The plot of Catherine centers on Vincent Brooks, a man who is torn between his relationship with his girlfriend, Katherine McBride, who may be pregnant, and his relationship with Catherine, a 22-year-old blonde whom he met at a club he frequents called the Stray Sheep. Because of his interaction with Catherine, Vincent has been having recurring nightmares ever since. The monsters are parts of puzzle-platforming gameplay shaped like towers, and Vincent needs to ascend to the top of each building by pulling and pushing on various components. While he is climbing, the level begins to come apart, and characters controlling sheep attempt to push him back down. The player can pick up various climbing techniques along the route to better prepare them for whatever challenges lie ahead. In some stages, a massive boss will make multiple attempts to kill Vincent using various techniques.
Following (or, more accurately, preceding) the recurring nightmares, Vincent may be found hanging out at the Stray Sheep. Until he nods off again in this bar, he can send and receive text messages, drink, engage in conversation with other patrons, or play an arcade game called Rapunzel, a sequence of short climbing stages reminiscent of 8-bit video games. A green and yellow meter will show up whenever Vincent is forced to make a decision. This scale shows whether Vincent leans more toward law or chaos, which is essential because it will determine how the game’s story resolves. In addition to the primary story mode, there is also a unique mode called Babel. In this mode, one or two players compete against each other to see who can climb the highest and set new records. To access Babel narratively, the player must first fulfill several requirements.
