visual Novel, Dating Sim
19​	Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess	God RPG
20​	Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth - Hacker's Memory	Turn-Based RPG
21​	Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories	Adventure, Simulation
22​	Dissidia Final Fantasy NT	Arcade, Fighting
23​	Dragon Quest Heroes II	Action RPG, Musou
24​	Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition	Turn-Based RPG
25​	Dragon's Crown Pro	Action RPG
26​	Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen	Action RPG
27​	Dynasty Warriors 8 Xtreme Legends	Musou
28​	Fairy Tail	Turn-Based RPG
29​	Fate/Extella Link	Musou
30​	Final Fantasy IX	Turn-Based RPG
31​	Full Metal Panic! Fight! Who Dares Win	Tactical RPG
32​	Gal*Gun 2	On-Rails Shooter
33​	Gintama Rumble	Action, Musou
34​	GOD EATER 3	Action Hunter RPG
35​	Gravity Rush 2	Action, Platformer
36​	The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures	Visual Novel
37​	The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve	Visual Novel
38​	Gundam Breaker 3 BREAK EDITION	Action, Arcade
39​	Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Infinite Combate	Action RPG
40​	JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven	Fighting
41​	Kotodama: The 7 Mysteries of Fujisawa	Puzzle, Visual Novel
42​	Langrisser	Tactical RPG
43​	Langrisser II	Tactical RPG
44​	The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel	Turn-Based RPG
45​	The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II	Turn-Based RPG
46​	The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III	Turn-Based RPG
47​	The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV	Turn-Based RPG
48​	Legend of Mana	Action RPG
49​	Megadimension Neptunia VII	Turn-Based RPG
50​	Megadimension Neptunia VIIR	Turn-Based RPG
51​	MELTY BLOOD: TYPE LUMINA	Fighting
52​	My Hero Academia: One's Justice 2	Fighting
53​	Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm	Action, Fighting
54​	Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 2	Action, Fighting
55​	Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 3	Action, Fighting
56​	Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 4: Road to Boruto	Action, Fighting
57​	NEO: The World Ends With You	Action RPG
58​	Neptunia Virtual Stars	Action
59​	Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars	Action
60​	Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered	Turn-Based RPG
61​	Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom	Action RPG
62​	Nights of Azure	Action RPG
63​	Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon	Action RPG
64​	One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4	Action, Musou
65​	One Piece: World Seeker	Action
66​	Our World Is Ended	Visual Novel
67​	Persona 5 Strikers	Action RPG, Musou
68​	Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney	Visual Novel
69​	Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for All	Visual Novel
70​	Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations	Visual Novel
71​	Raging Loop	Visual Novel
72​	Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-: Prophecy of the Throne	Visual Novel
73​	Robotics;Notes DaSH	Visual Novel
74​	Robotics;Notes ELITE	Visual Novel
75​	SD Gundam G Generation Cross Rays	Tactical RPG
76​	SD Gundam G Generation Genesis	Tactical RPG
77​	Sengoku Basara 4: Sumeragi	Musou
78​	Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal	Action
79​	Shadow of the Colossus	Platformer
80​	Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster	Turn-Based RPG
81​	Star Ocean: First Departure R	Action RPG
82​	Star Ocean: The Last Hope HD Remaster	Action RPG
83​	Super Neptunia RPG	Turn-Based RPG
84​	Super Robot Wars 30	Tactical RPG
85​	Super Robot Wars OG: The Moon Dwellers	Tactical RPG
86​	Super Robot Wars T	Tactical RPG
87​	Super Robot Wars X	Tactical RPG
88​	Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet	Action RPG
89​	Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum Sessions!	Music, Rhythm
90​	Tales of Berseria	Action RPG
91​	Tales of Vesperia	Action RPG
92​	Theatrhythm Final Bar Line	Music, Rhythm
93​	Trials of Mana	Action RPG
94​	Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception	Tactical RPG, Visual Novel
95​	Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth	Tactical RPG, Visual Novel
96​	Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen	Tactical RPG, Visual Novel
97​	Utawarerumono: Zan	Action, Musou
98​	Valkyria Chronicles 4	Tactical RPG
99​	Valkyria Revolution	Action RPG
100​	WipEout Omega Collection	Racing
101​	The Witch and the Hundred Knight Revival Edition	Action RPG
102​	WORLDEND SYNDROME	Visual Novel
103​	Yakuza 3 Remastered	Action, Beat em up
104​	Yakuza 4 Remastered	Action, Beat em up
105​	Yakuza 5 Remastered	Action, Beat em up
106​	YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World	Visual Novel

