Katharsis (video game)

Katharsis (aka Blaster!) is a 1997 Polish action game developed by Metropolis Software House and published by CD Projekt.
Production.
Led by Polish developer Adrian Chmielarz, the team aimed to combine classical mechanisms for scrolling shooters with the new technical capabilities of PC computers that had been afforded to developers in the late twentieth century. The Polish premiere of the game took place on March 1, 1997; the game received online and television press and a competition was created. It had a US premiere on June 6, 1997.
Plot and gameplay.
In the year 2616, a ship leaves Earth and 18 months later the planet loses contact with the vessel. In 4720 AD, Earth is attacked by a foreign ship and the player is one of the few survivors. Their mission is to protect a bomb that will be used to destroy the enemy base. The title has classic side-scrolling shooter gameplay.
Critical reception.
"Meristation" praised the graphics and sound as "novel". "The AV Vault" negatively thought the game put more attention into its graphics than its controls. "MerixStudio" felt the game was surprisingly deep, complex and mysterious, and a notable example of Polish developers entering the side-scrolling market.