Square's Famicom racing game. 3D-style road, two speed settings, and the collision that sent you flipping.
Rad Racer was developed and published by Square for Famicom in July 1987 — a racing game with a pseudo-3D perspective before Final Fantasy transformed Square's identity. Eight tracks across different environments — desert, city, mountains, Alps — with two car options. Hitting obstacles sent the car flipping dramatically. The game supported the Famicom 3D System accessory for stereoscopic effect. Rad Racer sold approximately 500,000 copies and is one of the few pre-Final Fantasy Square releases remembered fondly.
About this game
Rad Racer is a 1987 racing game developed and published by Square — known in Japan as Highway Star — featuring pseudo-3D perspective racing across eight courses, from American desert highways to European mountain roads. Designed by Hironobu Sakaguchi, programmed by Nasir Gebelli, and scored by Nobuo Uematsu, it was a direct showcase of Square's technical capabilities in the year Final Fantasy was also released. Like its predecessor 3-D WorldRunner, the game supports anaglyph 3D viewing with red-blue glasses, and it was distributed in North America and Europe by Nintendo, giving it an unusually wide international reach for a Square title of the era.
Gallery
The Story Behind
Highway Star arrived in August 1987, just four months before Final Fantasy launched in December. The Sakaguchi–Gebelli–Uematsu trio had already released 3-D WorldRunner earlier the same year, and Highway Star demonstrated their increasing mastery of the Famicom's graphical capabilities. Nintendo's decision to publish and distribute the game internationally — under the Rad Racer name — gave Square a level of visibility in Western markets that few Japanese third-party developers had achieved. The game's smooth pseudo-3D racing with recognisable real-world car models and destinations made it a standout title in the NES racing genre.
Tricks & Tales
Rad Racer's development originated from Square president Masafumi Miyamoto's desire to showcase Nasir Gebelli's 3D programming skills, which Gebelli had developed while making games for the Apple II in the United States. The game was one of the first NES titles to offer an optional 3D mode — pressing Select switched to red-blue anaglyph display, compatible with included or standard paper glasses. Highway Star is sometimes cited as an influence on later racing games for its combination of realistic road environments and accessible arcade-style controls. The Uematsu soundtrack was unusual for a racing game, featuring melodic compositions more reminiscent of his RPG work than typical high-tempo racing fare.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
Released in Japan as Highway Star (August 1987, published by Square) and internationally as Rad Racer (October 1987 NA, January 1988 Europe, published by Nintendo). Content is equivalent across all versions. The name change from Highway Star to Rad Racer reflects Nintendo of America's localization style for the period.
Maintenance Tips
The gold-plated edge connectors on Famicom and NES cartridges pick up skin oils and oxidation over decades — a gentle wipe with a cotton swab dampened in 90% or higher isopropyl alcohol, stroking along the length of the pins rather than across them, is the accepted standard. Let the alcohol fully evaporate before reinserting. The old habit of blowing into a cartridge is folklore: the moisture in breath causes slow corrosion of the contacts over time, and any improvement you felt came from the act of re-seating the cart, not from the breath itself. Nintendo eventually updated its own troubleshooting guidance to say explicitly: do not blow into your Game Paks.
Going deeper
Explore the machine this game ran on, and what to check before you buy or care for one:
What to Watch Out For
Before buying, these are the points worth knowing — from someone who handles original Japanese Rad Racer copies regularly.
Will this Japanese Famicom cartridge work on a North American Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)?
No, not without an adapter. The Famicom uses a 60-pin edge connector while the NES uses a 72-pin connector with a physically different form factor — the two are incompatible at the cartridge slot level. Third-party adapters exist that bridge the pin difference and allow Famicom cartridges to run in a NES. On a Japanese Famicom, NES cartridges face the same incompatibility in reverse. To play Japanese Famicom software, you need a Japanese Famicom, a Famicom-compatible clone console, or a NES fitted with an appropriate adapter.
How should I clean a Famicom cartridge to ensure reliable play?
Apply 90% or higher isopropyl alcohol to a cotton swab and gently wipe the gold-plated PCB edge contacts on the base of the cartridge. Never blow into the cartridge — breath moisture accelerates contact corrosion over time. If cleaning is needed inside, Famicom cartridges use 3.8mm security game bit screws (not standard Phillips); a security bit screwdriver is required to open the shell without damage. Note that most Famicom boot failures originate in the 60-pin console slot rather than the cartridge itself — cleaning the console slot contacts separately with a contact cleaning tool is often the more effective fix.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy Rad Racer
A short checklist for buying a used Famicom cartridge wisely — useful with any seller, anywhere.
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Choose a seller who tests it before shipping
A copy that has actually been powered on and checked is a known quantity. An untested one is a gamble you only settle after it arrives.
Look for a seller who states it was function-tested and says what they confirmed. A serious seller can tell you exactly what was checked.
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Make sure it fits your console
This is a Japanese Famicom cartridge with a 60-pin connector; a North American NES uses a 72-pin slot, so it will not fit directly.
Play it on a matching Japanese console or a region-free system, and confirm the listing states the region.
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If this title saves your progress, check the battery
Cartridges that save use a small coin-cell battery that fades over decades — a dead one wipes your save without warning.
Ask the seller whether the save function was tested. Replacing the battery is possible, but doing so erases any existing save.
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Check that the contacts are clean
Dirty edge contacts are the most common cause of startup and sound trouble in cartridges of this age.
Choose a seller who cleans the contacts before shipping. A note that it was tested and cleaned means the basics were handled.
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Confirm it is genuine, not a reproduction
Sought-after titles are targets for reproduction boards with replacement labels.
Ask for a photo of the circuit board and look for factory markings. Favour a shop with a licensed second-hand dealer permit (古物商) — by law its stock has a traceable origin, your simplest guard against fakes.
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Read the seller's reviews and return policy
A 100% positive record across thousands of sales is close to a guarantee — packing, communication and problem-solving all work for everyone. A return policy protects you if something is off.
Read the feedback and confirm a clear return window before you buy.
The last step before buying anywhere is knowing what it's worth.
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Rooms this game lives in
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