Catherine's Easy Mode: Needs to be Easier

[Paragon Fury]

So I got Catherine yesterday, and I've been playing it for a while now. And you know what it really needs?

An Auto-Complete Button for the Easy Mode.

Because I'm tired of getting interrupted by these god damn puzzles. Its as annoying as hell; its like if someone interrupted you every 10 minutes with some menial, annoying task while you were reading a good book or watching something good on TV.

Oh, and they make you start the movie or book over again if you fail the task too many times.

Really, can't we just have a "Press X, Win Stage" option so we can skip the puzzles already?

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Really, can't we just have a "Press X, Win Stage" option so we can skip the puzzles already?

You wouldn't have even survived against the games of old. How about you try harder on them? If you make a "Press X to complete puzzle", what the hell is the point of having a puzzle game?

In fact, what's the point of any game if you can just "cheat to beat"? Because you know you'll be tempted.

C'mon, give it a couple more tries. There's worse people out there who've done it.

 

[Fragrance of Mtn Dew]

Is this a joke? Honestly, I found Catherine's puzzles to be rather simple once you get the hang of it on normal and even before that there are a number of glitches you can abuse. If you die near a mystic pillow, and keep getting it before you die you'll eventually end up with max retries(I found this out totally by accident on a particularly brutal stage.) And you can undo most of your mistakes. There's also a button combo you can put in on the start menu to get you Super easy mode. I don't know what it is but I'm sure you could find it on gamefaqs. Also on normal and hard you can skip any stage you've gotten a gold medal on previously.

But that's ignoring your underlying problem with the game. You dislike Catherine's core gameplay and would rather just skip it. So what's the point of playing a game if you just want to skip the actual gameplay and just watch the cutscenes? You would have been better off just waiting for someone to upload a let's play of the game in that case. This is why people should always download the usually free demos of games before paying full price for them.

 

[Paragon Fury]

Really, can't we just have a "Press X, Win Stage" option so we can skip the puzzles already?

You wouldn't have even survived against the games of old. How about you try harder on them? If you make a "Press X to complete puzzle", what the hell is the point of having a puzzle game?

In fact, what's the point of any game if you can just "cheat to beat"? Because you know you'll be tempted.

C'mon, give it a couple more tries. There's worse people out there who've done it.

I did survive against games of old. But most of those were because I really enjoyed the gameplay, and the story was a nice bonus.

But I didn't buy this game for the gameplay; I bought it for the story. And now that I find that the story is really interesting, I care even less about the gameplay and just want to see the interaction and cutscenes.

And of course I could take the time to solve each puzzle, and wind up frustrated as shit and thereby enjoy the part of the game I wanted less because I'm in such a bad mood over having wasted 4 hours getting to this part.

 

[poppabaggins]

So I got Catherine yesterday, and I've been playing it for a while now. And you know what it really needs?

An Auto-Complete Button for the Easy Mode.

Because I'm tired of getting interrupted by these god damn puzzles. Its as annoying as hell; its like if someone interrupted you every 10 minutes with some menial, annoying task while you were reading a good book or watching something good on TV.

Oh, and they make you start the movie or book over again if you fail the task too many times.

Really, can't we just have a "Press X, Win Stage" option so we can skip the puzzles already?

...Use youtube? If you only want to get the story, just watch a "Let's Play" video on it. If one isn't up now, I'm sure there will be one soon.

Catherine is a game, not a visual novel.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

But I didn't buy this game for the gameplay; I bought it for the story. And now that I find that the story is really interesting, I care even less about the gameplay and just want to see the interaction and cutscenes.

As the man above said, wait for the Let's Play on YouTube.

I think it's a shame that you're giving up so fast though.

 

[Paragon Fury]

But I didn't buy this game for the gameplay; I bought it for the story. And now that I find that the story is really interesting, I care even less about the gameplay and just want to see the interaction and cutscenes.

As the man above said, wait for the Let's Play on YouTube.

I think it's a shame that you're giving up so fast though.

Let's Play has three disadvantages though;

1: Its about as enjoyable as someone describing a movie to you scene by-scene instead of you going to see it.

2: Catherine is not a linear, only-one-option-result game

3: If I had simply watched it, Atlus wouldn't have gotten any of the money it deserved for making a story that got me so interested.

