River Raid is a scrolling shooter video game designed and developed by Carol Shaw, and published by Activision in 1982 for the Atari 2600 video game console. Play River Raid online here.
Viewing from a top-down perspective, the player flies a fighter jet over the River of No Return in a raid behind enemy lines.
The player scores points for shooting enemy tankers, helicopters, fuel depots, jets, bridges, and (in non-Atari 2600 versions of the game) hot air balloons. The jet refuels when it flies over a fuel depot. A bridge marks the end of a game level.
Unlike later scrolling shooters, there is little or no enemy fire in River Raid. Also, the player’s jet cannot maneuver up and down the screen, only left and right. It can, however, accelerate and decelerate.
River Raid (Atari 2600) game description
River Raid is a vertically scrolling action game. You fly a jet up a river in an attempt to destroy bridges which are vital to the enemy. The river is heavily guarded, however, with balloons, ships, choppers, and enemy aircraft trying to stop you. Along the way you will need to fly over fuel stations to refuel your jet and keep flying.
The plane is armed with a cannon with unlimited ammo. It can be used to destroy the enemy vehicles and bridges, but a careless player can accidentally destroy a fuel station. Colliding with the riverbanks or with the enemy aircraft destroys your plane and makes you lose a life.
Play River Raid online
You can play River Raid (Atari 2600) online here. Play River Raid online now!
