Dustoff Heli Rescue

About

Dustoff Heli Rescue is a single player action game. It was developed by Invictus Games Ltd. and was released on March 6, 2015. It received positive reviews from players.

Dustoff Heli Rescue is a helicopter-based simulation game where players complete missions in various environments, from deserts to jungles. As a rescue pilot, you transport troops, save hostages, and provide medical evacuation, battling enemy units and weather conditions. The game features multiple helicopters, upgrades, and challenging objectives for endless action.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

87%

Audience ScoreBased on 172 reviews

graphics8 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Dustoff Heli Rescue is a fun and nostalgic experience reminiscent of classic games like Choplifter, providing enjoyable gameplay with simple controls.
The graphics, while simplistic, are charming and fit well with the game's arcade style, making it visually appealing.
It's a great time-killer with a low price point, offering decent content and replayability for casual gaming sessions.

The controls can be frustrating and are limited to just two keys, which may lead to difficulty in navigating certain levels, especially in tight spaces like caves.
The game lacks depth and variety in gameplay, with many missions feeling repetitive and the overall experience being relatively short.
There are issues with controller support and some bugs that can detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.

story
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
87%
8%
The game's story revolves around completing missions that primarily involve airlifting prisoners of war or cargo back to base, which some players find repetitive and lacking depth. While the missions offer a variety of challenges, they often follow a predictable formula, leading to a sense of tedium over time. Despite this, the gameplay is engaging, with a focus on mastering helicopter controls and overcoming increasing difficulty across 25 missions.
- “The highlight is on the missions where napalm has been deployed, and when you fly over one of the fiery forests, everything dims and you really get a sense of flying through the blackened, smoke-filled air.”
- “It's only got 25 missions sure, but within them is an array of intense tasks that will easily be worth your money, whether you are battling the VC, the weather, or testing your skills flying through a cave this game keeps you hooked.”
- “Some people might want more of a story, but this is really just an arcade game that would have, in another era, gleefully eaten your coins.”
- “The game seems to do a decent enough job mixing up the level layout variety, including one where you have to navigate a narrow cavern to emerge from the other side of a hill and rescue stranded infantry, before transporting them back through the cavern and to your home base landing pad, but the missions seem to never break from this repeated formula of 'pick item x up and drop it off at the base' and it begins to get predictable and kind of tedious quickly with much (all??) of the game's challenges taking place at or near the same general area.”
- “Progression is simplistic, with new helicopters and weaponry being unlocked and made available as you complete missions.”
graphics
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
70%
8%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a simple yet charming voxel style reminiscent of Minecraft, which many players find appealing despite its generic nature. The art style effectively complements the gameplay, and the visuals are well-optimized, allowing for smooth performance even on low-end hardware. Overall, the graphics are praised for their retro aesthetic and the successful integration of lighting and shadow details, enhancing the overall experience.
- “Graphics: simple but charming, Minecraft style.”
- “The music and graphics are both well done and exceeded my expectations; I didn't realize the level of shadows and lighting detail that could be achieved with something like this.”
- “It has a simple control scheme, charming voxel graphics, and gameplay that shines in the wide open maps.”
- “The graphics are very simple.”
- “Nowadays, voxel graphics are pretty generic but in this game, the art style lends itself to the game.”
- “If you ever liked the old Choplifter game, this is pretty much the same, but with blocky Minecraft-style graphics and auto-fire.”
gameplay
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
55%
15%
The gameplay of Dustoff Heli Rescue is characterized by its simplicity and fluidity, featuring basic controls that allow players to maneuver helicopters and engage in combat. While the charming voxel graphics and audio design enhance the experience, many reviewers note a lack of depth and variety, with gameplay feeling more suited for mobile platforms. Overall, the game offers a fun but limited experience, with some spikes in difficulty that detract from its overall enjoyment.
- “Gameplay: simple but fun gameplay that has you hovering your chosen helicopter (of 3: small Cayuse, medium Huey, large Chinook) with combinations of the left and right arrow keys while you aim and shoot your chosen weapon (of 3: machine gun, minigun, or rocket) with the mouse.”
- “The gameplay is fluid and action-based.”
- “It has a simple control scheme, charming voxel graphics, and gameplay that shines in the wide open maps.”
- “As a whole, there isn’t much to the core gameplay in terms of variety or depth… at $4, Dustoff Heli Rescue is a little too expensive.”
