''Katakis'' is a horizontally scrolling shooter developed for the

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in the Guinness ...

by Rainbow Arts in 1987, and converted to the

Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers introduced by Commodore in 1985. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16- or 32-bit processors, 256 KB or more of RAM, mouse-based GUIs, and significantly improved graphi ...

by Factor 5 in 1988. It was re-released as ''Denaris'' in 1989. The name Katakis has a Greek origin and was found in a phone book in Gütersloh, Germany. The name Denaris was created by a random name generator, and by coincidence, matches a Greek name as well.Katakis on C64-Wiki
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Plot

The game takes place on the planet Katakis, a human colony in deep space. There, scientists developed machinery with advanced artificial intelligence capabilities. However, the machines eventually evolved beyond the control of their human creators and overtook the planet. The humans attempted to retaliate through the use of nuclear ballistic missiles, but the machines survived. The colonists' remaining plan is to use a series of DS-H75 Eagle Fighter space gliders to attack the machines and retake the planet.

Gameplay

Katakis has a very similar theme as the game '' R-Type'', with multiple levels, power-ups and various end-bosses. Players must eliminate enemy opponents to reach various end-bosses. One major innovation is the fact that the two-player mode features the second player controlling the Force module. This creates an unusual play strategy of the attacker and the defender, since the main ship is vulnerable to enemy fire and hazards.

Controversy

Due to the game's obvious similarity to ''R-Type'', rights holder Activision Europe delivered an ultimatum: either Factor 5 accept a contract to perform the official R-Type conversion for the

home computer, or receive a lawsuit for rights infringement. According to Julian Eggebrecht, this was because "Activision couldn't find any programmers" but the opportunity was "a dream come true".

Legacy

Factor 5 released the Amiga version of ''Katakis'' as freeware as follows: In '' Turrican II'' (also designed by Manfred Trenz) there are references to the

version of Katakis. At the end of level 2-2, the main character takes off in a fighter resembling the one from Katakis. During the take-off sequence, the fighter's drone pod can also briefly be seen, hanging from the ceiling. From that point, and for the whole world 3 duration, the game turns from a platform shooter to a scrolling shooter. There is also an easter egg: before level 3-2's end boss, a Katakis bonus container ship appears. If shot down, it reveals a "question mark" (?) bonus (unique in the whole Turrican II game map) that, if picked up, makes a helicopter walker robot appear, towing a banner with "KATAKIS LIVES!!!" written on it. The Super NES video game '' Super Turrican'' is also set on a planet called Katakis.

References

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External links

Katakis Info
an
Denaris Info
a
Amiga Hall of Light

Katakis Free Download
from Factor 5 1987 video games Amiga games Fictional planets IOS games Commodore 64 games Cancelled ZX Spectrum games Horizontally scrolling shooters Science fiction video games Video game clones Video games scored by Chris Huelsbeck Video games developed in Germany Multiplayer and single-player video games Factor 5 games Rainbow Arts games Video games set on fictional planets