Catherine Officially Cheating on Japan With U.S.

You can stop hating Atlus now: Catherine is officially coming to North America.

Atlus’s erotic thriller Catherine has been getting a lot of press, what with its strange trailers, interesting block-related gameplay, and seductive box art. This is why so many gamers had tears in their eyes when they heard that Atlus had no plans to localize the game. Well, wipe those tears away this instant, because Atlus has officially confirmed Catherine for release in North America.

The announcement was almost assured when Catherine popped up for a brief period of time on the GameStop website with a release date of July 26. Atlus doesn’t confirm the date, but does say that Catherine will be available in summer 2011.

Atlus manager of PR and sales Aram Jabbari describes Catherine as an “unprecedented exploration of the pleasures and horrors of love.” It follows a character named Vincent whose girlfriend, Katherine, asks him for a long-avoided commitment. The next day, after a night of drinking, Vincent awakens in his bed next to a gorgeous seductress named Catherine (a different woman), unsure of what happened on the previous night. Vincent’s fears about commitment and fidelity manifest themselves in his dreams as “horribly disfigured monsters” while he attempts to navigate the block-puzzles of his morality.

It also has sheep men. Catherine will be available on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, with the game’s two ladies each gracing a different cover. Will you choose commitment, or a one-night stand?