1984 · Datasoft · Arcade · Racing

Mancopter

Mancopter is a side view horizontal game where the screen scrolls from right to left when you move, as you control your hero flying a primitive helicopter powered by pedal-power for a race over the ocean. You must fly and pass as many other competitors as you can as you try to get from the start-line to a finish-line a long distance away. To fly your helicopter you keep pressing the fire button to stay airborne and press left to move along the screen. If you stop pressing the fire button then you fall downwards towards the water, if you stop pressing left then your momentum keeps you going until you slowly come to a halt. The race is timed and you start with seventy seconds and this decreases as you race but passing buoys gives you forty extra seconds.

Released: 1984
Platforms: Commodore 64 Commodore C64/128/MAX
Genres: Arcade Racing
Developers: Datasoft
Publishers: Datasoft
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Side view
Themes: Action
Country: United States
Languages: English

About

Mancopter is a video game developed by Nichibutsu USA and published by Datasoft for the Commodore 64 in 1984. It was programmed by Scott Spanburg, and the music was composed by John A. Fitzpatrick. The player controls a person piloting a helicopter-like flying device over an ocean competing with computer-controlled pilots.

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The player flies the copter by rapidly pressing the fire button on the joystick. If the player stops pressing the button, or runs into some sort of obstacle, then the copter falls into the sea. For a few of these falls, the player is saved by a whale who surfaces with the copter on its head and allows the player to continue the game. If the player runs out of "Fish," (which can be stolen or recaptured from flying pelicans,) then a Jaws-inspired shark eats the player instead and the game is over.

Reception

Compute!'s Gazette called Mancopter "challenging enough for adults and picturesque enough for children ... The game is challenging and graphically entertaining".