The Catharsis of The Cat Lady

[@animefreak1149]

“Art is meant to comfort the disturbed and disturbed the comfortable” I love this game ❤️

[@rbztgnphenolphthalein8195]

I first watched your Bloodborne video and thought it was a satisfying, clever interpretation that I never would have thought of. Now I've seen this, about a game that I didn't know about, and am really impressed and content. Thanks for making this, and good luck

[@HoneyBat]

Thank you!! The Cat Lady is such a wonderful experience, not a comfortable one at times, but I wish more people knew about it. Susan's story is such an effective character study and I love her and Mitzi a lot. Thanks so much for watching!

[@harvestergames]

Very deep and discerning, I admire how insightful you are and how many connections you've noticed. As a composer of the biggest part of soundtrack for TCL I played it hundreds of times and yet you taught me few things I've missed. Please, keep doing videos like this, that's the kind of content I'd like to see more on yt.

[@HoneyBat]

Wow, thank you so much!! I wasn't expecting many people to see this, let alone anyone who worked on the game. I'm honoured ^.^

[@paulchavez3039]

This game is a masterpiece and your contribution definitely got it there omg friggin legend right here ❤

[@slimjimshady0]

I’ve been forced into mental care facilities multiple times. Last I was sexually and physically assaulted. And the one was to get out was to put on a mask to make them think I was ok. The fear of going back there did more harm than good to my mental health. The Talking Therapy section was so relatable to me. The tangible feat and…oddness of the hospital really shows what these places are like.

[@jmh8817]

Played through this years ago, and near the end I thought "Wait we're at the 5th parasite? But there were three chapters with killers." forgetting that the Pest Control couple are, well, two people. What really amuses me that it happened again during this video. I'm glad there's multiple endings, because catharsis comes in many forms, and I think all of the ones presented in this game are valid and deserve to be experienced. Sometimes you want to feel seen by a game portraying the loss of a friend, sometimes you want to save the fake pixel people to make yourself feel better.

[@HoneyBat]

I ALWAYS forget they count as two as well hahaha. I remember counting them off on my fingers as I was writing this like...who's? Ohhhh Gladys, dammit Gladys. And yeah! I love that there's many different ways the final confrontation can go down, like you can absolutely accept what the Queen tells you and blow out that last candle or allow Mitzi her revenge but whatever happens, Susan will grow from it and I love that. Doesn't matter how "well" you played, Susan will get there in the end, and that's beautiful to me.

[@JewTube001]

Not many games where you play as a middle aged woman. I don't think I can think of anything else besides some fantasy games that have witches or sorceresses as main characters, and they don't usually come off as being that realistic.

[@endysent]

Algorithm suggested your Bloodborne video and I'm immediately hooked on your content! Your points are insightful and your voice is calming, one detail I particularly enjoyed was how you recreated Susan in the Sims 2! Specifically since in 2 (unlike in later Sims games) it could be an actual challenge to keep your Sims happy if you didn't know what you were doing as the player, reinforcing your point about navigating that section of TCL

[@HoneyBat]

Thank you!! Hahaha I poured so many hours into sims 2 as a kid and I could never keep up with everything so I always call chapter 3 the sims bit, especially with Susan having actual happiness and distress meters.

[@verocchi]

ahhhh i just binged all your essays over the course of a few days, after revisiting your bloodborne essay, and i just want to say THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for your comprehensive, thoughtful analyses. im not much of a gamer but i LOVE games as a medium for storytelling, and the way you interpret them (and of course other media) for us is really meaningful, just as a fellow human being and personally. this one in particular hit really hard for me and was especially timely - i have chronic depression and was in a low period. after days of fruitlessly reminding myself that I have value, these feelings will pass, your compassionate perspective helped remind my brain how to actually Feel like those things were true.

[@maricocytus9813]

god i really feel this. i was trying to describe what is so important to me about this game to my therapist the other day and why i need to replay it when i'm in a seemingly endless funk. legit sending this to her, amazing work

[@HoneyBat]

That's abolutely the highest compliment! I still put on playthroughs in the background or play it myself when I'm down, it's such a wonderful story. Hope you're doing well! 💛

[@kegluneq6306]

This was great! I've just finished playing the game myself so can appreciate the commentary now. I loved Susan's increase in confidence as she fully reappropriates her Cat Lady identity!

