Catalyst (2019)

Developer: Doubleton Game Studio
Platforms: Windows
Genres: Simulation
Rating: 5.0 of 5, 7 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 1.5 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A slow, unsettling interactive narrative told through fragmented documents and audio, where the player pieces together a psychological mystery by analyzing a therapy session.

unsettlinginteractive narrativeatmosphericdeliberatepacing: slowpsychologicaltext-heavy

What players say

Players describe Catalyst as an audio-driven story about a psychiatrist analyzing a patient's recorded sessions. The voice acting and atmosphere are praised, but the ending is criticized for being unclear and lacking a proper conclusion. Some players found the narrative thought provoking and engaging enough to finish in one sitting.

Screenshots

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More by Doubleton Game Studio

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.