A Natsume multidirectional NES shoot'em up with two orbital satellites. Intense action, progressive difficulty, excellent soundtrack. Natsume at its peak. One of the best shooters on the console.
Your verdict
Category
Action1 player12+
Co-op
Description
Top-down shoot-'em-up featuring two cybernetic agents battling an alien invasion in a devastated city. Published by Natsume, released in the USA in 1991. Agents in top-down view with varied weapons and shoulder jets, two-player co-op and imposing bosses. An original and little-known Natsume shooter on NES.
S.C.A.T. - Special Cybernetic Attack Team review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
The character floats weightless with two orbital modules whose position is readable at all times, the central element of the composition. The scenery, ruined cities, organic ships, caverns of flesh, mixes metal and living matter, with bosses built from numerous moving parts that take a large part of the screen.
The writing works the chip in dense layers, mobile bass and continuous countermelody, with themes building in intensity across the stage rather than looping identically. The timbres stay cold, in keeping with the metallic imagery, and the transitions to the confrontations are prepared a few bars in advance.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first minutes"
Addictiveness
"Engaging"
Difficulty
"Difficult"
Lifespan
"Short"
Technical info
💾0,13 MB📅01/09/1991
Published by Natsume
S.C.A.T. - Special Cybernetic Attack Team (NES) price, value & rarity
Natsume's original American NES print run, this 1991 run-and-gun shooter sits among the publisher's late-catalogue releases, shipped in small volume and long ignored before enthusiasts reassessed it. The current value, among the highest in Natsume's library on the system, rests on this genuine period scarcity with no original reissue. Factory-sealed originals climb steeply, sought precisely for their status as a first, never-reprinted pressing.
An underrated gem
In the vein of Contra but launched into the skies, this Natsume run-and-gun sends two jetpack soldiers to gun down alien hordes with swiveling shoulder pods. Released quietly, it was overshadowed by its illustrious models. Spectacular and snappy, it'll thrill fans of muscular two-player action.
Is S.C.A.T. - Special Cybernetic Attack Team still worth playing in 2026?
A top down shooter from Natsume, S.C.A.T. - Special Cybernetic Attack Team sends two flying cybernetic agents to face an alien invasion in a devastated city, equipped with satellite weapon modules that can be aimed to cover all directions. The firing system, the snappy pace, the careful production and the co-op mode evoke the machine's best shmups, in the spirit of Forgotten Worlds. The difficulty stays high. For a retro shooter fan, someone curious about Natsume gems or a collector, the title keeps a remarkable effectiveness and quality.
