Play Hunt for Red October, The Online

I picked up The Hunt for Red October on the NES back in 1991, a game developed by Beam Software. It was one of those many licensed titles from the era, based on the Tom Clancy novel and film, trying to capture a bit of that Cold War tension on a console better known for platformers and action games. It didn't stand out graphically, even then, but it had a specific, almost stubborn ambition to be something different from the usual run-and-gun fare.

You control the Red October itself, a massive Typhoon-class submarine, and your goal is to defect to the United States without being destroyed by the pursuing Soviet fleet. The gameplay is a mix of top-down navigation on a strategic map and first-person periscope and sonar screens for combat. You have to manage your depth, speed, and noise level carefully to avoid detection, then switch views to manually target and fire torpedoes at enemy ships. It's a slow, methodical game that demands patience; a wrong move or a missed shot can lead to a quick, crushing defeat. The feeling of successfully sneaking past a patrol or landing a crucial hit after a long, tense engagement is a genuine relief.