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Prince Gale Chips
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The themes of CATALYST...
When I think about CATALYST, the surface level answer I'd jump to is something like "Progression". There are a lot events in which characters gain new abilities, equipment, connections, roles, etc. Hell, that's the ability that makes Cat special, his ability to AWAKEN others and level them up.
I'm gonna focus on Cat for a minute, as I think understanding his values help clear up what the story is really about. Looking at Cat's role in the story in relation to the war, his job is to consistently change the playing field, pushing things towards an outcome where they might just be able to win against whatever awaits them. Demons, Angels, etc. He's, quite literally, a CATALYST.
As a character, Cat's not particularly complex. He's a hero by obligation moreso than choice, accepting the responsibility that his knowledge and powers forces him into. He didn't come to town looking for any of this. Hell, he was more than happy to settle in as a postal worker, making friends, getting into horny shenanigans, and just enjoying a nice and simple life. When it comes down to it though, he just cannot keep his head down when the opportunity to help is on the table. He digs up old mysteries that people are happy to let rest, risks his security by AWAKENING others if it can help them, and tries to make friends with even the Cannie-est of people. Cat fights because it needs to be done, and he clearly has the means to do it. It wasn't even a question for him whether or not he should.
Thinking deeper, I think one of the most important elements of CATALYST are the "Connections" between characters.
We care about the war for the same reason Cat does: Because we've met so many people whose lives could be ended by it. We don't want to lose Willamina, Andrea, Nail, or anyone else to this stupid cosmic bullshit. Hell, Cat's power literally requires him to find allies he can trust, as he can only AWAKEN others, not himself. Finding the right companions is a really big deal. It's why all of his interactions matter, from the plot-heavy ones like meeting Liminal and realizing he's Max or learning about the war, to the smaller stuff like going out on a date with Andrea, choosing not to out Isabella as AWAKENED to her companions, hell, even the side stuff like Gena and Andrea hanging out and watching television in the side-thread. It isn't "filler", it's the context we need to be personally invested in the plot.
Not to dredge up old controversy, but I think this is why major life-altering events taking place off-screen as a side element of Queen of Hell was such a tough pill for me to swallow. The story of CATALYST is about the lives of these characters and taking the steps we can to protect them in the face of the apocalypse, and suddenly everything had changed when we weren't looking. We missed some pretty damn big stuff! Cat's mom coming back, the initial attack on Lyst, several characters' deaths, including Cat???
I think there's a lot of things you can get away with in a time-skip, but there's a point where coming back you gotta wonder if these are even the same characters you were following from the outset.
To put a bow on this thought that's gone on for way too long: I think the most important thing for this game is to reintroduce the relationships that CATALYST got us invested in, and help us understand where they are in the wake of the parts we weren't privy to. Because if I don't understand who these people are anymore, or how they feel about each other, then I will not have it in me to care about the apocalypse they're trying to prevent.
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