Mesa, Arizona – Independent developer Johnny Gentry today is pleased to introduce Helo 1.0 for iOS and OS X, his new arcade game where players control a helicopter and must pick up stranded hikers. Featuring retro-style, 8-bit graphics and animation, the game is deceptively challenging. Players must avoid birds, compensate for winds, and master the delicate up/down and left/right control system to rescue minute animated hikers, stranded on small platforms in mid-air. Helo (pronounced Hee’ low) is tilt controlled on iOS and keyboard controlled on OS X.
With blocky, aliased graphics and animation, Helo takes the player back to the early years of video games, when designers struggled to construct games that would run with limited memory and processing power. The comparative crudeness of those games was tolerated by players, because there was nothing better and because the gameplay was challenging and entertaining. Helo is an homage to those early efforts that established quality of gameplay as the most important factor in video games.
The red helicopter that is controlled by the player is small, maximizing the scale of the airspace. There are only three views of the helo: left, right, and front. Its rotor is a simple 2-blade design, which rotates when airborne. Though the iOS and OS X versions of the game are identical, gameplay is somewhat different owing to the difference in the control systems.
In the iOS version, players control the helo via tilt control. Both up/down and left/right controls are active simultaneously. The game has no sensitivity control, and players will need time to get a feeling for the interface. It should be very simple to control the little helicopter, but it is much more challenging than it appears. Winds are always a danger, as are birds, and collisions with the small platforms and the trees growing on them.
Feature Highlights:
* Retro arcade game featuring a flying helicopter
* Save stranded hikers by picking them up
* Accelerometer-based, tilt control in iOS version
* Keyboard control in OS X version
* Watch out for winds, birds, and obstacles
In the OS X version, players control the helo via the keyboard, using the up/down and left/right arrows. Again, players will need to gradually master the controls to be successful. For example, hovering in place requires periodic taps on the up arrow to maintain equilibrium.
“Helo is the kind of game I was playing when I started as a developer,” commented Johnny Gentry. “I invite everyone who enjoys retro arcade games to try Helo on my website.”
System Requirements:
* Mac OS X 10.5 or later
* 2.5 MB
Device Requirements:
* iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch
* Requires iOS 3.0 or later
* 2.3 MB
Pricing and Availability:
Helo 1.0 for iOS is $0.99 (USD) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Games category. Helo 1.0 for OS X is $0.99 (USD) and available worldwide exclusively through the Mac App Store in the Games category. A free version of the game can be played on the developer’s website. Review copies are available on request.
Johnny Gentry
Helo 1.0
Purchase and Download – OS X
Purchase and Download – iOS
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App Icon
Independent developer Johnny Gentry is based in Mesa, Arizona, and he began iOS development in 2011. As a one-man garage developer, he creates games, music, books, etc. Having been involved in desktop, web, and mobile software development, he now develops vanity projects in his spare time as a hobby. Copyright (C) 2011-2012 Johnny Gentry. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, and iPod are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other trademarks and registered trademarks may be the property of their respective owners.
