Heli-Cats News

Ver 1.1.1 Update Notes:

• Fixed an issue that may cause the game to freeze after training mode ends
  

Hello Heli-Cats players.

I have another game called Pryzm that is currently in Next Fest. It is a survival adventure mystery with turn-based combat and escape parameters that change with every new 1 to 2-hour run, and a visual novel that can be played like a speedrun.

If you've been interested in the genre but are hesitant about the often lengthy time commitment of such text heavy stories, this game might be for you. It is a visual novel for those who normally prefer arcade games.

You can watch a pre-recorded tutorial showing how the game and turn-based combat works throughout the festival.

Try out the demo at the Steam page below. Thank you for your interest!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2725520

Now that we have players entering mission 9 on their own, it is time to reveal the criteria so more of you can do so too. As stated in a previous post, a 1CC at mission 8 guarantees entry.

[h3]The other way to enter mission 9 using continues is by maintaining a cumulative destroy rate of 80% when completing mission 8.[/h3]

Before dismissing this as too difficult, note that many players are already achieving destroy rates above 70%. It is just a matter of being very aggressive and re-aligning a strategy with this goal. It is almost the opposite of doing a safe 1CC run. Players will want to try blowing everything up for this, even if it kills them. Don't go for score. Keep blasting at level 3. Don't hold back. Don't conserve bombs. Just go all out. That's what those credits that have been building up are for.

A few tips to help:

• The destroy rate only counts enemies that can hurt the player helicopter. This includes any attacking enemy or enemy that can be crashed into, such as the small drones. Buildings, trucks etc don't count.
  
• There is no difference in weight for each count. A mission boss counts as 1 enemy destroyed, as does a single weak drone. So these drones are now very important for getting the rate up. Don't let too many slip away!
  
• The mission end rate only displays the rate for that mission. The cumulative rate is based on the total amount of enemies for the whole game, meaning even if players had a lower rate in mission 3 or 6 (missions with a low enemy count), this can made up in the lengthier missions.
  
• Players may want to ignore the clear bonus criteria for mission 3 and simply blow up the entire train to ensure a high rate. Score is not a concern when continuing.
  
• Enemies must be visibly destroyed for them to count. For example, in mission 2, tanks that did not exit the buildings before the structures are blown up are considered missed counts!
  

Upon beating the game past mission 9, the reward offered will change the entire game. See if you can unlock it before that info is posted here. Good luck and good hunting!

If you have Heli-Cats in your wishlist, now is a good time to get the latest version. It has undergone a major rebalancing upgrade and is currently waiting for someone to get the first 1CC!

Heli-Cats's first major update changes the enemy aggression ramp in Arcade Mode. Enemy firepower has been tamed significantly in the earlier missions as follows.

Missions 1 - 3: Enemy shot speed and reload timings have been slowed down greatly.
Missions 4 - 6: The same parameters above have been slowed down moderately.
Missions 7 and above: No change.

[h3]Experienced players may find the earlier missions too easy, but will now have the flexibility to explore riskier strategies while also having more room for error.[/h3]
Even beginners can try staying at level 1 in these missions to see if they can handle it while seeing the score go up a lot more. Achieving a score of 200,000+ in mission 1 is very doable for average players now.

[h3]Cat B's damage output has been increased across all levels.[/h3]
This buff further emphasizes how Cat B's accuracy and speed rewards faster destruction. If you've been using Cat A for the safety of the wide shot, you may want to give Cat B a spin to see the difference. Cat B favors a more methodical play style instead of relying on blind firing.

[h3]The helicopter cockpit now has a glowing effect when active.[/h3]
This change aims to help players learn the hit box of the helicopter and get used to the large area. It should further illustrate that this game does not play like a bullet hell and use of the elevation change is always safer than squeezing through barrages.

Give the new changes a try and see if you can get past your previous wall! Will this update produce the first Arcade Mode 1CC?