#​	PlayStation 5 Backlog - Game Name:	Genre:
1​	Beyond Good & Evil	Action, Adventure
2​	C-Smash VRS New Dimension	Sports
3​	Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII -Reunion-	Action RPG
4​	Cyberpunk 2077	Action
5​	Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles	Fighting
6​	The DioField Chronicle	Tactical RPG
7​	DOOM Eternal	Action, Shooter
8​	Dynasty Warriors: Origins	Action, Musou
9​	FANTAVISION 202X	Puzzle
10​	Fate/Samurai Remnant	Action RPG, Musou
11​	Forspoken	Action RPG
12​	Freedom Wars Remastered	Action, Hack n Slash
13​	Ghost of Tsushima	Action, Adventure
14​	Ghostwire: Tokyo	Action, Survival Horror
15​	Granblue Fantasy Re:link	Action RPG
16​	Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition	Action, Adventure, Shooter
17​	Grand Theft Auto Vice City: The Definitive Edition	Action, Adventure, Shooter
18​	Grand Theft Auto San Andreas: The Definitive Edition	Action, Adventure, Shooter
19​	GrimGrimoire OnceMore	Real-Time Strategy RPG
20​	Hades	Dungeon Crawler
21​	HUMANITY	Puzzle
22​	JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle R	Fighting
23​	Judgment	Action, Beat em up
24​	The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie	Turn-Based RPG
25​	The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak	Turn-Based RPG
26​	The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II	Turn-Based RPG
27​	Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name	Action, Beat 'em up
28​	Lost Judgment	Action, Beat em up
29​	Master Detective Archives: Rain Code Plus	Adventure
30​	Mobile Suit Gundam BATTLE OPERATION Code Fairy	Action
31​	MONARK	Tactical RPG
32​	Monochrome Mobius: Rights and Wrongs Forgotten	Turn-Based RPG
33​	Neptunia Game Maker R:Evolution	Action RPG
34​	Neptunia ReVerse	Turn-Based RPG
35​	Neptunia: Sisters vs Sisters	Action RPG
36​	Ninja Gaiden II Black	Action, Hack 'n Slash
37​	One Piece: Odyssey	Turn-Based RPG
38​	Pac-Man World Re-Pac	Platformer
39​	Persona 3 Reload	Turn-Based RPG
40​	Persona 5 Tactica	Tactical RPG
41​	Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit of Wonder Labyrinth	Metroidvania RPG
42​	Relayer	Tactical RPG
43​	SD Gundam Battle Alliance	Action RPG
44​	Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance	Turn-Based RPG
45​	Soul Hackers 2	Turn-Based RPG
46​	Star Ocean: The Divine Force	Action RPG
47​	Star Ocean: The Second Story R	Action RPG
48​	System Shock	First-Person Shooter, Survival Horror
49​	Tactics Ogre Reborn	Tactical RPG
50​	Tales of Arise	Action RPG
51​	Tales of Graces f Remastered	Action RPG
52​	Tomb Raider 1 Remastered	Action, Adventure
53​	Tomb Raider 2 Remastered	Action, Adventure
54​	Tomb Raider 3 Remastered	Action, Adventure
55​	Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2	Sports
56​	Unicorn Overlord	Tactical RPG
57​	Valkyrie Elysium	Action RPG
58​	Venus Vacation Prism -Dead or Alive Xtreme-	Dating Sim
59​	Yakuza 7: Like a Dragon	Turn-Based RPG
60​	Yurukill: The Calumniation Games	Shoot em up, Visual Novel

#​	PlayStation Classics (via PS5) Backlog - Game Name:	Genre:
1​	Dino Crisis	Survival Horror
2​	Kurushi Final: Mental Blocks	Puzzle
3​	The Legend of Dragoon	Turn-Based RPG
4​	Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth	Turn-Based RPG
5​	Wild Arms	Turn-Based RPG
6​	Wild Arms 2	Turn-Based RPG

#​	PlayStation Vita Backlog - Game Name:	Genre:
1​	Bullet Girls	Action, Shooter
2​	Valkyrie Drive Bhikkhuni	Action