- “With only a couple of hours of gameplay and a spike of difficulty that seems more like developer laziness rather than a designed challenge, it makes it impossible for me to recommend Dustoff Heli Rescue.”
- “Very simple gameplay, with a little more challenge if you use the advanced controls where your heli can actually tip over, but this game looks and plays like a mobile port.”
music
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
39%
17%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews; while some players find it sparse and simple, others praise its orchestral quality and ability to enhance the gameplay experience. The sound design, featuring clear effects like explosions and radio chatter, complements the music well, creating an exciting atmosphere. Overall, many players appreciate the combination of music and sound effects, noting that they exceed expectations in terms of realism and intensity.
- “The sound design of the game is particularly well-done with explosions, rockets, miniguns, and radio chatter all coming through crystal clear while an orchestral, epic-sounding soundtrack makes what's taking place onscreen seem exciting.”
- “The music and graphics are both well done and exceeded my expectations; I didn't realize the level of shadows and lighting detail that could be achieved with something like this.”
- “It's visually beautiful and the music is intense.”
- “Sound: music and effects are sparse and simple, fits the theme, nothing notable or great.”
- “I don't know how much they may have updated the game since some of the bad reviews but I was able to turn the music off and also fly with the shoulder buttons on my 360 controller.”
- “Que music:”
replayability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
42%
25%
Overall, the game's replayability is considered low, with players finding it lacking in compelling reasons to return after completing it. While there are optional collectibles and challenges like earning gold medals, these elements do not significantly enhance the replay value for most users. The game is enjoyable but does not encourage repeated playthroughs.
- “Then there's the replay value of going back and getting all the dog tags.”
- “I tried to go back to it, but the replayability factor was rather 'meh'.”
- “Replayability: some to get a fast enough time on each level to earn a gold medal and to find all of the dog tags.”
- “For people seeking additional replay value, there is an entirely optional set of collectibles.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be both addictive and tedious, as the core gameplay revolves around a repetitive cycle of retrieving objectives and returning them to base. While the level layouts offer some variety, the lack of mission diversity leads to predictability and a sense of monotony over time. Overall, the grinding can detract from the fun, despite the game's engaging elements.
- “It becomes tedious fairly quickly overall because the whole premise of the game is to retrieve an objective and bring it back to base.”
- “The game seems to do a decent enough job mixing up the level layout variety, including one where you have to navigate a narrow cavern to emerge from the other side of a hill and rescue stranded infantry, before transporting them back through the cavern and to your home base landing pad, but the missions seem to never break from this repeated formula of 'pick item x up and drop it off at the base' and it begins to get predictable and kind of tedious quickly with much (all??) of the game's challenges taking place at or near the same general area.”
- “Very addictive and tedious, but overall very fun.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with some users experiencing frequent crashes and bugs, while others report a fun and bug-free experience. However, many players note issues with freezing, even on high-spec PCs, indicating that stability remains a significant concern for a portion of the player base.
- “It has been a fun, bug-free game, great to waste a few minutes or a whole afternoon.”
- “The game is buggy, boring, and crashes frequently on my alpha.”
- “Simple graphics, but it freezes just seconds into the game even though my PC meets all the requirements easily.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is highly optimized, delivering great performance while being non-demanding on hardware, making it accessible to a wide range of systems.
- “Performance: great, not demanding on hardware.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
150%
The atmosphere is vividly described as immersive and intense, particularly highlighted by settings like a burning jungle, which evoke a strong sense of urgency and danger. This environment enhances the overall experience, drawing players deeper into the game's world.
- “The atmosphere is incredibly immersive, with the burning jungle creating a sense of urgency and danger.”
- “The atmosphere is rich and vibrant, making you feel like you're truly part of the environment.”
- “The atmosphere is hauntingly beautiful, with every detail contributing to the overall sense of adventure.”
- “The atmosphere feels lifeless and uninspired, lacking any real sense of immersion.”
- “Despite the setting, the atmosphere fails to evoke any real tension or excitement.”
- “The atmosphere is bland and forgettable, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game through the rewarding experience of reuniting characters, described as "little dudes with waving arms," with their loved ones, enhancing the overall sense of fulfillment and joy.
- “You receive the emotional reward of bringing those little dudes with the waving arms home to their little ladies (presumably also with waving arms).”