Red Alert 3 makes a strong case for a real-time strategy revival

REVIEW: The 2008 game may be a product of when it was released, but regardless, plays surprisingly well on the Steam Deck.

“Your base is (always) under attack”. Source: Steam

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On so many levels, Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 is a relic of its time.

It's a real-time strategy (RTS) game, a genre which has fallen from grace in recent years. That style of game has more or less been replaced by battle arena titles such as Defense of the Ancients (DOTA) and League of Legends.

It's one of a handful of games that leverage full-motion video (FMV) in-game, meaning real actors delivering lines and performances during cutscenes. Remedy's Alan Wake 2 may have brought this back into vogue, but the Command & Conquer franchise is one of the original pioneers of the trend.

It's also a franchise that's been left to die on the vine by EA. Yes, the same studio in the headlines for its questionable decisions with other beloved gaming franchises -- most recently the renaming of blockbuster series FIFA to EA Sports FC.

So why dig it up? I picked it up on Steam during the holidays out of curiosity. More than a decade on from its original release in 2008, it arguably plays better now than it did at launch. While not optimised for the Steam Deck, and still best played with a keyboard and mouse, the machine handles the game with very few dips in frame rate at its highest graphical settings -- something that was quite the feat back at launch. It's arguably aged better than its more popular predecessor, 2000's Red Alert 2. This can also be played on the Steam Deck, but by comparison feels clunkier and slower, a sign of its age.

For those unfamiliar: Red Alert 3 is a game where you mine resources, build a base, train an army then ram said army into your opponent's base. At least, that's the core of it. There are plenty of strategies where you rush a particular build and unit order to cripple your opponent within the first 10 minutes of the game. But really, the best way to play is to go slow, smash one army into another and see what happens.

It's set during the Cold War. After the defeat of the Soviets following the last game, Red Alert 3 asks what would happen if they invented a time machine, went back in time and assassinated Einstein -- who invented the technology that led to their original defeat. The Soviets now come out on top, but in changing the timeline they created The Empire of the Rising Sun. They're a Japanese-inspired faction based on the idea that the US never quelled Japan during World War II. As someone wrote on Steam: It's Russians vs Americans vs Anime.

But what bumps the plot to the next level is that this is all hilariously acted out -- with conviction -- by real-life actors in-game. Tim Curry delivers some meme-worthy performances as the Soviet’s Premier Cherdenko. George Takei -- of Star Trek fame -- plays the Emperor of the Rising Sun.

On that, you may want to skip a few of those cutscenes. Red Alert 3 was released in an era where the standards around how women were portrayed in games was nearing -- if not had already hit -- rock bottom. While there's nothing pornographic, skirts are short, tops are cropped and dialogue is riddled with innuendo. Would it be cancelled by today's standards? Likely.

Moving back to the gameplay: Red Alert 3 adds a few new fundamental aspects to the franchise. As the sillier cousin of the other Command & Conquer games, the units you can build and control are out there. There are Soviet war bears, sonic weapon-wielding dolphins, helicopters that freeze units with a cryobeam and giant war balloons that drop heavy artillery. Oh yeah, and a psychic Japanese schoolgirl. There's no lack of creativity.

All three factions play uniquely and are somewhat balanced, though there are arguments online that the Allied faction -- in a tight competitive setting -- is a little bit overpowered.

Your units also require a lot more micromanagement in Red Alert 3 than prior games in order to succeed. Each unit has a secondary mode that when used correctly and timed well, can turn the tide in combat. Dolphins, for instance, can jump out of the water to avoid attacks. Timed correctly, this can turn a bad skirmish match-up into a surprise victory. The trick, however, is doing this while also managing your base and pumping out reinforcements.

There's also a much clearer focus on naval and aerial warfare in this title than past renditions -- or other games in the RTS genre. Controlling the sea or air can offer a significant strategic advantage that wasn't really realised in past games. Being able to build a base on water is testament to this.

With online support for a nearly two-decade-old game reasonably lacking, Red Alert 3 is best enjoyed through its main campaign. It takes around 35 hours to complete 10 missions apiece across the three major factions. Most of them require a siege mentality: The opponent's base is already built and you need to build up your own -- while defending -- and gradually assault them. But there are some standouts.

One mission has you laying waste to Moscow with a giant kaiju mech while providing air support. Another has you chasing down Kirov airships emerging for hangars disguised as sports stadiums before they can escape the coast of Havana. Then there’s a reverse of Pearl Harbour where Hawaii is controlled by the Japanese and the Allied Nations are attacking the islands. All the levels are based in historically-relevant real life locations. It’s genuinely fun to beat one mission and see where the game will take you next.

You can also engage in skirmishes -- one-off fights -- with computer opponents. But good luck taking on an AI opponent at more than medium difficulty. The AI builds and deploys units so quickly in this game that it puts ChatGPT to shame. On hard, it harasses early and relentlessly, with the goal of wrapping up the game within 10 minutes.

After my time with Red Alert 3, I reckon the RTS genre is really due for a comeback. Especially as the hype around battle arena games — and prize pools for eSports championships tied to them — starts to dissipate. A new indie game in early access, Stormgate, is trying.

Currently, EA is hoarding the Command & Conquer intellectual property, starving its fans of any new releases. Perhaps the one silver lining of the studio's ongoing struggles is that it may encourage them to sell some of its underutilised portfolio. Or at least reinvest in it? But that's wishful thinking. Much like the Cold War it's based on, the Red Alert franchise is likely to remain consigned to the past.

Reviewed on: Steam Deck OLED

Worth trying if you like: StarCraft, League of Legends, DOTA 2, Age of Mythology: Retold.

Available on: Steam, Windows — best played on a PC.