Love is Over, but that's OK: Afterthoughts on Catherine

he connotation behind a calendar date that celebrates the idea of sharing a romantic union with someone gets more crippling by the year to those who don’t have that privilege. Honestly, I blame a lot of that on this new, invisible layer of social pressure that’s been introduced by the internet, and the steadily increasing exposure it’s given to the holiday in this tech-addicted generation.

Now, full disclosure; this feature doesn’t stem out of any kind of resentment over the relationship I just recently got out of shortly after Valentine’s, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that it did help inspire the idea for the feature. I mean, I wasn’t really all that happy in it after the “butterflies” settled, and well, considering the experience I've had being single too, I felt like I had an obligation to call out the negative stigma attached to the status quo, because I think it’s bull shit—you can totally be happy when you’re single.

In fact, I think people can live healthy, fruitful lives being single, and this outlook gets lost in some sort fearful crossfire between what you perceive is best for you, and what others may perceive is best for you—it’s bogus.

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QCF: Catherine

Relationships can be difficult; they can be frustrating, and take time and effort to be successful. This also describes the gameplay of Catherine, the first next generation title from the developers of the Persona series. Players take on the role of Vincent Brooks, a thirty-something who seems to be complacent in his relationship, and spends the majority of his time drinking at the bar with his friends. Though on one faithful evening, as Vincent is drowning in his sorrows, he meets someone who will send him on a downward spiral filled with nightmares, curses, sheep and blocks -- many, many blocks.

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