Too, seeing as it is a completely single-player game, with the only thing people ever seeing is the first choice I ever made for the decision moments, I fail to see how option that lets someone see the parts they really want to see is hurting anyone, particularly since such an option would naturally prevent them from earning high scores or seeing how to complete the puzzles if they later wanted to try.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Too, seeing as it is a completely single-player game, with the only thing people ever seeing is the first choice I ever made for the decision moments, I fail to see how option that lets someone see the parts they really want to see is hurting anyone, particularly since such an option would naturally prevent them from earning high scores or seeing how to complete the puzzles if they later wanted to try.

A friend of mine bought Bounder back in the day (The tennis ball game). The guy in the shop showed him the cheat mode. He completed it in his first try.

Then never played it again.

It's just one of those things that bugs me, I guess.

 

[AyreonMaiden]

Man, the game WAS harsh for me on Easy too. I wouldn't say it was so harsh that I want nothing but the story because honestly, as a storytelling device, I feel the gameplay segments also serve to mount tension.

I wouldn't wanna skip the stages just to get to the end cause I AM Vincent Brooks, I wanna fight for my friends, my freedom, and my chick! And, in spite of how challenging the game is, if I skipped the stages...that sense of struggle is gone and I wouldn't be able to connect with the fact that Vincent is fighting for his life when he goes to sleep. As Justin would say, It's the truth.

I think, what it needed was a Very Easy mode for people who wanted just the story. It's nice to have a game that is tough but rewards you with a fantastic story, but if your audience finds it tough on EASY of all things...

 

[BreakfastMan]

...You never played Persona 4, have you? Even on easy, the game was still very hard. Actually, there are a number of games I could name that were really hard, even on easy, but that is beside the point. Also, how is the whole lives thing a problem? I have somewhere in the area of 40+, and I am just about to start night 4 (fyi, I too am on easy).

 

[TimeLord]

Challenges are what make a game... challenging.

Rather than just a linear sequence events that you complete in 3 hours.
God Of War 3 is a good example of this, even on the easiest mode the puzzles were what took me the time to complete. Damn that POV staircase puzzle!

 

[Smertnik]

...You never played Persona 4, have you? Even on easy, the game was still very hard.

I found P4 quite easy on Easy. And I say that as someone who never played a JRPG before. The normal difficulty is often very challenging but I never ran into a problem on Easy.

On topic: I don't see a problem with such an option. If one only cares for the story, why shouldn't he/she be able to experience it? Not everyone plays games for the challenge.
I, for one, wouldn't care if every enemy fell over after one hit in, say, any of BW games because it's the story and dialogs I'm after, not the battles.

 

[hazabaza1]

Just go watch a playthrough on youtube that'll take the choices you take.

 

[Paragon Fury]

Well, I beat it using the power of Very Easy Mode (which should just be a normal, selectable mode form the menu), and I have to say that the story was really good; it would've been way better suited to something like an action-adventure game or something along the lines of Zack and Wiki than the puzzler it is.

 

[ruben6f]

You can use guides, or if you are only interested in the story sell the game and watch a youtube Let's Play.

 

[ZeroMachine]

Should've waited until it came out as an anime, it seems.

 

[Rawne1980]

I seem to have stumbled upon a wall due to my lack of comprehension here.

So i'll try and break it down, fill in the blanks for me if you will.

You purchased a game.

You like the game.

You complain you have to play the game to see the story.

And here is where my wall of numbness comes in. I'm struggling to see why you would buy a game if you don't want to play said game. If you just want to watch a movie buy a bloody movie.

I may have missed the point but the basics of what you are saying is the game is getting in the way of the story for you. Yet the game is the whole part of buying it.

Colour me confuddled.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

Really, can't we just have a "Press X, Win Stage" option so we can skip the puzzles already?

You wouldn't have even survived against the games of old. How about you try harder on them? If you make a "Press X to complete puzzle", what the hell is the point of having a puzzle game?

In fact, what's the point of any game if you can just "cheat to beat"? Because you know you'll be tempted.

C'mon, give it a couple more tries. There's worse people out there who've done it.

I did survive against games of old. But most of those were because I really enjoyed the gameplay, and the story was a nice bonus.

But I didn't buy this game for the gameplay; I bought it for the story. And now that I find that the story is really interesting, I care even less about the gameplay and just want to see the interaction and cutscenes.

And of course I could take the time to solve each puzzle, and wind up frustrated as shit and thereby enjoy the part of the game I wanted less because I'm in such a bad mood over having wasted 4 hours getting to this part.

Hold select while highlighting "Golden Theater" in the start menu. You will see a flash. Very Easy Mode will unlock.
Edit: Whoops. I should have read the entire thread before saying that, huh?