How to play Choplifter! online
- Start a game: Z or X
- Take off: wait for the music to end, then press the up arrow
- Fly: arrow keys, including diagonals. Let go of the keys to come down and land.
- Turn the helicopter: X (right button). Each press switches between facing right, facing you and facing left.
- Fire: Z (left button). Facing sideways, you fire the machine gun; facing you, you drop bombs.
- Pause: F4
- New game: F3 (Reset)
- Both the USA (NTSC) and Europe (PAL) cartridges are on this page; use the switch above the emulator.
Gameplay
The Bungelings have captured 64 delegates from a world peace conference and locked them in four prison barracks, 16 in each. Your base, disguised as a post office, sits at the edge of the battlefield. Fly out, shoot open a barracks, then land nearby so the freed hostages can run to the helicopter. It holds up to 16 people. Fly them back and touch down on the landing pad so they can climb out, then head out again.
The mission is split into three sorties, with one helicopter each. The game ends when your third helicopter is lost, or when every hostage has been either rescued or killed. Three counters at the top of the screen show hostages lost, hostages on board and hostages rescued. A perfect game saves all 64.
Three kinds of enemy stand in your way. Tanks aim their turrets at you when you are on or near the ground, and they also shoot hostages as they run. Jet fighters attack with air-to-air missiles. Drone air mines home in on the helicopter and bring it down on contact. Hostages are fragile too: land on them, shoot them, or touch down at a tilt in this 7800 version, and they are crushed as they try to board.
Tips
- Bomb tanks from up high. Turn to face the screen and drop bombs while staying out of their range.
- Dodge missiles. You can shoot them down, but moving out of the way is safer and faster.
- Land flat and to the side. Settle the helicopter level, a little away from the running hostages, so nobody ends up underneath it.
- One barracks per trip. A barracks and your helicopter both hold 16, so a full load usually means emptying one building.
- Clear the area before you open a barracks. Tanks target escaping hostages, so deal with them first.
The story behind Choplifter!
Dan Gorlin wrote Choplifter on an Apple II borrowed from his grandfather, and Broderbund published it in May 1982. Development took about six months. He started by animating the helicopter, then added scenery, tanks and planes, and the hostages came last. His first version was so realistic to fly that Broderbund helped him make it easier. Its film-like presentation even ends with “The End” instead of “Game Over”.
The game was a hit. It was named Computer Game of the Year by Billboard and was converted to many computers and consoles. In 1985 Sega made an arcade version, followed by versions for the Master System and Famicom. The Atari 7800 cartridge was programmed by Ibid, Inc. for Atari Corporation and has more detailed graphics than the early versions. Like the Apple II original, it punishes a sloppy landing. Computer and Video Games magazine scored it 84%.
