The Hunt for Red October scores 7/10 in the verdict of The Games Market editorial team.
Once Upon a Time
The Hunt for Red October, war in cold and deadly waters for Red October!
by Simon Larocca·July 7, 2025
Che cinema, literature, and video games dialogue with one another is nothing new: nowadays, there is much talk about cross-media projects in which a main story undergoes more than one adaptation across different media, taking on undoubtedly interesting and stimulating connotations.
Is this the case of The Hunt for Red October, a Russian submarine at the center of Tom Clancy’s novel, from which a successful film starring the late Sean Connery was made in 1990.
To tell the truth, The Hunt for Red October had already had video game adaptations a few years earlier, in 1987 to be precise, but it was in 1991 that Nintendo brought it back up from the waters of the past to give it a NES version that is certainly not perfect, however it has the merit, and that is no small thing, of doing justice to the story’s distinctive atmosphere.
Developed by Beam Software, the title is a mix of strategy and side-scrolling shooter, in the best tradition of the 8-bit console: the plot closely follows the story told in the novel and on the big screen, so we will once again see Captain Marko Ramius in command of the technologically advanced experimental submarine Red October, heading toward the United States to deliver the terrible weapon to the enemies of the Russians and defect. We are in the middle of the Cold War, and you can tell right away (we’re being ironic) from the game’s introductory screen: a gigantic hammer and sickle dominates the title, leaving no doubt about the historical backdrop against which the narrated events take place.
The title obviously has us dealing with levels set on the seabed, scattered with traps, depth charges, and enemies who have a single goal: to stop the mutiny of the crew of the Red October and preferably sink the submarine in the most brutal and spectacular ways possible.
The gameplay is mainly based on a balanced combination of stealth side scrolling action (it sounds cool, but basically we’re talking about avoiding traps and firing guided missiles at armed turrets) and managing the resources of the submersible vehicle, thanks to a very detailed hub that reproduces the onboard instrumentation and the radar used to keep an eye on the ocean, which has never been so treacherous.
Il comparto sonoro does not reach memorable peaks and merely accompanies our odyssey through the dangerous sea swells with low, dark notes, while on the graphical level the eight bits of Nintendo’s flagship console offer good quality, guaranteed not only by the development team’s experience (we owe them Days of Thunder and Last Ninja 2, as well as the beautiful Roadblaster), but also by the NES’s performance capabilities: perhaps today it might seem amusing to speak of graphical power in reference to an old-generation console, but at the time the backgrounds and special effects of The Hunt for Red October were considered remarkable.
The artificial intelligence of the numerous moving enemies, mostly submarines similar to yours but smaller, guarantees a decent level of challenge, as do the levels with caves and very narrow tunnels in which we will have to maneuver Red October with skill and millimeter precision, or risk running aground against gigantic and deadly stalactites: if you played Teenage Ninja Turtles for NES and faced the bomb level in the underground waters of New York, then you will understand what we are talking about.
Prendendo le distanze da altri titoli simili, come Silent Hunter o il frenetico In The Hunt targato Irem, The Hunt for Red October focuses on less arcade aspects than the two aforementioned titles and gives us a curious hybrid of strategic action that will keep you busy for quite a few hours.
7
Pro
Faithful adaptation of the 1990 film, with cutscenes that guide the player and set the spy-story atmosphere so beloved by the great Clancy
Underwater levels packed with traps and obstacles to overcome, praise for the developers’ attempt to add variety to an otherwise monotonous setting
Contro
The purely arcade sections are developed very well in some central levels, but there is not a perfect balance when it comes to strategy and action; it could definitely have been done better.
Mi chiamo Simon Larocca, e sono un videogiocatore, collezionista e amante della cultura pop in tutte le sue forme. Vado al cinema ogni volta che posso, leggo da quando porto gli occhiali, quindi da sempre, e ho la passione per lo storytelling in tutte le sue forme, così dirompente da farla diventare una professione. Ma come direbbe Doc di Ritorno al Futuro, non ci sarebbe presente se non si guardasse al passato con rispetto e ammirazione, ed è il Simon bambino di più di trent’anni fa, anno più anno meno.
Simon Larocca
Mi chiamo Simon Larocca, e sono un videogiocatore, collezionista e amante della cultura pop in tutte le sue forme. Vado al cinema ogni volta che posso, leggo da quando porto gli occhiali, quindi da sempre, e ho la passione per lo storytelling in tutte le sue forme, così dirompente da farla diventare una professione. Ma come direbbe Doc di Ritorno al Futuro, non ci sarebbe presente se non si guardasse al passato con rispetto e ammirazione, ed è il Simon bambino di più di trent’anni fa, anno più anno meno.
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