Netflix film Kate is getting a game next month

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It's a roguelike about defying the Tokyo criminal underworld.

Kate: Collateral Damage
(Image credit: Ludic Studios)

Kate is a Netflix Original about an assassin with 24 hours to live. It traces Kate (because that's the protagonist's name) as she tries to find a cure for a poison she's copped, working to evade the Tokyo criminal underworld along the way. I don't know if it's good or not, but I do know that it's getting a game adaptation in the form of Kate: Collateral Damage.

The isometric, pixel art roguelike is the work of Ludic Studios, they being responsible for the well-received Akane and the forthcoming Wind Runners (which was due in Early 2021 but has gone MIA). Kate: Collateral Damage is described as "a time-attack, action roguelike" and the trailer definitely promises a fast-paced, twitch-oriented shooter, though you can wield knives and katanas as well.

Oh, and like in the film, Kate is gonna die if she doesn't find a way to neutralise the poison. A time bar is constantly depleting, but you can slow it by killing enemies. Go too long without landing some fatal shots and you'll keel over and die. There are other ways to extend the timer as well, and a range of different roguelike style buffs and modifiers. It looks kinda like an isometric Hotline Miami with permadeath.

This isn't the first time a game adaptation for a Netflix series has emerged: there was  Stranger Things 3, which by the way, is now delisted on PC storefronts. Given that Netflix is getting into game development, many assumed that delisting was due to an inevitable Netflix games app, which makes the appearance of Kate on Steam a little puzzling.

Shaun Prescott
Shaun Prescott
Australian Editor

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.