I've played quite a few Otomes throughout my life and there has always been an issue that bothered me - where is the sex? There usually is never any sex, there is a build up and you can feel tensions rising but then it fades to black and the rest is in your imagination. Bullshit, if you ask me.
So with that being said, if you ever had the same itch as me, this game will certainly scratch it. It doesn't really take itself seriously and I don't think you're supposed to think too hard about the story but the writing is fairly decent and the characters are fun and likeable. The game doesn't really shy away from cursing and such, which is always a plus for me. The game itself is not very long and you'll probably finish it within 7-10h, if you go for both routes and the secret threesome option, which was my least favourite, btw. So if you're thinking about giving it a try, definitely try to get it on a sale and make the best of it.
It's short, it's fun and it is slightly more daring than your typical "weak girl" otomes.

I was absolutely hyped for this game when I was 13 years old. I had been Atlus-pilled in 8th grade when I played Persona 4 and that became my favorite game ever for a while. It sounds kind of funny, but I thought Persona 4 was the peak of storytelling in video games and I was so excited to see what the Persona team could deliver next that would push the boundaries of game narratives. I remember pushing my parents for several days to let me get this game, insisting that this wasn't smut but a mature story about complicated themes and I was ready to handle it. And I was, I don't think this game was too much for me, but that's not because of my actual maturity and more to do with how Catherine is surprisingly immature.

Vincent "just some guy" Brooks is our protagonist and he kind of sucks. Like, I can't think of a positive characteristic of is, he mainly plays stupid games and wins stupid prizes by dancing around communication with his girlfriend Katherine and his affair Catherine and then acts shocked that the delicate situation he's in continues to deteriorate. He's a frustrating character, and he's always outmatched in charisma by whoever he's talking to. I do actually like a number of the barflies, Vincent fails at developing chemistry with them but their stories are still memorable enough that I would say it's the part of the script that stands the strongest despite not directly involving themselves in Vincent's plight.

At this point, I'm going to disclose that I'm asexual, and thus my understanding of this part of the story may be biased. But I still can't wrap my head about how much the story tries to excuse Vincent for his irresponsibility, like he's some dumb kid dealing with hormones and not 32 years old. Yes, I get that magic is also brought up as a reason for Vincent's adultery, but that only highlights just how badly the game tries to cover for Vincent and also raises some very uncomfortable questions about whether Vincent is even capable of giving consent which the game swiftly ignores because that would actually be a tricky subject.

The game is far more interested in exploring a binary alignment system between Katherine, who represents monogamy and commitment, and Catherine, who represents polyamory and hedonism. Instead of actually being respectful to how people want to make different decisions on how to live their lives, characters repeatedly slam what Catherine represents as immature, and tout marriage as the end-goal for all "good" relationships. Hell, the narrative even sets up Vincent to be leaning towards Katherine regardless of where his alignment actually lies until the ending, where he jerks over to Catherine without much buildup if you end up on one of her endings.

Catherine is not a debate, it is a moralizing lecture on the virtues of traditional romantic relationships, and what infuriates me above all else is that it pretends it's not. Whenever Vincent is addressed about having multiple partners, it is always referred to as cheating, and ethical polyamory is never explored because the writers see polyamory as inherently selfish. I'm not saying a polycule would resolve this conflict, Katherine has the right to ask for a monogamous relationship and end it if Vincent strays, hell my own relationship desires lean far more towards Katherine's. If you want a game about conflicting views on monogamy vs. polyamory that actually is considerate of both sides, go play "You and Me and Her: A Love Story".

Despite being made increasingly aware of the many faults Persona 4 has in its writing, I still can't help but feel a lot of affection for it, even if it's definitely not my favorite game ever anymore. The same can't be said for Catherine, which I initially ate up but found even harder to reconcile its issues as I grew up because they were far more integral to what the game was going for. I can't even bring myself to try the remake with how much the original has soured on me over the years.

P.S. Oh yeah, there's gameplay. Not much I can really say about it, I think it's decent enough but I never really craved the box-pushing either. Definitely served as a means-to-an-end to buffer out the story sequences.