Extreme Helicopter, an Addictive Throwback Game
by Paul Wilks
Jun 1, 2011 3:45 PM –
Install
Extreme Helicopter is a clone of a very old gaming idea. Similar in gameplay to classic arcade game Copter, Extreme Helicopter puts you in control of a small helicopter as it navigates its way through a cave. Crash and the game is over, you are scored on the time you survived. The cave gets increasingly narrower and the helicopter speed gets increasingly faster. The gameplay is incredibly simple and challenging, but very 2 dimensional and graphics-lite, but at the same time very addictive.
Price: Free
Tested on: HTC Desire HD
Content Rating: Everyone
Pros & Cons:
Pros
- Addictive gameplay
- Soaring rock soundtrack (not including the Nyan Cat theme music!)
- Easy to play
- Range of themes and helicopters to choose from.
- Very nostalgic.
Cons
- Graphics are very basic, horrible in fact, although the themes enhance this… maybe.
- In a time of breathtaking 3D graphics, the cute simplicity of Extreme Copter might be a bit too retro for some people.
Features:
A long, long time ago, in a decade far, far away- even before Gameboy’s – there was a humble game called Helicopter Game. Extreme Copter is a re-jigged clone of this classic. Using delicate taps on the screen you power a small helicopter through a cave. As the game progresses the cave gets narrower and the speed increases, hence the game becomes more difficult. It’s blindingly simplistic in concept but somehow hits that competitive button in people that thus makes the game addictive.
The gameplay is very easy, it’s just a matter of keeping your finger on the screen long enough to power the helicopter so that you do not hit the roof or floor of the cave. The caves you navigate through wind and contort into different dips and sweeps and the slightest contact will render you crashed. Once this gameplay speeds up you really have to keep your wits about you to avoid a collision.
Do not expect impressive graphics, you will be sorely disappointed. However the developers, while still using the basic Copter premise, have added themes and different types of copters to mix things up a bit. So, you can choose between Lava, Jungle or Simple backdrops. Then you can choose between Realistic or Default helicopter types. These do not alter gameplay, just provide something different to look at. If you are a complete nihilist, try using the Nyan Cat settings. Nyan Cat derives from a website where the music is so cloying, chirpy and twee you can only bear it for so long; the idea is your session on the site is timed and you can tweet you highest time (I lasted 790 seconds). There is even an Android game for it. For some reason, the developers have included this in the game “in order to provide a break from the intensity of the rest of the game”. It’s bizarre, but little children will adore it.
The Nyan Cat theme tune aside, the music in the game comes in the form of a thumping rock track- which isn’t too bad to be honest. You also have realistic helicopter throttle sounds and a devastating crash noise when you eventually hit the cave wall. This adds intensity to the game and is a nice effect.
Watch on Mobile
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Extreme Helicopter – Splash Page
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Extreme Helicopter – Nyan Cat theme, default copter
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Extreme Helicopter – Lava theme, Nyan Cat copter
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Extreme Helicopter – Jungle theme, default copter
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Extreme Helicopter – New high score. Get in.
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Extreme Helicopter – Simple theme, Realistic copter
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Extreme Helicopter – Theme choice
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Extreme Helicopter – Helicopter choice
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Extreme Helicopter – Settings
Fun Factor:
Extreme Helicopter has a genuine retro feel about it, and I had a nostalgic kick of playing old Atari games like this. The game is dated, obviously, and it will probably not be enough fun for some in comparison to the wealth of high-res 3D Android games available today. But if nostalgic glances back at gaming history are you thing, this ticks those boxes.
Addictive:
Without decent graphics, gameplay had to be addictive in those days. The same applies with Extreme Helicopter in that it is very addictive. Individual games are however very short lived so it might not have the re-playability that people get today with newer games.
Graphics:
The graphics are terribly dated- but for many that is the appeal. The developers here have jazzed things up a little bit- there are different themes helicopters to choose from, but focus remains on the simple addictive gameplay rather than lush pixelations.
Accelerometer, Vibration & Sound:
The rock music that chugs along is OK, and the Nyan Cat is novel to say the least. The crash effects (wailing ‘meow’ on Nyan Cat) are OK, as are the little chopper sounds. All very basic but I guess that’s the idea of a retro title.
AndroidTapp.com Rating
Tags:
Android App,
Android Apps,
Android Game,
AndroidTapp.com App Review,
copter,
extreme helicopter,
helicopter,
nostalgia,
nyan cat,
retro
Categorised in: Arcade & Action, Casual
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