[@irinore]

The Cat Lady was probably the game that made me interested in storytelling, and I'm glad to see you talk about it, bringing up stuff I never noticed! Keep up the good work!

[@HoneyBat]

Thank you! Games are one of my favourite mediums for storytelling, there's just so much you can do with an interactive experience especially combined with all the video and audio language of film. There's something so intimate about becoming involved in a whole other person's world that can make you look at your own differently ^.^

[@allie5842]

Loved it when the Fran Bow music kicked in. Thank you for your analysis, I've always wondered who the random person with the flowers was, until you revealed he was Susan's stalker. Everything makes so much sense now. Thank you.

[@BluePhx17]

Wow this is not what I was expecting to experience today. Very interesting, and your own connection with the game really shone through I hope anyone reading this is having a good day and for those that aren’t remember that good ones will come.

[@HoneyBat]

Thank you so much! The Cat Lady will always have a special place in my heart and I wish more people knew about it. It's dark, but it's such a valuable experience. And Susan is so very...Susan. I love her a lot. I hope you have a lovely day and anyone else reading this too 💛

[@4071816]

I'm witnessing several current/ex friends and colleagues slowing slipping from progressive to alt-right, and some even towards far-right/Incel.... and I'm feeling powerless and terrified.... Please stay well and healthy, the world needs more people like you

[@HoneyBat]

I'm sorry to hear that, it sounds pretty upsetting. It's so easy to slip into the wrong circles if they're the places that make your frustrations feel heard and seen, then the rhetoric goes down much easier because you're all in this together now. That's the sense of humour, X group is the punchbag causing all these problems. That's what links the community. But that does mean the same can happen for more leftist and/or progressive spaces too. You can always reach out a hand to those slipping friends, maybe coax them towards thinking about what's really bothering them under the surface, but it's always up to them to take that hand. You can only do so much, and making sure they know you're there to listen but also won't be putting up with alt-right bullshit is a good boundary to set. We can only hope they realise what the better option is. I hope they do 💛

[@davidmartin3280]

i'm glad that I met someone that utilizes this game for the reasons outlined in this video. I'm glad to be here now and I look forward to future (and past) content from your channel. It's an honor to meet you Honey Bat.

[@funnyhorseguy2787]

finally a video about this game!! I've always wanted to see someone look deep into the it, you've done such a wonderful job

[@frays-monster-yuri]

Gosh. This is really so good for a first video. The passion for a game/story you care about shows. You're the one that got me to watch DS9. Now you've got me wanting to regularly return to The Cat Lady. Gosh. This might actually be something I share with one of my partners. The one I kinda expect to enjoy it more than I will.

[@barakorner4497]

Coming back to this video after two years. Still one of my favorite video game analysis videos. Both because of your thoughtful commentary and because this video introduced me to one of the most important games in my life. Thank you so much for this.

[@HardCodedGaming]

I discovered this game shortly after it came out, and it was the kind of game I told everybody I could about. Always thrilled to see people talking about it. But seeing the fates of other indie horrors since, I'm glad this series has stayed under the radar and not been marketed and memed to hell and back. Oh, yes, it's a series. Downfall was the first game, which then got a remake around 2016. Cat Lady's almost non sequitur sequence as she explores her apartments makes a lot more sense after playing it. She's actually meeting that game's protagonist. (And the fact they share a universe is why I consider Susan's journey to be more literal than this video posits) More recently, there was a 3rd game, Lorelai, which I... haven't gotten around to, but I think I'll make a date for it after watching this!

[@coachvixie]

Bat was talking about Burnhouse Lane and Downfall recently on stream 😊

[@RixTrix]

based YT algorithm recommended me your Bloodbourne video and now I'm diving in deep and holy shit - I'm so glad I found your channel!

[@HoneyBat]

Thank you! I kind of want to remake this someday because the editing is er, not great, given it was my first one but I love this game so much. I'm glad more people are finding it through this channel ^.^ And thank you so much for going through my videos and commenting!!

