Command & Conquer: Red Alert was one of the earliest computer games I ever played.
That alone probably tells you a lot about how I feel going into this review.
The remastered version* gave me a chance to go back and experience it again (not through fuzzy childhood memories, but as it actually exists today). The surprising part is just how much of it still holds up… and how much of it absolutely doesn’t.
Let’s get into it!
Game Reviewed
A Brief History Lesson
The original game was developed by Westwood Studios, a studio that was way ahead of its time in a lot of ways.
They were eventually acquired by Electronic Arts in 1998. Over time, the Westwood name disappeared entirely, with the studio being fully absorbed and shut down in 2003. Later Command & Conquer titles after that point were no longer true Westwood games, and you can honestly feel that shift if you’ve played enough of the series.
One of the reasons this remaster works so well is because it was developed in collaboration with Petroglyph Games (a studio made up of former Westwood developers). That explains why this feels like a genuine preservation of the original rather than a reinterpretation.
Story – The Ultimate “What If?”
The plot is still one of my favorites in gaming.
Albert Einstein goes back in time and shakes Adolf Hitler’s hand, causing him to disappear from the timeline.
Problem solved, right?
Not even close.
Instead, this creates an alternate timeline where Joseph Stalin rises to power unchecked. It’s basically the gaming version of the “kill baby Hitler” thought experiment mixed with the butterfly effect (and everything turns out worse).
The intro cinematic is still fantastic:
Cinematics – Live Action vs. Early CGI
One of the most interesting things about Red Alert is how it handled cinematics.
The CGI scenes have aged… terribly. There’s really no sugarcoating that. They look exactly like what they are: 30-year-old early 3D graphics.
But the live-action scenes?
They’ve actually held up surprisingly well (other than the resolution is a bit low by today’s standards).
They’re still just as cheesy as they were in the 90s and that’s exactly why they work. Watching Stalin awkwardly strangle a subordinate with his bare hands (in what feels like a pro wrestling chokehold) is just as entertaining now as it was back then:
In hindsight, Westwood leaning so heavily into live action was one of the best decisions they made.
Music – Absolute Classic
The soundtrack by Frank Klepacki is iconic.
I had the original deluxe edition back in the day that came with the soundtrack CD, and I played it constantly. Tracks like “Hell March” are still burned into my brain:
Even now, hearing it kick in during a mission instantly takes me back. A second honorable mention is “Mechanical Man” which is part of the original Command and Conquer soundtrack (also included in the remastered version).
The remastered versions of these tracks are excellent. They modernized them just enough without losing what made them great.
Gameplay – Classic RTS (For Better and Worse)
This is a very early RTS game, and you feel that immediately. Remember, this game is actually older than Starcraft 1. Yes, that’s Starcraft ONE from 1998. This game predates Starcraft.
There is no “attack move” command like modern RTS players are used to. That alone changes how you play quite a bit.
Tips and Tricks
- Use G (Guard Mode) to have units automatically engage enemies nearby
- Use S (Stop) while moving to immediately begin attacking
- Advanced technique: “GQing” (press G, then Q to set a waypoint) to move and engage along a path
- Always keep idle units in Guard Mode
The fog of war behaves differently than modern RTS games. Once you explore an area, it stays revealed permanently (unless jammed). That makes early scouting extremely important.
Micromanagement is also unusually important (and sometimes unintentionally exploitable):
- Moving units take significantly less damage than stationary ones
- Constant movement can drastically reduce incoming damage
- Engineers and medics will run straight into danger if not controlled properly
Use control groups (Ctrl+1, Ctrl+2, etc.) or your support units will happily march to their deaths.
Building straight to the enemy base is quite effective in this game and one of my favorite strategies. In the screenshot above if you look at the radar in the top right you can see that I’ve actually built all the way from my base to theirs with Tesla coils.
AI – The Weakest Part of the Remaster
This is where the game shows its age the most.
The AI:
- Gets stuck frequently
- Struggles with pathfinding
- Rarely uses naval or air units
- Can bottleneck itself (especially on maps like “All That Glitters”)
Even ore trucks can jam themselves if you have too many going to one refinery.
Building additional refineries helps, but it’s still clunky.
Honestly, this is the one area I really wish had been improved in the remaster. It’s very much the original AI, for better or worse.
Secret Missions – Yes, Giant Ants
There’s a hidden set of missions called “It Came From Red Alert.”
It features giant ants.
Yes, really.
To unlock it:
- Hold Shift
- Click the speaker icon on the main menu
It permanently unlocks a hidden menu with the ant missions. Once you’ve unlocked it a single time you will permanently see it in your mission select screen like this:
Until you perform this sequence once you will not see the ant icon in the mission select screen.
This is exactly the kind of weird, experimental bonus content that made older games so much fun.
Multiplayer – Still Alive in 2026
One of the coolest things about the remaster is that multiplayer is alive and well.
There are still active lobbies with players creating and joining games:
That’s honestly incredible for a game of this age.
If you ever got frustrated with the AI (and you will), multiplayer completely changes the experience. Whether you’re doing co-op “comp stomp” matches or playing competitively, it breathes new life into the game.
Graphics – Exactly How You Remember (Not How It Was)
The visual upgrade is huge.
Going back to the original graphics today is… rough. Much rougher than I expected. Here’s a screenshot of the old graphics:
The remastered version, though? Take a look:
It looks exactly like I remember the game looking in the 90s.
That’s the best way I can describe it.
It’s not just sharper. It captures that nostalgic version of the game that existed in your head, not on your old CRT monitor.
Difficulty – Old School Punishing
This is from an era where games were much less forgiving.
Even on Normal difficulty, I found myself saving constantly and reloading when things went wrong.
Some missions are legitimately difficult in ways that would feel out of place in modern games on the same difficulty setting.
You will probably “save scum” at least a few missions. That’s just part of the experience.
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Faithful remaster that respects the original
- Fantastic soundtrack (especially Hell March)
- Live-action cinematics still hold up
- Huge graphical improvement
- Active multiplayer community
Cons
- AI is outdated and often frustrating
- Some gameplay mechanics feel clunky by modern standards
- Difficulty spikes can be unforgiving
Conclusion
I really like Command & Conquer: Remastered. It lets me relive the late 90s with graphics that actually match how I remember the game looking (not how it actually looked).
The involvement of Petroglyph Games (with former Westwood developers) clearly made a difference. This feels like a preservation effort, not just a cash grab remaster.
If you played the original, this is an easy recommendation (especially with multiplayer still active in 2026).
If you came in later with games like Generals and want to see where it all started, this is also absolutely worth your time.
I mostly talked about Red Alert in this review but the remaster does include the original “Command and Conquer” as well with the Brotherhood of Nod vs. the GDI. That’s a great game as well and you get both for under $20.
Just be prepared for some old-school design decisions and an AI that hasn’t aged nearly as well as everything else!
Rating: 9 / 10
