Red: A Simple Flash Game

September 15, 2011 11:45 AM

Red is a simple Flash game. Shoot the descending circles. Some are big and slow, some are small and quick. Shoot the power-ups to collect them. Soon you'll have a shield and some auto-turrets to help you clear the screen. But beware: it gets harder and more frantic as the wind increases. How long can you survive? A fun Missile Command/Asteroids hybrid. (Via reddit)
posted by BitterOldPunk (27 comments total)

23 seconds.
posted by DU at 11:52 AM on September 15, 2011

258 seconds.
posted by madcaptenor at 12:01 PM on September 15, 2011

Made it up to the second "boss" circle. Gave up at 236 seconds. Once I realized that I just have to stop the balls from hitting ME, it got much easier :)
posted by antifuse at 12:03 PM on September 15, 2011

Pretty old simple Flash game by now. It was included in the 150 Best Online Flash Games post from October, 2008 (number 72, although they're not ranked as much as grouped). However, the link to the game in that article is dead now.
posted by Curious Artificer at 12:10 PM on September 15, 2011 [5 favorites]

294 seconds, but it felt like a lot longer.
posted by kenko at 12:14 PM on September 15, 2011 [2 favorites]

I stopped after receiving the I bet this is a preview of the weekend for you acheivement ಠ_ಠ
posted by Foci for Analysis at 12:16 PM on September 15, 2011 [1 favorite]

I stopped after receiving the I bet this is a preview of the weekend for you acheivement ಠ_ಠ

HA, awesome!
posted by TheBones at 12:23 PM on September 15, 2011

544 seconds. The side turrets really helped. Mostly used the small shots on oblique angles for lots of bouncing between targets.
posted by skest at 12:28 PM on September 15, 2011

Why don't the balls collide with one another?
posted by tylerkaraszewski at 12:32 PM on September 15, 2011

496 seconds on my second attempt. The side turrents were more of a annoyance - kept pushing the rocks towards me.
posted by Old'n'Busted at 12:36 PM on September 15, 2011

I played for a good while, but unfortunately on my system it seems to freeze every so often. Or at least the screen updates do; the game simulation continues right along, meaning every so often the game stops for about three seconds, then picks up three seconds forward in time. Makes it very hard to play.
posted by JHarris at 12:44 PM on September 15, 2011

I remember finding this a while back and then trying frantically to get a copy of the song... which I did, but my hard drive has crashed since then.
posted by doubleozaphod at 12:47 PM on September 15, 2011

The song is what got me into Koop! Totally not playing this game right now (though I do enjoy it); I wouldn't get any work done for the rest of the day either.
posted by raihan_ at 12:50 PM on September 15, 2011 [1 favorite]

Why don't the balls collide with one another?

Or for that matter, with the GROUND? If they can collide with YOU, how come they just slide past the ground beside you?
posted by antifuse at 1:08 PM on September 15, 2011

Pretty old simple Flash game by now.

Oh. Huh. Well, it's new to me. And I don't think it's been posted here before.

Oh well.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 1:10 PM on September 15, 2011

And now, everything is really bright.
posted by cashman at 1:24 PM on September 15, 2011 [1 favorite]

I lasted 426 seconds. If you shoot the sides of the orbs they move away from you quicker while using less ammunition.
posted by axismundi at 1:34 PM on September 15, 2011

Huh, not doing very well (201 seconds). But once you've played a few games it becomes impossible, it just starts flinging rocks (or whatever) at you that simply won't stop. Lucky to last 15 seconds a game. Have to hit refresh to get a game you can actually play.

Am I just imagining this? It's happened twice.

Let's see if it happens a third time.
posted by lapsangsouchong at 1:34 PM on September 15, 2011

If you shoot the sides of the orbs they move away from you quicker while using less ammunition.

Maybe what's happening is that after I've been wiped out a few times I start just blasting at the centre of the orbs. It's a long time since I played Asteroids.
posted by lapsangsouchong at 1:37 PM on September 15, 2011

Why don't the balls collide with one another?

Jackstrap.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 1:50 PM on September 15, 2011

No, definitely doing it again: after a few games it just starts sending unstoppable orbs right at ya.

The Unstoppable Orbs, performing tonite at Radio City Music Hall!
posted by lapsangsouchong at 1:52 PM on September 15, 2011

574 seconds. Surprisingly deep game Like a real asteroid, it's a lot easier to deflect them at longer range so accurately pinging them on one side at a distance is the most cost-effective way to divert them.

Another surprisingly useful trick is the 7-10 split where you bounce your shots off one side of one and into another next to it so they diverge and pass by on opposite sides of you instead of both hitting you.
posted by Naberius at 2:49 PM on September 15, 2011 [1 favorite]

No, definitely doing it again: after a few games it just starts sending unstoppable orbs right at ya.

The Unstoppable Orbs, performing tonite at Radio City Music Hall!

Same here. Was starting to wonder about my sanity. Then I remembered I could see what others had experienced at Mefi.

Now I'm really wondering about my sanity.

But it's odd - programmer's joke maybe?
posted by emmet at 3:27 PM on September 15, 2011

It's like playing Missile Command with rocks and marshmallows.
posted by gottabefunky at 3:48 PM on September 15, 2011

Eh, the real point of this game is to get second order effects where you hit multiple rocks with the same shot...like Snooker. Otherwise its incredibly easy.

There does seem to be some physics behind it though, which I like.
posted by Chekhovian at 5:33 PM on September 15, 2011

Actually I think the more interesting game mode would involve minimizing ammunition expenditure.
posted by Chekhovian at 7:25 PM on September 15, 2011

477 seconds on my first try. I couldn't get the extra turrets to survive very long, though. They'd inevitably get smacked in a single wave.

Yeah, it seems like it's mostly:

1. Seeing which ones are even a threat vs. non-threats
2. Deflect early, stop shooting when you don't need it
3. Getting bounce shots between multiple balls to preserve ammo

I was surprised at how much the small stream shots actually were useful compared to the big shots.
posted by yeloson at 12:10 AM on September 17, 2011