Rockin' Kats (NES) Playthrough
190A playthrough of Atlus's 1991 action-platformer for the NES, Rockin' Kats.
As a kid, I was so hyped up about this game. I remember reading the July '91 issue of Nintendo Power over and over to the point where the pages were falling out. The preview of the upcoming Super Nintendo launch was the main draw, but the extensive coverage of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Altered Space, and Rockin' Kats promised plenty of excitement to tide me over in the months leading up to Christmas.
Especially Rockin' Kats. Something about those screenshots had really captured my imagination. Unfortunately, low print runs and moving release dates ensured that all three were virtually impossible to find in stores that summer, and years would pass before I'd finally have the chance to play any of them.
Even though I was late to the party, Rockin' Kats didn't disappoint. It was super colorful and goofy, the extending punch glove was a fun gameplay gimmick, and I really liked the game's use of TV programs as a framing device.
The various gloves are used in all sorts of creative ways in each level, but let me tell you - for as cute and kiddie-friendly as this game looks, it poses a stiff challenge. The gloves can be used to wipe out enemies, to hover jump, to grab and throw items, to latch onto surfaces in order to swing over hazards (like the whip in Super Castlevania IV), and to propel yourself to unreachable spots, and you'll need to learn how to use the gloves to their fullest to stand a chance in the later stages. There are a lot of options at your disposal, and they keep the gameplay feeling fresh across repeated plays.
I always thought that Rockin' Kats was an amusingly corny title for a game, but the name of the Japanese version, NY Nyankies, really takes the cake. "Nyan" is the Japanese equivalent of "meow."
And did you know that Rockin' Kats was the first console game Atlus ever published in the west? Or that it was released as a PlayChoice-10 title? How random is that?
If you like Atlus's license-based NES platformers like Wacky Races and Widget, you'll probably like this one, too. It's a charming platformer that's worth giving some attention.
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