[@sanyajiin]

I did NOT expect music from Umineko to be in this video?? Two niche interests of mine combined, I‘m so happy to have found your channel!!!

[@Vixielicious]

Bat is streaming Umineko on Saturdays at the moment!

[@philippahobbs8878]

I love this game! Your reflections on even the smallest details are really spot on!

[@HoneyBat]

Thank you ^.^ I put a lot of work into it! There's so many small things that just didn't seem to fit the flow of the video but I could talk for hours about this game haha

[@jrj5893]

I recently watched GabSmolder's old playthrough of this, completely not knowing just what I was in for (having a similar opinion that you did, that as someone who enjoys horror this game will be TOTALLY FINE), and as someone who also deals with depression it was... extremely interesting to see someone who says she has never experienced depression, play through this and empathize with what this goes through. I wasn't actively having an episode at the time, but I also still felt very seen and had a LOT of emotions about what was going on, and it still felt good in that... drawing the poison out kind of way. She went in blind and did not get the golden ending, so while I knew it existed I didn't get to see it, but the ending with Susan at the graves was still... yes, cathartic. She was healing and it was a struggle and something that would always be a part of her, but she was healing nonetheless. I appreciated the feelings after the playthrough, but really doubted that I would play it for myself. And then, months later the algorithm STRONGLY and FREQUENTLY brings up your Bloodborne video (another one I've never played or even seen a playthrough), and I think, yes. I like what you chose to talk about, your voice is soothing and you have a sense of humor I can appreciate, so I go to look for your other stuff. And this is your first video. Talking about your experience with this, and the mental health system being what it is (I'm in the US and... ugh), and how this is almost a tool that you use for healing yourself... Damnit, I think I'm going to buy it. I don't know if I have it in me to ever play the first one (I saw in the comments that Downfall is incredibly difficult to cope with), and I hadn't heard that there was a third (though I'm probably going to wind up looking for a playthrough of it soon), but I think I'll be getting The Cat Lady. So thank you for giving me the courage to try this.

[@johnskelington]

"Are you from one of those Emo subcultures?"

[@nitorin8241]

I love The Cat Lady, and this video is exactly what I needed to hear today. Thank you.

[@timbuckley321]

That's funny, I see Catharsis as any Thing that you do which resonates deeply with your soul/spirit and sort of creatively releases it a bit unto our world. It's been a very precious word to me for a very long but I don't see you as being wrong at all, and this is a very well done video on a really good game. Your script writing is very sharp.

[@catalinaflorea5518]

If you haven't already, you should consider playing/ making a video about Burnhouse Lane as well. It's from the same developer, and it falls in a lot of the same themes. I hella enjoyed it and it feels like a version of The Cat Lady with slightly more polished gameplay

[@clodia941]

Though I'm not a gamer I do recognise the genre as another literary one. Brilliant analysis pushing to the point of pain. Clear presentation of the catharsis element!

[@HoneyBat]

Thank you ^.^ I think that there's a lot of potential to be found in video game stories and in game analysis but they're not really accepted academically except in some subsets of media courses, and even then it's not great. I still ended up sourcing a fair few in my creative pieces for my university degree mind you, but trying to find out how to academically source a video game was a bit of an adventure, especially when a studio has since gone defunct with a messy papertrail and there's no clear ownership of a decade old game (looking at you Rule of Rose XD)

[@underarmbowlingincidentof1981]

I actually played the game because I saw this video and I thought "well if she liked it enough to make it her first video then damn. Why not?" and wow! Thank you for helping me find this. And thank you for this wonderful analysis of it. Thank you.

[@caladrius253]

oh gosh, this was such a nice video. well thought-out and explained what had to be explained in the best way possible. it's such a quality work for somebody's first video. i'm glad you made many more after this and that you are sharing what you are personally invested in. and wow, i surely have missed a lot in this. time to replay the game!

[@romanticghost7508]

You’re probably one of my favorite video essay KZbinrs. The way you analyze, interpret and speak on these topics is so informed and compassionate and it’s so lovely to see you cover darker topics in a kind, well thought out manner. I’m a psych student, so I really appreciate the level of depth you go into while also being mindful of triggers and disturbing topics. I’ve watched and rewatched so many of your videos, your content helped me realize how much there is out there in terms of psychological horror games.