#​	Nintendo Switch Backlog - Game Name:	Genre:
1​	Advance Wars (Re-Boot Camp)	Tactical RPG
2​	Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising (Re-Boot Camp)	Tactical RPG
3​	Animal Well	Metroidvania, Survival Horror
4​	Anonymous;Code	Adventure, Visual Novel
5​	Another Code: Two Memories	Adventure, Puzzle
6​	Another Code: R – A Journey into Lost Memories	Adventure, Puzzle
7​	Assault Suit Valken Declassified	Action, Arcade, Platformer
8​	Balatro	Card, Roguelike
9​	Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition	Adventure, Point & Click
10​	Capcom Belt Action Collection: ~ Final Fight ~ Captain Commando ~ The King of Dragons ~ Knights of the Round ~ Warriors of Fate ~ Armored Warriors ~ Battle Circuit	Arcade, Beat 'em up
11​	Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker	Puzzle, Platformer
12​	Castle of Shikigami 2	Bullet Hell, Shoot 'em up
13​	Castlevania Anniversary Collection: ~ Castlevania (NES) ~ Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (NES) ~ Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (NES) ~ Kid Dracula (Famicom) ~ Castlevania: The Adventure (Game Boy) ~ Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge (Game Boy) ~ Castlevania: Bloodlines (Mega Drive) ~ Super Castlevania IV (SNES)	Action, Platformer
14​	Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (Advance Collection)	Action, Metroidvania
15​	Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (Dominus Collection)	Action, Metroidvania
16​	Castlevania: Dracula X (Advance Collection)	Action, Metroidvania
17​	Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (Advance Collection)	Action, Metroidvania
18​	Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (Dominus Collection)	Action, Metroidvania
19​	Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (Dominus Collection)	Action, Metroidvania
20​	Chaos;Child	Adventure, Visual Novel
21​	Chaos;Head Noah	Adventure, Visual Novel
22​	Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition	Turn-Based RPG
23​	Clock Tower: Rewind	Adventure, Point & Click, Survival Horror
24​	Code of Princess EX	Action RPG
25​	Contra Anniversary Collection: ~ Contra (Arcade) ~ Super Contra (Arcade) ~ Contra (NES) ~ Contra (Famicom) ~ Super C (NES) ~ Contra III: The Alien Wars (SNES) ~ Operation C (Game Boy) ~ Contra Hard Corps (Mega Drive) ~ Super Probotector Alien Rebels (SNES - EU ver.) ~ Probotector (NES - EU ver.)	Side-scrolling Shooter
26​	Cosmic Fantasy	Turn-Based RPG
27​	Cosmic Fantasy II	Turn-Based RPG
28​	Cruis'n Blast	Racing
29​	Cursed to Golf	Sports, Platformer
30​	Cytus Alpha	Music, Rhythm
31​	Deathsmiles	Bullet Hell, Shoot 'em up
32​	Deathsmiles II	Bullet Hell, Shoot 'em up
33​	Demon's Tilt	Pinball
34​	Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze	Action, Platform
35​	EXZEUS	Arcade, On-Rails Shooter
36​	EXZEUS 2	Arcade, On-Rails Shooter
37​	Final Fantasy (Pixel Remaster)	Turn-Based RPG
38​	Final Fantasy Adventure (Collection of Mana)	Action RPG
39​	Final Fantasy II (Pixel Remaster)	Turn-Based RPG
40​	Final Fantasy III (Pixel Remaster)	Turn-Based RPG
41​	Final Fantasy IV (Pixel Remaster)	Turn-Based RPG
42​	Final Fantasy V (Pixel Remaster)	Turn-Based RPG
43​	Final Fantasy VI (Pixel Remaster)	Turn-Based RPG
44​	Fire Emblem Warriors	Action, Musou
45​	Fire Emblem: Engage	Tactical RPG
46​	Fire Emblem: Three Houses	Tactical RPG
47​	Getsu Fūma Den	Action RPG
48​	Getsufumaden: Undying Moon	Action RPG, Metroidvania
49​	Gleylancer	Arcade, Shoot 'em up
50​	Glover	Action, Platformer
51​	Grandia (HD Collection)	Turn-Based RPG
52​	Grandia II (HD Collection)	Turn-Based RPG
53​	Gynoug	Arcade, Shoot 'em up
54​	Hatsune Miku: Logic Paint S	Puzzle
55​	Haunted Castle Revisited	Action, Platformer
56​	The House in Fata Morgana	Visual Novel
57​	Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition	Action, Musou
58​	The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero	Turn-Based RPG
59​	The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure	Turn-Based RPG
