Red Alarm
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| Red Alarm | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | T&E Soft |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Platform(s) | Virtual Boy |
| Release date | 1995 |
| Genre(s) | Shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Kids to Adults (KA) |
- This article is about the video game. For the telephony industry term describing a trunk circuit failure condition, see Digital Signal 1#Connectivity and Alarms.
Red Alarm is a game for the Nintendo Virtual Boy video game console. Released in August 1995 by T&E Soft, it was one of the four titles available at the console's introduction. The game takes place 70 years in the future, where a computer named KAOS threatens to take over the world and destroy mankind. The player's mission is to enter KAOS using a Tech-Wing Fighter plane and destroy it.
The game is set in a full 3-D environment, using wire frame graphics similar to those used in games like Atari's Battlezone and Star Wars arcade games, as well as Starglider and X. The player has extensive control over the plane's movements, using all available buttons on the Virtual Boy's controller. Red Alarm stands out amongst the small crop of titles available for the Virtual Boy as one of the games that makes best use of the controller and 3D effects, and has a slightly smoother frame rate when compared to games like Star Fox on the SNES.
[edit] Controls and Gameplay
Because the Virtual Boy was released prior to the rise in popularity of the analog stick in console video games, the designers of the system implemented dual D-pads for control (for more information see the article on the controller for the system). In this specific game, one D-pad controlled the pitch and rotation of the ship you were piloting, while the other controlled forward, back and strafe movement (in bursts). The 'A' and 'B' buttons controlled speed on a throttle-like setup, where tapping A would cycle forward through the speeds the ship could go, and tapping B would cycle down to stop.
The illusion of 3D that is generated by the Virtual Boy's unique setup gives the player a good sense of their proximity to enemies and objects. Despite the convincing illusion of 3D there are some complications in Red Alarm when it comes to depth perception. Players can become disoriented in the wireframe environment and may bump into walls or other objects, indiscernible from an open area[citation needed]. However, the relatively straight-forward level design mostly alleviates this issue and the game could be described as a rail shooter, despite the player's ability to fly backwards and turn 360 degrees.
The game features some hidden easter eggs in the form of hidden wireframe objects, such as a Virtual Boy unit, a small house occupied by wireframe stick figures, and even a reclining woman wearing a swimsuit. These secrets can be uncovered by shooting certain objects in a stage. While there is no set time limit in a stage, players must complete it before their fuel runs out. Each level ends in a boss encounter (usually inside of an arena). Another interesting feature is the ability to watch a replay of a stage once completed, with the ability to freely rotate and zoom the camera's point of view, which makes for an excellent display of the Virtual Boy's 3D capabilities.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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