[@helinanana]

Honey Bat your videos might just be my favorite in all of KZbin. From the way you analyze and talk about the games and their characters and the amount of insight you seem to have to your wonderfully calming voice and the creativity and authenticity of all of it, I love love love your videos, you’re amazing and I’m so glad I discovered your channel! 💜

[@clairelmao]

The way I came into this video thinking it would be about the concept of cat ladies 😂😂😂

[@ihavenoideawhatimdoingwith4240]

This is a fantastic video, I absolutely adore it. But when it got into the later parts of the video my attention was brought away by the Angels of Death Ost in the background. A fitting choice of music for a depressing, cathartic game ❤

[@zisaletter4602]

god, the cat lady is so good. what a masterpiece.

[@HoneyBat]

Thanks!! I wish more people knew about The Cat Lady as it's such a beautiful story

[@viniciusfranca4552]

This analysis is really good, just found a new channel to binge watch

[@Farah456]

This is a very well put-together analysis! A lot of it mirrors my own feelings on this incredible game. It's always really nice to see people talk about The Cat Lady and I would love to hear your thoughts on Downfall and Lorelai as well. Overall, loved the video. You got yourself a new subscriber.

[@HoneyBat]

Thank you so much for subscribing!! I haven't actually gotten around to finishing Lorelai yet as my laptop won't run it so I have to play on my partner's PC. I really want to look further into The Queen of Maggots through line in the series one day but I have to see how it ends first hahaha As for Downfall, Agnes is a ray of sunshine and I love her, but I don't have much to say about the game as a whole. I really enjoyed playing it but, it seems a lot more straight forward than TCL? Which is odd considering it's presented a far weirder, fantastical way but it feels a lot more it is what you see kind of story. I'd need to find a thread to pull at and unpick.... Maybe time to replay ^.^

[@Farah456]

@@HoneyBat I completely understand that, my old PC also didn't run Lorelai (or rather, it ran it in super slow-motion) so I'm also only playing it now. I would still love to see a video about the Queen of Maggots, but so far I'm not really enjoying how she is portrayed in Lorelai. I won't spoil it for you in case you haven't gotten very far into the game but, if my interpretation of her character in that game is correct, it is miles away from my personal interpretation of what/who she is in TCL and even Downfall and I'm not really liking it as much. Agnes is just the best! I actually think Downfall is much more complicated story-wise than TCL precisely because of its fantastical presentation. The endings and characters seem miles away from what little we saw of Joe and Ivy in TCL so it made it a little more confusing for me. The themes of psychosis and EDs in the game really resonate with me for many reasons though, and maybe there might be something there to analyse. Just food for thought :) But I understand if you don't feel like doing a video about it. I do very much enjoy Downfall, but I have to admit it's my least favourite game in the trilogy. Keep up the great work!

[@elianbernhardt7704]

This game never really caught my attention, but watching your vid really put me into perspective. Thank you!!

[@jovanivanovic7241]

Good content ages like a fine wine Looking forward to your channel blowing up one day!

[@ChapterTwoLaundromat]

Thank you for making this video. I first played The Cat Lady several years ago, 2016 or thereabouts, and it certainly changed how I see the medium of videogames. I adore that game. I had never thought of it as cathartic, but it very much is. You feel so refreshed after finishing the game, though "refreshing" is an odd description for the story. Thank you for your work.

[@rileytimes]

Absolutely incredible work

[@matusix]

very good analysis, i love that you mentioned capitalism as being harmful to our mental health. I'm so glad I found your channel, loved your insights and I really love the cat lady game 🖤

[@HoneyBat]

Thanks so much!! It's a firm favourite but a tough game to recommend given the themes, but it's honestly an incredible experience I wish more people knew about ^.^

[@geckomeat]

I’ve been waiting for someone to speak about this game, and you have such a wonderful depth and insight to your writing and delivery. I’m glad I was recommended your Bloodborne video, I hope you keep being inspired to write these wonderful essays

[@Vixielicious]

This hit really close to home. I think I need to replay this game again...