60​	The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails	Action RPG
61​	The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild	Action RPG
62​	The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening	Action RPG
63​	Live A Live	Tactical RPG
64​	Mario Kart 8 Deluxe	Racing
65​	Metroid Dread	Metroidvania
66​	Metroid Prime Remastered	Action, Shooter
67​	MUSYNX	Music, Rhythm
68​	New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe	Platformer
69​	Ninja Five-O	Action, Hack 'n Slash
70​	Octopath Traveler	Turn-Based RPG
71​	Paper Mario: The Origami King	Turn-Based RPG
72​	Penny's Big Breakaway	Action, Platformer
73​	Pikmin	Real-Time Strategy
74​	Pikmin 2	Real-Time Strategy
75​	Powerslave Exhumed	Action, Shooter
76​	Radiant Silvergun	Bullet Hell, Shoot 'em up
78​	Record of Agarest War	Tactical RPG
79​	Rhapsody II: Ballad of the Little Princess (Marl Kingdom Chronicles)	Turn-Based RPG
80​	Rhapsody III: Memories of Marl Kingdom (Marl Kingdom Chronicles)	Turn-Based RPG
81​	River City Girls Zero	Action, Beat 'em ups
82​	Rose and Camellia Collection	Fighting
83​	SaGa Frontier	Turn-Based RPG
84​	Secret of Mana (Collection of Mana)	Action RPG
85​	Senran Kagura Peach Ball	Pinball
86​	Senran Kagura Reflexions	Simulation
87​	Shadow Man Remastered	Action, Adventure
88​	Signalis	Survival Horror
89​	Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster	Action, First-Person Shooter
90​	Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury	Action, Platformer
91​	Super Mario Galaxy	Action, Platformer
92​	Super Mario Maker 2	Action, Platformer
93​	Super Mario Odyssey	Action, Platformer
94​	Super Mario Sunshine	Action, Platformer
95​	Super Smash Bros. Ultimate	Fighting
96​	Telenet Shooting Collection: ~ Granada (Genesis) ~ Gaiares (Genesis) ~ Avenger (PC Engine) ~ Psychic Storm (PC Engine)	Arcade, Shoot 'em up
97​	Toaplan Arcade Garage: Kyukyoku Tiger-Heli	Arcade, Shoot 'em up
98​	Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE	Turn-Based RPG
99​	Tokyo Xanadu eX+	Action RPG
100​	Trials of Mana (Collection of Mana)	Action RPG
101​	Triangle Strategy	Tactical RPG
102​	Triggerheart Exelica	Arcade, Shoot 'em up
103​	Tsukihime: A Piece of Blue Glass Moon	Visual Novel
104​	Valis: The Fantasm Soldier Collection 1: ~ Valis: The Fantasm Soldier (PC Engine) ~ Valis II (PC Engine) ~ Valis III (PC Engine)	Action, Platformer
105​	Valis: The Fantasm Soldier Collection 2: ~ Valis IV (PC Engine) ~ Syd of Valis (Mega Drive) ~ Valis: The Fantasm Soldier (Mega Drive) ~ Valis: The Phantasm Soldier (MSX)	Action, Platformer
106​	Valis: The Fantasm Soldier Collection 3: ~ Valis: The Fantasm Soldier (PC-8801mkIISR) ~ Valis: The Fantasm Soldier (Famicom) ~ Valis: The Fantasm Soldier II (MSX2) ~ Valis III (Mega Drive) ~ Super Valis IV (Super Famicom)	Action, Platformer
107​	Witch on the Holy Night	Visual Novel
108​	The World Ends With You: Final Remix	Action RPG
109​	Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition	Action RPG
110​	Xenoblade Chronicles 2	Action RPG
111​	Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna - The Golden Country	Action RPG
112​	Yoshi's Crafted World	Action, Platformer

The 2025 '40' Games Goal:

Spoiler

No.	Game	Console​	Acquired​	Genre
1​	Alan Wake Remastered (+ The Signal & The Writer Expansions)	PS5​	2023​	Action, Horror, Third-Person Shooter
2​	Control Ultimate Edition (+ The Foundation & AWE Expansions)	PS5​	2023​	Action, Adventure, Third-Person Shooter
3​	Alan Wake II (+ Night Springs & The Lake House Expansions)	PS5​	2024​	Survival Horror, Third-Person Shooter
4​	PUNCH LINE	PS4​	2019​	Visual Novel
5​	Steins;Gate Elite	PS4​	2019​	Visual Novel
6​	Persona 5 Royal	PS5​	2024​	Turn-Based RPG
7​	Catherine	PS3​	2017​	Puzzle, Social Simulation

 

[Ian Wolf]

Today I managed to get 100% achievements on Civilization VII - not as difficult as I thought it would be I must confess, once you got a grip of the basics.

 

[HWR]

Finished up the main the story for New Vegas and its DLC and am now playing Fallout 4 and its DLC in the run up to the Switch 2 launch in June.