Complete Guide to Catherine Endings
Karma Meter
The first variable that determines which of the Catherine endings you’ll receive during your play-through is the Karma meter. Between the puzzle stages are confessional booth events that throw a series of questions at Vincent. These morally ambiguous questions will nudge Vincent’s Karma meter further along the side of either “Law” or “Chaos” depending on which response is selected.
For example, one of the first confessional questions posed is “Does life begin or end at marriage?”. Answering “It begins” swings the Karma meter towards Law, while answering “It ends” swings it towards Chaos instead. Vincent’s Karma meter is also affected by how he responds to text messages on his phone and even certain dialogue choices.
There are three “true” endings to Catherine, all three of which require the Karma meter to be at an extreme. The “True Lover” ending requires Vincent’s meter to be completely maxed out on the Law side, whereas the “True Cheater” ending requires a maxed out Chaos meter. The “True Freedom” ending is unique in that it requires Vincent’s Karma meter to be straddling the middle. Keep this in mind as you progress through the game, and answer confessional questions accordingly depending on which ending you’re shooting for.
Stage 9 Questions
The second variable doesn’t come into play until the final act, Stage 9. During Stage 9 Vincent will be asked a series of four questions. His responses to these questions, coupled with the state of his Karma meter, determines which of the Catherine endings you will receive.
Question 1 is inconsequential and can be answered however you please. The question is “Would you risk everything to get your lover back?”. You can choose either “Of course!” or “Maybe not everything…”
Question 2 is “Do you wish for a peaceful life?”. You can answer either “Yes” or “No”. Refer to the section of the specific ending you want to receive for the appropriate response.
Question 3 is “Do you wish for the excitement of chaos?”. You can answer either “Yes” or “No”. Refer to the section of the specific ending you want to receive for the appropriate response.
Question 4 is variable, and the question you receive changes based on the answers given to Questions 2 and 3. Refer to the section of the specific ending you want to receive for the appropriate response.
“Bad Lover” Ending
The Karma meter must lean heavily towards Chaos to unlock this ending. Answer “Yes” to Question 2 and “Yes” to Question 3. Question 4 will be “Which of these do you truly wish for?”. Select “Peaceful days”.
For receiving this ending you will unlock the “Nighty Night” achievement/trophy.
“Normal Lover” Ending
The Karma meter must lean heavily towards Law to unlock this ending. Answer “Yes” to Question 2 and “No” to Question 3. Question 4 will be “Are you prepared to live in peace, forever?”. Select “Not really”.
For receiving this ending you will unlock the “Just Like Old Times” achievement/trophy.
“True Lover” Ending
The Karma meter must be completely maxed towards Law to unlock this ending. Answer “Yes” to Question 2 and “No” to Question 3. Question 4 will be “Are you prepared to live in peace, forever?”. Select “I’m ready”.
For receiving this ending you will unlock the “Starting a New Life” achievement/trophy.
“Bad Cheater” Ending
The Karma meter must lean heavily towards Law to unlock this ending. Answer “No” to Question 2 and “Yes” to Question 3. Question 4 will be “Do you still have any longing for peace?”. Select “No”.
For receiving this ending you will unlock the “Hit the Road, Vincent” achievement/trophy.
“Normal Cheater” Ending
The Karma meter must lean heavily towards Chaos to unlock this ending. Answer “Yes” to Question 2 and “No” to Question 3. Question 4 will be “Do you still have a longing for chaos?”. Select “Yes”.
For receiving this ending you will unlock the “Sleepless Nights” achievement/trophy.
“True Cheater” Ending
The Karma meter must be completely maxed towards Chaos to unlock this ending. Answer “No” to Question 2 and “Yes” to Question 3. Question 4 will be “Are you prepared to live the rest of your life in the excitement you wished for?”. Select “Yes”.
For receiving this ending you will unlock the “Lord of the Night” achievement/trophy.
“Normal Freedom” Ending
The Karma meter must lean heavily towards either Law or Chaos to unlock this ending. Answer “No” to Question 2 and “No” to Question 3. Question 4 will be “If ’the truth’ causes you to be alone, would you still search for it?”. Select “Yes”.
For receiving this ending you will unlock the “Whatever, Buddy” achievement/trophy.
“True Freedom” Ending
The Karma meter must straddle the middle to unlock this ending. Answer “No” to Question 2 and “No” to Question 3. Question 4 will be “If ’the truth’ causes you to be alone, would you still search for it?”. Select “Yes”.
For receiving this ending you will unlock the “A Life Without Regrets…” achievement/trophy.
Once you have seen ALL eight endings, you will unlock the “Dreams Come True” achievement/trophy.
All screenshots/references for the Catherine: Ultimate Ending Walkthrough from Atlus’ Catherine and author’s own experience.
