A rockabilly cat NES action-platformer with a cannon-fist glove. Inventive grappling and swinging mechanics. Overlooked but genuinely charming and well-built. A pleasant catalogue surprise.
Your verdict
Category
Platformer1 player3+
Description
Action platformer featuring Willy the rock cat battling enemies with his grappling hook and toys. Published by Atlus, released in the USA in 1991. Willy in side-scrolling view with a grappling hook to attach and attack, varied enemies and creative bosses. An original Atlus platformer on NES.
Rockin' Kats review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
The cat with the spring-loaded fist moves through an embraced American cartoon world: television studios, amusement parks, cardboard skyscrapers. The extending arm is drawn in clearly visible articulated segments, and its use for swinging transforms the vertical reading of every stage.
The accompaniment leans toward light jazz and rock: bouncing bass lines, syncopated melodies, bright timbres evoking an animated-series title sequence. Each sector gets its own piece, and the writing stays airy to let through the numerous fist and bounce sounds.
The American NTSC NES edition of Rockin' Kats, the Atlus platformer starring a cat with an extendable fist-gun, released late in the US NES cycle. The late print makes it one of the less common Atlus NES NTSC titles, and a complete US cart already takes some patience. Collector interest comes from the relative end-of-generation scarcity and the growing curiosity for pre-SMT/Persona Atlus NES titles, which pulls NTSC demand upward.
An underrated gem
A rocker cat fitted with an extendable fist that doubles as both weapon and grappling hook: this Atlus platformer rests on a mechanic as original as it is fun to master. Quiet at launch, it never found a wide audience. Its singular gameplay and cheerful cartoon vibe will appeal to fans of offbeat platformers.
Is Rockin' Kats still worth playing in 2026?
Rockin' Kats is a rocking cat action platformer on NES with a fist-cannon glove usable as a grappling hook. Inventive swinging and long-range attack mechanics, varied levels and careful Atlus presentation make for an overlooked but truly charming cart. Controls precise, cartoon humour well-balanced. A lovely surprise to discover today.
