Raid 2020

Raid 2020 is an unusual NES action game from Color Dreams, released in 1989. Set in a bleak, futuristic version of America, it places you in the role of a lone fighter moving through dangerous urban environments while trying to survive waves of hostile enemies. Rather than following the familiar side-scrolling platform format, the game uses a top-down perspective, giving its streets and corridors a maze-like quality as you search for a route forward.

Your main weapon is a gun, and much of the action revolves around lining up shots, avoiding enemy attacks, and keeping moving before the screen becomes too crowded. The overhead view allows threats to approach from several directions, so careful positioning matters as much as quick reflexes. Exploration is also important, since progress involves finding your way through the game’s hazardous surroundings instead of simply rushing from one end of a stage to the other.

Raid 2020 has a distinctly raw, low-budget character typical of Color Dreams’ NES releases. Its grim setting, stark presentation, and straightforward shooting make it feel more like a strange relic of late-1980s home gaming than a polished arcade conversion. The challenge can be unforgiving, but that roughness is part of the appeal for players interested in obscure NES software and unconventional action games.

It is best approached as a compact survival-focused shooter with an emphasis on navigation and enemy avoidance. Anyone curious about the more eccentric corners of the NES library can play online on your browser through RetroCloud and experience this rarely discussed Color Dreams title without tracking down original hardware. Whether you remember it from the period or are discovering it for the first time, Raid 2020 offers a memorable glimpse at an alternate vision of futuristic action gaming.