Play S.C.A.T.: Special Cybernetic Attack Team Online

Summary

S.C.A.T.: Special Cybernetic Attack Team (often just called S.C.A.T.) is a side‑view shooter that lets you pilot a cyber‑enhanced soldier through five scrolling stages, each packed with alien hordes and a boss at the end. You can pick Arnold or Sigourney in solo play, and in two‑player mode Arnold and Sigourney team up, their only difference being the color palette. The core of the action is the pair of satellite modules that orbit you by default; press A to lock them in place and they fire in sync with your left‑or‑right shots, giving a satisfying spread that feels like a mini‑turret.

Power‑ups are dropped from containers and are identified by letter icons – a laser, a wide beam, a bomb launcher, a speed boost, and a life recovery. You start with six hit points and, unlike many NES shooters, you can continue indefinitely, which keeps the challenge focused on mastering the satellite positioning and weapon swaps. The Japanese version, Final Mission, swaps the selectable characters for two palette‑shifted soldiers and makes the satellites player‑aligned rather than auto‑orbiting, while the American and European releases tone down the difficulty and strip away the map preview before each stage.

The soundtrack, composed by Kiyohiro Sada, is a standout, and the game’s quirky nods to Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sigourney Weaver – even down to the name changes in the European "Action in New York" edition – add a playful retro charm that still feels fresh today.

Storyline

In the NES title S.C.A.T.: Special Cybernetic Attack Team, commonly referred to as SCAT, the story unfolds in the year 2029. An army of alien invaders has seized Earth, linking the devastated ruins of New York City to their orbiting space station with a massive structure called the Astrotube.

The alien forces are led by the ruthless Vile Malmort, and humanity’s only hope lies with a squad of part‑human, part‑machine soldiers. This elite unit, the Special Cybernetic Attack Team, is assembled specifically to breach the Astrotube and halt the invasion.