[@HoneyBat]

Thank you for watching! It's always a good time to replay The Cat Lady; I like leaving commentary free walkthroughs on in the background on rainy days whilst crafting stuff.

[@EdenGilad]

I have never been as happy to get completely spoilered on things as with your channel. Fantastic video, and I'll be sure to check out The Cat Lady, it looks amazing. (Honestly just watching a video about it was tough, so I'm dreading / looking forward to actually playing it).

[@josiasramirez4929]

Excelent analysis! I absolutely love The Cat Lady and I'm very impressed by the amount of detail you put on the video. You got a new suscriber :D

[@HoneyBat]

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it! Just finished Burnhouse Lane and kind of want to replay TCL now haha

[@n94-v3o]

Hi, Honey Bat! I thought this video was super fun -- I loved the setup and the detailed look you took at the game! One small thing is the aspect ratio: when I was watching this on my phone, the black bars made it a little hard to focus on the game. Other than that, it was incredibly enjoyable!

[@HoneyBat]

Hi! Thank you, I'm so glad you liked it ^.^ I'll have to make sure I record footage in a better aspect ratio next time, this was my first dip into recording and editing but I know a lot of problems to avoid now. Hopefully the next video should be a lot easier!

[@princeoflight8099]

Thank you for making this video the cat lady has a special place in my heart.

[@a13m34]

It do be like that sometimes

[@SocraTetris]

I watched RPG Minx (now KrinxTV) play this year ago, and it certainly left an impression. Thank you for giving such clarity to the narrative for me!

[@HoneyBat]

Thanks!! I end up replaying it about once a year at this point, I love Susan and Mitzi to pieces ^.^ Especially Susan, seeing her slowly open up and grow is so so good. I never saw Minx's LP but I'll probably give it watch! I used to put the let's play I mentioned in the opening on as a kinda chill thing when I was sad but er...when I was making this a bunch of terrible things came out about him so I didn't really want to drive any traffic to his channel, as even though I think he's left the platform now all of his stuff is still up and monetized. (Also oof, one day I'm probably going to remake this in the right aspect ratio and with better audio balancing etc, I've learned a lot since I did this by mashing all the adobe buttons to see what they did hahaha)

[@micheals1992]

15 minutes in, they've put me on mirtazapine. I'm waiting for an ASD diagnosis but I had a breakdown analysing my own psychology while waiting for the appointment. I've discovered allot about myself from it all though. I find it pretty annoying that people keep telling me I seem better on mirtazapine, I feel numbed and almost zombified. It's made my autistic personality traits less obvious that other people see as a problem. It annoys me that my true self is something others think needs fixing.

[@todd3143]

“his anxiety’s nurtured that seed until it blossoms into his ‘final solution’, ‘gassing’ himself and mitzi in his car” i mean that has to be clever wordplay right?

[@noheterotho179]

Amazing video, really thoughtful and insightful analysis and a great introduction to an incredible game!

[@stevie7174]

i feel like i recognize the background music in this.... are some of these from alice madness returns? such an interesting game. thank you for introducing me to it!

[@HoneyBat]

Yeah! I pretty much always end up using Alice somewhere in every video because the OST is gorgeous! Also the creator has just released a new game that was orignally intended to be a sequel for this one called Burnhouse Lane which I enjoyed a lot. It follows the murdering serial killers pattern but he really leaned more into the slasher aspect this time. There's also a giant cat ^.^

[@mewithyouu]

This is an amazing video!!

[@Cheesecake_666]

This is spectacular.

[@HoneyBat]

Thank you!

