Mr. Heli

~ MR. HELI ~

Irem

HuCard

1989

I know that this is a fan favorite and all, but there are quite a few things that I don't like about it. Everyone loves the orange 'copter, but I find him annoying because I hate chubby hit boxes. The primitive graphics are just a small step above NES quality, while the tunes that I've actually noticed are cutesy, twinkly, lullaby-like crap (except for one brief sinister part of the last level's theme, which is cool).

Contrary to what you might expect from an Irem shooter, you can wing your way through almost every part of the game without bothering to memorize anything, as most of the enemies offer very little in the ways of pursuit and resistance. In most places, it's easy enough to flee from your foes if you're low on power, and not a problem to bust them up if you're high. While you're cruising along, you'll just need to keep in mind that there are a couple spots where you can get killed in the blink of an eye if you're not a bit careful.

Although the game does rev up the capabilities of the enemy forces if you're powered up and doing well (a shooter methodology I always call bullshit on), things are easy enough that it's not really much of a concern except in one or two instances. (The fifth mini-boss in particular goes from being a church mouse to a demon if you confront him at full strength.)

The slowdown in spots is atrocious: calling to mind Rayxanber II, there was one time when I was in the fifth underworld with full fire and a lot of enemies about, and the slowdown became so bad that my gun stopped firing. (Thankfully, the ol' Ray II trick of placing the turbo switch in the middle position worked here as well.)

Speaking of the underworlds, is there any point whatsoever to the stupid "find the door in the empty dark room" parts, other than to show the pathetic degree of slowdown a PCE game can exhibit when there aren't even any enemies on the screen?

So I don't like any of that stuff. But I do like what Irem was trying to do with this game. Instead of zooming along in one direction like craft do in most other shooters, your Heli is kind of a "free roamer," able to look around for secrets and blast up rocks to reveal hidden crystals or power-ups (which are bought with the crystals, introducing a wee bit of strategy).

The gameplay does feel okay when you're fluttering about with spread fire and multi-missiles, and it's fun to stumble upon obscured niches in the environments. (Sometimes, you're rewarded for facing and defeating tougher enemies rather than flying away.)

And while we're not talking rocket science here, most of the bosses do demand that you think a little in order to come up with the best method for beating them, and those duels account for the most fun I have with the game.