Heli Attack (series)



The Heli Attack series is a series of run-and-gun shooter games created by the company squarecircleco. in which the player takes on the role of a soldier (later a paratrooper) who must use a number of weapons to destroy helicopters, or helis, whilst these enemies simultaneously attempt to kill the player. In the first two games of the series there was only one level and a never-ending wave of helis, with the aim being to destroy as many as possible before the player is killed; in Heli Attack 3, however, there are sixteen different levels and a set number of helis must be destroyed in each to continue through the game.

The original foot game was released by squarecircleco. The game was considered incomplete, partly because it lacked any soundtrack or sound effects. Though the graphical appearance was comparatively primitive by the standards of their later games, foot introduced the theme of a soldier whose aim is to destroy helicopters, a range of increasingly powerful weapons and power-ups that fall from the sky after helis are destroyed, and the yellow bullets of the soldier and the red bullets of the enemy helis. There was only one type of heli present in the entire game and also only one level that ended when the player was killed.

Heli Attack 2
In 2003, squarecircleco. released the follow-up to Heli Attack, Heli Attack 2. Originally intended as an improved version of the first game, Heli Attack 2 proved to be a major evolution in the series. It featured a significantly improved graphical interface, a soundtrack and sound effects, the ability to distort time and use a hyper jump, and a range of thirteen different weapons - eight more than the first game. Heli Attack 2 also introduced some of the more powerful weapons seen in Heli Attack 3, such as the Grapple Cannon and A-Bomb Launcher, as well as five different power-ups - jet pack, time distort, invincibility, TriDamage, and predator mode. However, Heli Attack 2 still only featured one heli and one level with a continuous wave of enemies. In spite of this, the fast-paced and addictive gameplay proved popular and the game won the awards for Miniclip Game of the Year 2003 and Flashkit.com Most Addictive Game of the Year 2003.

Heli Attack 3
Heli Attack 3, released on June 17, 2005, was another major evolution in the series. The player still takes on the role of a soldier but instead of having to destroy a continuous wave of Helis on one level, the player must travel through sixteen different levels set in four different locations, or zones. Furthermore, much like a more conventional video game the player must destroy a set number of Helis to progress to new levels.

In another major change, there is not just one kind of Heli, but four - in earlier levels the helis are comparatively weak with inaccurate and low powered guns. But as the player progresses through the game, they must take on helis which are more difficult to destroy, and with weaponry that can cause considerable damage to their character's health. There are also a number of purely ground based enemies in the game; in early levels these have either weak weapons or none at all, but in later levels their aim is highly accurate and, if ignored, they pose a big threat to the health of the paratrooper.

After all the standard levels are beaten, a never-ending level, reminiscent of Heli Attacks 1 & 2, is unlocked. In this level, Zone X, you must fight the most powerful helicopters until you are killed. This level can always be accessed at any time once the remaining levels are complete, for players who wish to play this game in a Heli Attack 2 manner.