| Red Alarm | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | T&E Soft |
| Publishers | |
| Director | Takeshi Kono |
| Producer | Eiji Yokoyama |
| Programmer | Mitsuto Nagashima |
| Artists | Michiaki Takahashi Shinji Hasegawa Yoshikazu Hiraki |
| Composer | Ken Kojima |
| Platform | Virtual Boy |
| Release | |
| Genre | Shoot 'em up |
| Mode | Single-player |
Red Alarm[a] is a 1995shoot 'em up video game developed byT&E Soft and published byNintendo for theVirtual Boy, Released as alaunch title for the console, it requires the player to pilot aspace fighter and defeat the army of a malevolentartificial intelligence called KAOS. The game takes inspiration from the 1993 titleStar Fox, and it is one of the fewthird-party titles for the Virtual Boy. Unlike most of the console's games,Red Alarm featuresthree-dimensional (3D) polygonal graphics. However, hardware constraints limited the visuals to barewire-frame models, similar to those of the 1980 arcade gameBattlezone. Reviewers characterizedRed Alarm's graphics as confusing, but certain publications praised it as one of the most enjoyable Virtual Boy titles.
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Red Alarm is ashoot 'em up that takes place in athree-dimensional (3D) graphical environment.[1] As aVirtual Boy game, it features a red-and-black color palette andstereoscopic 3D visuals,[1][2] thedepth of which may be adjusted by the player.[3] The game is set during the 21st century, in the aftermath of a 70-yearworld war that led to the establishment of autopian society without weapons. Anartificial intelligence defense system called KAOS, which had been used to end the war, becomes sentient and builds an army to wipe out humanity.[4]
Assuming control of a "Tech-Wing"space fighter, the player seeks to destroy KAOS's forces and finally itsmainframe.[4] The game is broken up into sixlevels,[5] each of which culminates in aboss fight.[4][6] The player uses the Tech-Wing's laser cannons to attack, and its guided missiles to destroy armored enemies. Shields on the craft offer limited protection from enemy fire; evasion is critical.[4] The Tech-Wing may be maneuvered in any direction,[1] and certain levels contain branching corridors and dead ends that force players to retrace their paths. Four camera angles—threethird-person viewpoints and thefirst-person "cockpit view"—are available.[6] When a level is completed, the player may watch areplay of their performance from multiple perspectives.[4]
Red Alarm was published byNintendo and developed byT&E Soft,[7] one of the fewthird-party companies approached to develop for the Virtual Boy. According to the console's creator,Gunpei Yokoi, Nintendo tried to "maintain as much control as possible" over Virtual Boy game development so that low-quality releases by outside companies could be avoided.[8] Although T&E Soft was known for golf video games,[5] the design ofRed Alarm was inspired by that ofStar Fox,[7] arail shooter for theSuper Nintendo Entertainment System. This decision was considered by Patrick Kolan ofIGN to be "a departure for the team".[5] Unlike many Virtual Boy games,Red Alarm features anengine that displays 3D graphics:[2][9] the game world is rendered inwire-frame polygonal visuals similar to those of the 1980 arcade gameBattlezone.[5] Because of the console's limited technology, solid 3D graphics were not viable.[9]
Red Alarm debuted in North America at the 1995 WinterConsumer Electronics Show,[10] and it was confirmed as alaunch game for the Virtual Boy at that year'sElectronic Entertainment Expo.[11] Later that year,Red Alarm and several other titles were released alongside the console,[12] which debuted on July 21 in Japan and August 14 in the United States.[9][13]
Red Alarm was added to theNintendo Classics service on February 17, 2026. The game requires the use of an additional accessory for play, which is used to recreate the stereoscopic 3D effect of the original system. The accessory will be available in two formats: a plastic mount based on the original system, and a cardboard sleeve.[14][15][16]D4 Enterprise owns the rights to the game, having acquired T&E Soft's trademark and intellectual property in 2019.[17]
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| AllGame | 2.5/5[18] |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 7.5/10, 6/10, 7.5/10, 6/10[19] |
| Famitsu | 8/10, 5/10, 7/10, 6/10[20] |
| GameFan | 90/100, 95/100[21] |
| GamePro | 4/5[22] |
| Next Generation | 1/5[23] |
| Total! | 67%[24] |
Writing forWeekly Famicom Tsūshin, Isabella Nagano calledRed Alarm's stereoscopic visuals "amazing", and Sawada Noda recommended the game to all owners of the Virtual Boy. In a more negative review, the publication's Mizu Pin characterized the wire-frame graphics as confusing and frustrating,[20] a criticism echoed by the four reviewers ofElectronic Gaming Monthly.[19] AGamePro writer under thepseudonym "Slo Mo" found the visuals confusing as well, but felt that players could adjust to them.[22] Slo Mo andElectronic Gaming Monthly's Danyon Carpenter and Al Manuel praised the title's control scheme, and the latter magazine's Andrew Baran summarizedRed Alarm as "a nifty show-off game".[19]
The reviewer forNext Generation saw significant promise inRed Alarm, and believed that its elements should add up to "a fantastic game"; but the writer panned the final product as a wasted opportunity.[23] Similarly, Danny Wallace ofTotal! wrote, "On the one hand, it's a pretty impressive 3D spacey shoot-em-up, with a real grip on the Virtual world and all those fancy techniques, and on the other it's an often visually confusing, headache-inducing attempt at being something it's quite obviously not."[24] However,Dave Halverson ofDieHard GameFan calledRed Alarm "a great shooter" with excellent graphics. Co-reviewer Nicholas Barres hailed it as a "masterpiece", and he considered it to be "the one and only reason to buy a Virtual Boy".[21]
A retrospective feature by Australian video game talk showGood Game highlightedRed Alarm as one of the Virtual Boy's most visually impressive games due to its polygonal graphics. The outlet praised it as one of the most entertaining titles on the console.[2] Video game databaseAllGame said that the graphics made it difficult to play, making it too difficult to navigate your ship between the empty polygonal lines while avoiding enemies.[18] The review concluded that the developers "have created a very detailed setting for which to fight in. Walls have faces stretching out of them like a scene fromThe Abyss, there are several interesting bosses to combat, and you'll even hear some speech. Deep down there is a fine shooter that is simply hard to enjoy due to the limitations of the hardware ... and that is truly a shame."[18] In 2008, Kolan called it "a really competent shooter" with strong visuals and gameplay.[5] The following year, Damien McFerran ofRetro Gamer summarizedRed Alarm as "pretty good fun to play", although inferior toStar Fox.[9]Wired's Chris Kohler later opined that the game "kind of sucked".[13]
