10 Most Insane Japanese Video Games Of All Time

3. Catherine

Catherine_2011_03-01-11_007 The most recent addition to our list, Catherine, deals with the themes of love, commitment and infidelity. Whilst throwing in a bit of horror and the mystery of unexplainable deaths of young men by the rumored "Woman's Wrath." It's an enigmatic myth that is supposedly a vengeance against the unfaithful. You play as Vincent, a man aimlessly drifting through life, trying to avoid the pressure of commitment with his girlfriend Katherine. As soon as the hint of marriage and commitment arises though, Vincent's nightmares begin. These nightmares take form of a puzzle platformer, where all other young men have this same dream, but take on the form of sheep. It's your job to build the courage, (or shake it) of these sheep as you all struggle to climb huge towers and outrun horrifying creatures that are the manifestation of Vincent's current fears. During the day, the game switches from its puzzle platform style to an interactive story, where things take a turn for the worst with the introduction of second love interest Catherine. Each day you must juggle your relationships with the two woman through replies in text messages, which are rated on scales of your morals (not so much good and, bad but more along the lines of chaos and order in which these decisions reflect upon the games's ending). It's unusual for a game to deal so heavily in these matters, and force the player to deal with so many questions on these issues, such as, "Are you able to physically punish someone, if you believed it was the right thing to do?' and "What are your thoughts on underpants?" A rare game that produces an array of characters that we actually care about - and when they don't show up to the bar the next day, it does make you feel guilty about it.
 
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A lover of video games who's a stereotypical struggling screenwriter and playwright. You can reach me on twitter @DamianTobias.