Thunder Helix

Off the bat, for people who are unaware, this game is not a simulator like Classic Elite or the old DOS Flight Sims. It is a very competent and enjoyable arcade style game. The Choppers were easy to control, with each having their own funny little handling quirks, and were extremely enjoyable to mess around with. The levels were fine with objectives being well explained and having a lot of detail, even had enough flair to them to keep me coming back. However, what was not enjoyable was trying to figure out the controls. That’s because this game does not have a tutorial, and it honestly desperately needs one. My first hour with this game was pure frustration and spamming google and Reddit for help. Nothing is explained, be it basic flight controls, weapons, camera controls, nothing. It’s my only gripe with the game, and it could be very easily fixed with a control scheme tab in the pause menu or even button prompts on the hud. A tip for controller players, select will toggle the camera between interior and exterior orbit cam, while holding select and pressing a face button will toggle between several different chase cameras. Would I recommend this game? Yes. If you’re in the market for some dumb fun blowing stuff up with air dropped tactical explosive camels, then go all in. Just be aware that the game isn’t very long in its current state and the controls, though well thought out, are a pain in the rear to figure out on your own.

Fun retro helicopter sim. Runs great on old hardware or through pc emulation services like winlator or gamehub. Look forward to more updates/missions (or maybe a mission editor?), though already fun and playable as it is!

Excellent game. It works so well on Steam Deck. It took some time to click into the controls, but it's normal for me, coming from PC+mouse and all. One small piece of hope for the future - network multi-player. At least LAN 1vs1. It's just a hope, but if there are any such plans, I'd like to encourage it.