Megacopter, a sentient helicopter that performs heart-stopping human sacrifices, moves the Strike series away from its militaristic leanings. This is quality B-movie pulp.
Megacopter: Blades of the Goddess
Platform: PC
Developer: Pizza Bear Games
Publisher: Pizza Bear Games
Release date: June 21st, 2024
Availability: Digital
Price: $15.99 via Steam, $13.59 launch discount price
Electronic Arts released some groundbreaking hits long before they started releasing a slew of formulaic blockbusters. The Strike series, which started with 1992’s Desert Strike and ended with 1997’s Nuclear Strike, was one especially well-liked franchise. In all five entries, players were assigned to control a heavily equipped helicopter that was scuttling across a battlefield full of hostile facilities.
Even while the series is most known for its shooting aspects, your firefights had a subdued sense of realism. Gamers have to worry about ammo counts in addition to additional concerns regarding their armor and gasoline. The game’s maps aren’t very detailed, so even while you could use your winch to replenish supplies, you’d still need to keep track of where they are. Few games were able to replicate the excitement and difficulties of the Strike series over the next twenty-five years.
The Pleasures of Round-Robining
Developer Pizza Bear Games is obviously grateful for the license that has expired. Megacopter: Blades of the Goddess, the studio’s debut product, cleverly modernizes many of the classic Strike games while bringing back some of their best features. Therefore, avoiding enemy bullets is made considerably simpler with the alternative dual analog stick control, even though you are still stalking an isometric scrolling terrain. You’ll also need your new evasive skills because opponents will often try to flank you with lock-on missiles and bursts of gunfire.
With endless ammo (albeit with a break for reloading), your chain gun will probably prove to be your vital offensive weapon, just as in the ancient days. Defensive piloting is your top priority, much like in the Strike games. With the ability to fine-tune your aim, the game’s CPU-controlled gunner will allow you to fire at a cursor with an adjustable range. You may quickly become deadly accurate at circle-strafing some of the game’s bullet-spongy targets with a little practice.
You are, quite cleverly, piloting not just any old Apache chopper but a sentient device known as the AZ-TECH that thrives on carnage. Yes, Blades of the Goddess does embrace campiness quite a bit. Although the interactions with your car might make you think of the spotless man-machine duos of Iron Man or Knight Rider, Megacopter is more akin to Audrey’s bloodlust from Little Shop of Horrors. Yes, there is something incredibly menacing about military hardware that begs for destruction. However, the developer mostly uses humor—found in some satirical in-game branding—to prevent things from getting too serious.
Protecting Abominable Monuments
Yes, there are the required missions where you must hunt down important targets, as well as defensive ones. One of the first involves defending a massive statue of the Pizza Bear against waves of enemy lizard men who are attempting to destroy it. In essence, this is similar to a tower defense game in that you are given defensive units to install on the battlefield as enemy processions advance toward the monument. However, Blades of the Goddess does not indicate opponent routes or recommend relocating the turrets to more advantageous positions, so be prepared for some irritation.
And I had that same kind of annoyance during my battle with the first boss. As was to be expected, the battle turned into a flurry of gunfire, and it was challenging to keep track of all the dangers. It was also quite difficult to foresee the patterns of a sweeping laser while up against a massive mutant turtle-brain, particularly when drones were pursuing you and durable battlements were depleting your health. Of course, part of the challenge is deliberate, but things like the cursor merging into a weak spot and a lack of enemy attack cues made it harder than it needed to be. After the tenth try, I was on the verge of giving up.
Reaching the Core of the Issue
However, it’s clear that Pizza Bear Games is considering and acting upon player input. Having your AZ-TECH shot down ended the game abruptly when I started playing on release day. But now, following each depressing defeat, the developer provides two optional modifications. It’s not the only benefit, either. You can enhance the AZ-TECH’s legendary powers by offering human sacrifices at temples dispersed around each area and by obtaining the beating hearts of slain lizardmen. Blades of the Goddess, of course, allows you flexibility between missions if you wish to upgrade your armor, ammunition, and energy weapons that can penetrate armor instead of rockets.
It’s true that you should slog out missions to get pizza tokens so you may purchase upgrades. However, going through the stages again isn’t a painful task. When you approach most missions intelligently, there is a certain amount of autonomy. Enemies are not fixed; enemy positions can be discovered by hacking domed fortifications. Sometimes what you do will increase the level of antagonism, or you’ll have to take out a barrack that keeps making reptile noises.
In summary
If you can look past a few rough elements, Megacopter: Blades of the Goddess is an incredibly engaging action game that allows you to take out hordes of ferocious lizard guys. Right now, the game functions best when the principles of the Strike games are mimicked. Thirty years later, it is still as much fun to scout a crowded battlefield and choose the best method to take out a group of enemy soldiers who are garrisoned.
Blades of the Goddess was played on a megacopter.
PC with the publisher’s review code provided.
Review Overview
Gameplay – 80%
Controls – 75%
Aesthetics – 70%
Content – 75%
Accessibility – 65%
Value – 80%
74%
GOOD
Summary : Megacopter: Blades of the Goddess is a tried-and-true idea that gives players a cutting-edge vehicle that can destroy a battlefield full of enemies. The game occasionally sputters when attempting new features, but it performs best when replicating the excitement of Electronic Arts’ abandoned Strike series.
