The Hunt for Red October (1991). Play Free Online

Summary

I love the way The Hunt for Red October squeezes a full‑blown submarine thriller onto a tiny Game Boy screen. You can choose either Captain Ramius or the convoy commander, which instantly changes the goal: command the Red October or hunt it down.
The game is broken into eight scrolling stages, kicking off in icy Greenland and winding down along the U.S. West Coast. Mid‑run, the fifth level drops a weird surprise—Greek‑style ruins hint at the lost city of Atlantis, a quirky Easter egg for explorers.
Combat is surprisingly deep; you’ll slide between the abyss, use the famed caterpillar drive to glide past enemy vessels, and fire torpedoes in frantic side‑scroll battles. The ending you see depends on who you play and how you finish each mission—there are two happy conclusions and two grim “you‑lost” cutscenes, including a heartbreaking torpedo hit on the Red October.

Storyline

The Hunt for Red October for Game Boy drops you into 1984 aboard the Soviet Typhoon‑Class submarine Red October, commanded by Captain Marko Ramius. Ramius’s goal is to slip past Soviet forces and reach the United States, while a second playable side lets you act as the Soviet Navy convoy commander tasked with sinking the rogue vessel. The game spans eight underwater stages, starting near Greenland and ending on the U.S. West Coast, and challenges you to avoid walls, surface collisions, and hostile ships or aircraft. You can fire torpedoes, guided warheads, and activate the Caterpillar Drive for brief stealth, all while a radar display tracks nearby threats. Each side has its own winning ending, and a loss is shown when the Red October is struck by a torpedo.

Edited by Maya Carter