1980 · Nintendo Research & Development 1 · Arcade · Shooter

Heli Fire

HeliFire is a Nintendo developed and published arcade video game released in America and Japan in 1980. The game gives you the unfortunate task of controlling a submarine that is under fire by a host of helicopters and even marine wildlife. As the submarine, you must dodge the bombs that the helicopters drop as well as the sea creatures and shoot upwards at the oncoming onslaught of enemies, delivering your fire a little ahead of the helicopter so that it connects in time. Interestingly, a version of the game was planned for the Nintendo Entertainment System, though was for whatever reason canceled by Nintendo. The game was presented in both a standard cabinet form and as a tabletop title.

Released: 1 September 1980
Platforms: Arcade
Genres: Arcade Shooter
Developers: Nintendo Research & Development 1
Publishers: Nintendo
Perspective: Side view
Themes: Action Warfare
Country: Japan
Languages: English
Composers: Hirokazu Tanaka

About

Heli Fire is a 1980 fixed shooter video game developed by and published by Nintendo for arcades. Some sources claim that Ikegami Tsushinki also did design work on the game. Similar to Taito's Polaris (1980), players control a submarine and must survive as long as possible against a barrage of enemy attacks from the sea and above.

Heli Fire was manufactured in both upright and cocktail arcade cabinets. It uses color raster graphics on a Sanyo 20-DZC monitor. The game can be played with one player or two players who alternate turns. The sound, provided by Hirokazu Tanaka, consists of one amplified monoural channel.

Keywords

naval

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The submarine can move in eight directions and can defend itself with missiles. While ships and mines attack the submarine from the water, enemy helicopters, which come in four different colors that designate their speed, drop missiles and depth charges at the submarine from the air. Each level consists of three sets of ten helicopters (for a total of 30) which must be destroyed within a specified time limit, or else they start to attack in a "special assault pattern". After a certain number of helicopters are destroyed, the submarine resurfaces, and a native girl dances (called "dancers of the isles") on top of the submarine while bonus points are awarded. After each level, the water level rises, placing the submarine closer to the helicopters and underwater traps.

Reception

According to Florent Gorges' book The History of Nintendo, Heli Fire, "for once, really put the players' skills to the test"; he explained that players had to dodge attacks from the air as well as pay attention to what is in the water in order to avoid ships and mines.