River Raid Review

When one talks of the elite games on the Atari 2600, River Raid is usually among those mentioned. Such talk is not without reason. In many ways River Raid is a pioneering game, and an excellent one at that. This game, along with Pitfall, is one of the major reasons people remember Activision when it comes to the Atari 2600. What is it that makes River Raid so great? Read on to find out.

River Raid is a vertical space shooter. You fly a plane and try to take out as many enemy objects as you can without dying or running out of fuel. On a system like the Atari 2600 on which vertical space shooters are quite literally a dime a dozen, what is it that set River Raid apart? For one thing, River Raid is the first one that I am aware of that had a vertically scrolling screen. Secondly, the ability to run out of fuel is something seen in very few Atari 2600 games. The game can be as fast-paced or slow as you want it to be depending on what speed you choose to move your plane at, but there is strategy involved due to the fuel limits, especially as you get farther in the game.

River Raid only contains two game modes, one for a single player and one for two players alternating turns. However, the game itself is engaging enough that multiple game modes are not necessary. The river goes on indefinitely, and the game quite literally lasts as long as the player can. The game is divided into sections, each section ending with a bridge. When the player loses a plane, the game restarts with the next plane, if there is one left, at the point of destruction, except at the end of a section. If you destroy the bridge and then die, you start at the beginning of the next section.

The graphics in this game are quite good and animate well despite the presence of a scrolling screen. The color scheme is very appropriate for the environment the game is trying to convey as well. The sound effects are actually little more than typical vertical space shooter fare, however, although they sound pretty good as well. Overall, everything about the aesthetics in this game reeks of quality.

There is no logical reason for anybody who owns an Atari 2600 to be without this game. If you own the system and do not have a copy of this game, shame on you. Go out and buy it immediately. Despite the lack of game modes, this game has replay value that is virtually unending, so buying it would be a decision you would never regret.