[@ltcoloradowriter]

I've known about this game since 2015 with Cryotic's playthrough of it (I know he got canceled for some bad things, The Cat Lady playthrough was WAY before any of that news was out) and I didn't get the messages when I was a young dumb kid.. well since March 8th of this year, I understand now Warning: suicide On March 8th, I had a good day at first, I wake up, I get around then get invited to dinner later in the day by my mom and step dad, I go and we enjoy our day. Everything was fine up until we got home and comfortable. It comes around to 7:30 pm (i can't remember exactly) and my mother runs upstairs with my brother and step dad, she says in a sobbing mess as she drops off my brother "There's been a horrible tragedy in the family, I need to go now" and I'm worried now, asking what "Your cousin just committed suicide" I feel the world shift, I feel the dread roll down my spine and I can feel myself scream at her to get to her sister's house as fast as she can while I bring in my confused special needs brother. It was too late when she got there, there was no chance. My aunt left at 5:30pm and my cousin left the house shortly after. My aunt came back at 6 or something and found her The funeral was this Monday, I can't lie when I say that it hasn't felt like a week since that girl has left this world. What haunts my family the most is the fact of most of us being pentecostal Christians, so we have the belief of being dammed to Hell as soon as one commits a crime agansit themselves like suicide due to life being God's greatest gift. (I do not wish to get into arguments of if it is a crime or not, I merely wished to tell you WHY my family is torn up about the act itself along with the passing of my cousin) I won't lie, since then I've been questioning if God gave us all some miracle ticket we can only cash in once and I can use it to let her into Heaven. I'm finding myself asking if purgatory is real and if she can pay off her "sins" to be saved. I find myself asking if Hell is so bad because how could it be with Helluva Boss or small office spaces? Or could there be a chance for her like in this game, she can make a deal then come back after whoever she had to kill. Sorry for the rant, it's been a blur. It was a fun video to drone out to, I appreciate it. ❤ (Edit was for grammer)

[@baronfang]

Would love to hear your thoughts on Downfall and Lorelai too !

[@HoneyBat]

Hi hi! I've not actually finished Lorelai but it's on my list... my ever-growing list. I'm considering doing something on Downfall in the future but I've not got a topic in mind yet. Once I have an angle I want to talk about it's a likely candidate for a video! Thank you for watching ^.^

[@silverblack25]

This is awesome and I need to play this game

[@HoneyBat]

Thanks so much!! The Cat Lady is a real hidden gem, I can't recommend it enough 💛

[@faceofavictim]

Plllleeeeease make one for down fall this was a great video to watch

[@doodlebrain6594]

Here after watching the bloodborn video

[@hellogoodbye3786]

This channel is cool

[@HoneyBat]

Thanks! I'm really glad you enjoyed the video ^.^

[@thewired5089]

nice vid, I'm suscribing

[@HoneyBat]

Thank you so much!!

[@Kaylakaze]

I don't think the parasite with the flowers is the same guy that had been interested in Susan. She doesn't seem to have any idea who that parasite guy is. I'm surprised that you didn't mention the connection between the animal control couple and Maniac Mansion.

[@Vixielicious]

I don't think that connection fits the theme of catharsis...?

[@Kaylakaze]

@@Vixielicious A lot of what she was saying didn't have anything to do with that. I was thinking more of while she was discussing the trivia involved with them.

[@HoneyBat]

It may be a completely different person but the linking of him with the flowers makes me think that it either IS that same guy or his flowers force Susan to remember that time she was sent flowers so he serves a similar purpose. As he doesn't speak it's hard to tell for sure but he knows where she lives, the same address 10 years later where he sent those flowers, but it could be total coincidence or the Queen pulling strings! And I don't actually know Maniac Mansion so I don't know how well it ties in but that's why I didn't bring it up at any rate haha

[@Kaylakaze]

@@HoneyBat Maniac Mansion is an old Lucas Arts point-and-click adventure game. I suggest trying it out. You'll find it interesting how familiar some of it feels. Susan lampshades it a little when she's on the phone and says something like "These people are maniacs".

[@jeffbrownstain]

Low key stalxed you around the net a little bit... Why do you conceal your eyes in all of your public appearances I've managed to find? 🤔 I'm not sure if it makes me trust you more or less...

[@Yurekacash]

This game increased suicidal ideation for me. I'm disappointed in your affiliation with it.

[@Vixielicious]

YMMV

[@lqg4395]

Lmao the irony of this is, I'm assuming, lost on you or you would not have made this video much less shared it.

[@UnkleSurvivor]

silly little fella, a bundle of worthless secrets 🤭