Command & Conquer: Red Alert (2009 video game)

Command & Conquer: Red Alert is a 2.5D real-time strategy video game developed and published by Electronic Arts for iOS. It was released in October 2009 in the App Store.

The game contains two playable factions, Soviets and Allies, which both previously appeared in Command & Conquer: Red Alert and Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 with a third playable faction, the Empire of the Rising Sun from Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, available as an in-app purchase.

Gameplay
Red Alert retains the core real-time strategy mechanics of the Command & Conquer series. Opposing factions harvest resources from ore fields using refineries and then use those resources to construct military bases and forces on-site. The gathering mechanic is streamlined so there are no collector units, only refineries that provide a steady cash flow. Structures form a shallow but wide tech tree with a variety of units and buildings. Units and buildings are selected and moved by tapping on them and on various areas on the battlefield. The camera moves around the battle field by dragging and scrolling on the touchscreen and zooms in and out by pinching the screen.

Players have the choice to choose between two factions, the Soviet Union and the Allies, each faction has its own unique set of units and buildings. Units in the game come from various past and present Red Alert games such as the War Bears and Apollo Fighters from Red Alert 3 as well as Prism Tanks and Apocalypse Tanks from Red Alert 2, the game also comes with its own range of new units which were not present in other Red Alert games. Most buildings retain their designs from Red Alert 2 with the exceptions of certain buildings such as the Allied Tech Lab which uses its Red Alert 3 design while others have completely new designs.

The game has a total of 12 different playable maps in the skirmish mode of the game.

Plot
The game takes place shortly after Red Alert 2: Yuri's Revenge and before the Soviets' defeat at the beginning of Red Alert 3. Thus the second time-travel that took place during Red Alert 3 has not taken place yet, hence the presence of technologies such as Prism Tanks and Towers which were removed in Red Alert 3.

The events in the game lead to the Soviets acquiring time travel technology.

Development
The game was announced for iOS at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009 with a playable demo showcasing the game at the Electronic Arts booth. Further details were revealed in September as well as a flurry of new screenshots showcasing the game. EA has also announced to release an additional multiplayer update for the game at launch so as to enable the multiplayer function in the game to allow players to play with each other over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. EA wanted to release an expansion pack for the game in 2010, to include a new faction, the Empire of the Rising Sun, as well as new units for both the Soviets and the Allies. In August 2015, EA removed the game from the App Store, because it did not update the game to the latest iOS.