Duration: 28:30

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5

I love S.C.A.T. (lol)

Seriously though, very fun little gem for the NES. The NES doesn't have the mighty prolific shmup libraries of the Genesis or PC Engine, but it's got a few good ones and S.C.A.T. is one of them.

The gameplay is pretty straightforward. It's a horizontal/verizontal shooter by Nastume. Everything is good here. Nice upbeat chiptunes, solid presentation as you'd expect from a later (1991) NES title including cool lightening bolt effects, lots of sprites on the screen moving fast, and even a very clear voice over audio when you start the game which is kind of crazy for an 8 bit system!

My one gripe is that your little option thingys rotate automatically and to set them you have to push the button just right when they're in place to set them which can be tricky--especially when there's a lot going on screen. But complaining about that feels like complaining about the stairs in a Castlevania game--it's just part of the mechanics and you need to get good.

Getting good in this game is pretty chill, however. There's only 5 levels with only the last 2 having any real challenge. I practiced the last level a few times, but a good player could probably clear it blind since the game is generous with how many hits you can take.

But yeah, this is just a short and sweet very fun NES game. Give it a try if Gradius and R-Type frustrate you and you wanna work your way up to them. Or if you just appreciate quality NES games.

8.5/10, had fun.