Firehawk
System: NES
Release Date: 1991
Developer: Codemasters
Publisher: Camerica
Genre: Shoot ‘em Up
Save your men from behind enemy lines in a sweet helicopter in Firehawk! The small republic of the Lafian Islands is being threatened by drug barons. America has agreed to help by sending you. You’re the best pilot of the most devastating helicopter gunship there is. There are seven missions between you and saving the day, so get to it!
Missions revolve around collecting missing paras. Before the mission starts, you see an outline of a map with the position of your aircraft carrier and where the men you must save are to be found. Once in the mission, you have a top down view and are in control of the helicopter. You rotate the vehicle with the left and right buttons, accelerate with up, and slow down with down. The helicopter is armed with machine guns with the A Button and bombs with the B Button. Weapons are limited, so you have to be smart with your shooting.
There is a target in front of the gunship that shows your aim and where your bombs will drop. I didn’t start using bombs right away, but you really should. As you blow up enemies and buildings, they sometimes drop powerups. The most important are ammo replenishments and health pickups. However, you can also find weapon upgrades, speed upgrades, and a three way shot.
I found it best practice to destroy everything that I could see and if you destroy all of the enemies on a level, you get a big point bonus. Remember, the goal of every mission is to rescue men behind enemy lines. When you hover over them, the view turns to the side as you drop a ladder and try to pick them up. Enemies come in from the left and right and you have to press the A and B Buttons at the appropriate time to destroy them. If you miss, you get one more chance before you lose a shield.
You can only hold four paras at a time, so you’ll have to make multiple trips back to the ship in later levels. You can’t sit on your laurels, as buildings will spawn tanks, airplanes, helicopters, and even just shoot at you. You get three helicopters, but earn an extra for every 100,000 points you earn.
Graphics: 3.0
I think things look pretty good and the side view portions are impressive.
Sound: 1.5
There is no music during levels, but there are annoying sounds like the alarm when you’re low on health.
Gameplay: 3.0
The helicopter controls well and there are plenty of powerups available to help you be strong.
Difficulty: 3.0
If you take your time, you can avoid enemies, but you can’t be too slow, because vehicles will spawn indefinitely.
Fun Factor: 3.5
I really had a lot of fun with this one, I’d like to play it more.
Overall Rating: 2.8
Firehawk earns a B. This is actually a really fun game that I think everyone should give a chance.