← Back to Other ProjectsVISUAL REDESIGN / 2023

River Raid -
Star Wars Redesign

All copyrights and original design belong to Activision. This is a non-commercial visual redesign of Carol Shaw’s classic game River Raid.

THE REDESIGNASSEMBLY · STELLA EMULATOR

About the Game

This project is a visual redesign of Carol Shaw’s 1982 Atari 2600 classic River Raid, reimagined with Star Wars inspired visuals. My goal was to explore how aesthetics and pacing could transform the feel of a game while keeping the original mechanics intact.

Redesigned River Raid gameplay with a gray Death Star environment
River Raid gameplay in the redesigned level
River Raid gameplay reference

Design Goal and Challenges

Working in assembly, I adjusted the palette for a Death Star themed look, and modified variables to increase projectile speed and jet steering, I also modified all enemy and player sprites. These changes created a faster gameplay while preserving River Raid’s core loop.

The biggest challenge was working in assembly language, which felt completely different from the workflow I was used to in Unity. Pixel placement was difficult, since every change required adjustments to memory and coordinates, making small visual changes surprisingly tricky at first.

Comparison of original River Raid sprites and Star Wars-inspired replacements
River Raid redesign development reference
Assembly workflow for the River Raid visual redesign

Credits

All Copyright belongs to Activision