Atlus not planning western release of Catherine
Catherine, the punishing erotic puzzler from the same team behind the Persona series, won’t be getting a western release according to Atlus. “Catherine is a Japan-only game and there are no plans for a North American release at this time,” the publisher revealed in a statement to Beefjack. “Sorry about that!”
Atlus’ adult-only title has proven equally successful and stressful for its Japan-only audience, topping the charts even as players flood the message boards complaining about how brutally hard it is. A patch is coming soon to slow down the constantly collapsing staircase of death, but in the meantime director Katsura Hashino has taken to the game’s official blog to defend the difficulty. “We balanced the game so that the player feels thrilled with a sense of achievement when they clear the level,” he said. “But it’s also possible the staff is just too good at the game at this point.”
North American fans of insanely difficult sheep-fetishizing games need not yet despair, as Atlus’ operative term is “at this time.” The game’s massive popularity, coupled with casual gamer-friendly tweaks, would make it perfect for the a decidedly less hardcore audience.
-kristen spencer
