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It’s unclear if Erica will transition or not, nor is it clear if Erica still has gender dysphoria in this timeline.
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When the game switches back to the present day, Erica is shown as a boy, implying she hasn’t transitioned. In the new version’s ending, Catherine goes back in time to make sure she can date Vincent in high school. One post claimed the game’s new character, Rin, is a “crossdresser” that has a penis, leading Vincent to panic and slap Rin’s hand away. Then earlier this month, news broke out from ResetEra about additional transphobia in the game. Trans gamers worried this was a sign of things to come. It’s doubling down on it.įirst, a 2017 trailer for the game appeared to draw on a transphobic trope about straight cis men being surprised by non-op and pre-op trans women’s genitals. As it turns out, Catherine: Full Body’s Japanese release isn’t making amends with the game’s transphobic past. Others felt Atlus’ depiction of her was harmful to trans women.īut the original was eight years ago, and the world is in a different place. Because of Erica’s depiction in the original game’s manual, which lists her by her deadname “Eric,” Catherine has long left trans players conflicted over Erica.
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Vincent and his friends like Erica, and yet they berate her with transphobic remarks throughout the game, culminating in her being outed as trans in one of the game’s endings. The game serves as a remake for the company’s 2011 puzzle platformer, Catherine. Similar to the Persona series, which details the trials and traumas that teenagers experience while otherworldly events plague their high school years, Catherine stars a 32-year-old everyman protagonist named Vincent Brooks dating his high school friend Katherine. During the game, Vincent is haunted by strange dreams after meeting a 22-year-old woman named Catherine (not to be confused with the woman who spells her name with a “K”), who he sleeps with after hanging out at the local bar, the Stray Sheep.Īt the Stray Sheep, Vincent regularly speaks to Erica Anderson, a transgender waitress he went to high school with.
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14, Atlus released Catherine: Full Body in Japan. Just utter the word “Catherine” on Twitter, and you’ll see why. Warning: Spoilers for “Catherine: Full Body” follow.įebruary hasn’t been a good month for transgender gamers.
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