Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Katakis establishes itself firmly within the side-scrolling shoot ’em up tradition, drawing clear inspiration from R-Type while carving out its own identity. Players pilot the H-75 Eagle Fighter across 12 increasingly challenging levels, weaving through dense enemy formations and environmental hazards. The core loop revolves around dodging projectiles, blasting foes, and carefully timing power-up collection to bolster your firepower.

(HEY YOU!! We hope you enjoy! We try not to run ads. So basically, this is a very expensive hobby running this site. Please consider joining us for updates, forums, and more. Network w/ us to make some cash or friends while retro gaming, and you can win some free retro games for posting. Okay, carry on 👍)

A notable innovation is the indestructible satellite that follows your ship. This orb can be positioned to shield your fighter or double as a forward-firing weapon, allowing for strategic placement as you traverse each stage. In the Commodore 64 version, the satellite concept is taken further with a co-op mode: one player steers the H-75 while another controls the satellite, creating a cooperative dance of offense and defense.

Power-ups in Katakis range from weapon upgrades to speed boosts, and mastering their use is key to surviving later levels. Each enhancement stacks onto your existing arsenal, meaning that careful preservation of upgrades can turn an overwhelmed fighter into a near-unstoppable war machine. The pacing is relentless but fair, with balanced risk-reward scenarios that encourage replay until you perfect your approach.

The 12 levels themselves offer a varied mix of corridors, open arenas, and wide open vistas. Parallax scrolling backgrounds create the illusion of depth, but Katakis also punctuates its stages with large, memorable boss encounters that test your reflexes and pattern-recognition skills. From the first wave of grunt drones to the final machine fortress, each segment feels distinct yet part of a cohesive whole.

Graphics

On the Commodore 64 hardware, Katakis pushes the system’s graphical capabilities to impressive heights. Backgrounds feature multi-layered parallax scrolling, lending a sense of scale and immersion rare for its era. Against this dynamic backdrop, sprite work remains crisp and well-defined, ensuring that both player and enemy craft stand out clearly amid the onslaught.

The design aesthetic draws heavily from late-’80s sci-fi blockbusters such as Aliens and The Terminator. Aliens-style queen-like mechs skulk in the distance, while skeletal mechanical constructs evoke the relentless march of Terminators. These cinematic references not only spice up the palette and enemy roster, but also imbue each level with a distinct, filmic atmosphere.

Color choices are bold without feeling garish—a critical achievement on a 16-color palette. Explosions burst in bright oranges and reds, contrasted by somber metallic grays of the machinery and deep blacks of outer space. Even in the busiest firefights, visual clarity is maintained, ensuring you can track your satellite, dodge enemy bullets, and line up crucial shots without pixel confusion.

Beyond raw technical achievement, the art direction in Katakis deserves praise for its cohesion. Each world feels thematically unified—icy caverns littered with broken automata transition seamlessly into lava-pocked industrial zones. The bosses themselves are spectacles of scale, often spanning half the screen and demanding full use of power-up mechanics to topple.

Story

Katakis keeps its narrative concise but effective: a once-peaceful planet has been overrun by a ruthless machine army, and only the H-75 Eagle Fighter stands between the mechanical horde and total annihilation. While there’s no branching dialogue or extended cutscenes, brief mission intros and interludes provide enough context to drive your mission forward.

The simplicity of the premise is actually one of the game’s strengths. By focusing on the core conflict—man versus machine—Katakis channels the pulse-pounding tension of its cinematic influences without bogging down the action. This streamlined storytelling allows you to jump straight into the fray, always aware of what you’re fighting for: liberation of the planet and survival against seemingly inexhaustible odds.

Environmental storytelling also plays a role. Wrecked cities, crumbling fortifications, and the eerie silence of abandoned factories all hint at the fallen civilization you’re fighting to reclaim. These visual cues, combined with occasional on-screen text briefings, deliver a sense of progression through a world under siege.

Though the narrative isn’t the game’s main attraction, its structure supports the relentless gameplay loop. You’re always climbing toward the next objective—defeat the boss, destroy the satellite array, liberate the next sector—without unnecessary detours. For fans of story-driven shooters, Katakis offers just enough motivation to keep the adrenaline pumping from start to finish.

Overall Experience

For enthusiasts of retro shoot ’em ups, Katakis stands out as both a technical marvel and a tightly tuned challenge. The combination of precise controls, inventive satellite mechanics, and escalating difficulty curves creates a satisfying risk-reward dynamic. You’ll find yourself replaying early levels to perfect power-up retention and sharpen reflexes before tackling later stages.

The co-op mode—exclusive to the Commodore 64 version—adds significant replay value. Handing satellite control to a friend transforms the experience into a cooperative ballet of dodges and volleys, fostering communication and shared triumph when a treacherous boss finally falls. Even solo players benefit, however, thanks to the intuitive AI movement of the satellite when left to its own devices.

Even decades after its release, Katakis holds up as a compelling slice of shoot-’em-up history. Its blend of cinematic flair, challenging level design, and technical artistry make it a rewarding pick for collectors and newcomers alike. While modern indies have picked up the mantle of retro shooters, few capture the spirit and ingenuity of the original Commodore 64 era as authentically as Katakis does.

Whether you’re drawn by nostalgia or curious about the roots of the genre, Katakis delivers an engaging and enduring experience. Prepare your Eagle Fighter, line up your satellite, and dive into a relentless war machine gauntlet that pays homage to R-Type while carving its own legacy in shoot-’em-up lore.

Retro Replay Score

8.2/10