Heliborne Collection
- October 12, 2017
- Klabater
- 16h median play time
Heliborne Collection includes two games featuring helicopter combat: Heliborne and Heliborne Enhanced Edition. These games let you engage in rotary wing aviation warfare, with a focus on its evolution from the Vietnam conflict to the present day. Experience various helicopters, loadouts, and environments in intense air battles.
Reviews
- Fun and engaging gameplay with a variety of helicopters to unlock and customize.
- Great co-op experience, allowing players to work together to complete objectives.
- Decent graphics and sound design, creating an immersive atmosphere.
- The game is buggy and has performance issues, especially in the Enhanced Edition.
- Limited player base, making it difficult to find matches, particularly in PvP.
- The user interface is confusing and not very intuitive, making navigation challenging.
- gameplay365 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
Gameplay reviews for the game are mixed, highlighting both enjoyable and frustrating elements. Many players appreciate the fun and intuitive flight mechanics, engaging cooperative gameplay, and the variety of helicopters available, while others criticize the repetitive nature of missions, poor graphics, and unoptimized mechanics. Overall, the game offers a blend of arcade-style action and tactical elements, but it suffers from balance issues and a lack of depth in gameplay modes.
“The flight mechanics, for me, are a solid 9/10, so be careful if you modify any of that please; it's already very very very good, possibly the best part of the game is the flight mechanics for me.”
“Gameplay is fun and smooth.”
“Hours of endless gameplay with changing tactics and redefining your role within the overall mission.”
“The gameplay is neither as deep as a helicopter sim, nor as excitingly arcade as Comanche.”
“The entire PvE gameplay revolves around 'go here, shoot rockets at ground targets, do something else over here, drop off troops while getting shot by RPGs.' I would have thought you'd have some AI helicopters and it wouldn't be just going to X and doing Y, but I guess I was thinking too big.”
“Gameplay feels awful, terrible UI and no apparent tutorial for newcomers.”
- graphics296 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting a significant downgrade in quality, particularly after the "enhanced edition" update, which introduced numerous bugs and performance issues. While some users appreciate the helicopter models and certain visual aspects, others criticize the overall aesthetic as outdated and lacking polish, often comparing it unfavorably to other contemporary titles. Overall, the consensus suggests that while the graphics can be enjoyable, they fall short of modern standards and are plagued by optimization problems.
“The graphics are stunning and the gameplay is fun.”
“Great game with good graphics and great gameplay prior to the update, was just lacking in variety.”
“The graphics are beautiful, from the helicopters all the way to the pilots and the soldiers you're toting around.”
“The graphics really aren't that much better and really don't improve on anything.”
“The graphics suck, the mechanics are terrible and there are glitches everywhere.”
“The graphics have been downgraded immensely from just a few days ago, where wrecked vehicles used to have fire and columns of smoke pouring out of them, now all you get is a wreck.”
- story213 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 85 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is minimal, primarily consisting of brief single-player missions that lack depth and coherence, often feeling like a series of disconnected objectives rather than a cohesive narrative. Players generally find the cooperative multiplayer mode more engaging, with dynamically generated missions that offer varied gameplay experiences, though many express a desire for more content and better mission design. Overall, while the PvE missions can be fun and immersive, they often lack a compelling storyline, leaving players wanting more in terms of narrative and mission variety.
“The missions are simple yet fun, getting around the map isn't too tedious, and you get to fly the chopper without having people harass you like they do in Rising Storm 2.”
“In co-op mode, random missions appear where you must, for instance, evacuate troops behind enemy lines or drop supplies on a position, or destroy a convoy. The missions are varied enough for it to not be boring and use the different helicopters to your advantage.”
“The atmosphere flying to a mission objective is cool and brought me into the moment; however, once there, it becomes shooting the squares before they damage me enough.”
“The single player campaign has like 8 quick missions that don't even make sense.”
“It does have a campaign but there is absolutely no reason to play it because you don't get to choose your squadron, the upgrades you take into the mission, or keep any XP that you get, and each mission only has like one objective so they take about 5 minutes to complete.”
“There's no real mission content other than fly here, shoot these guys, land, and fly back.”
- music86 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received largely negative feedback, with many players describing it as generic, repetitive, and poorly suited to the game's themes. While some enjoy the nostalgic feel of era-specific tracks, most recommend muting the in-game music and playing their own playlists instead. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a missed opportunity, with calls for more variety and better integration of thematic music.
“I really will miss blaring '60s/70s era music while evading the Soviets in this game.”
“The music that plays when you are playing is quite immersive in the sense that it leads you to believe you are in an action-packed movie in a warzone like Vietnam.”
“Very fun feels like a movie with the music and the Nam setting.”
“As other reviewers have noted, the music is indeed horrendous - but no matter, just mute.”
“The music... the cheesiest stock music that literally loops a 15-second audio track over and over again (I wish I was kidding).”
“Poor controls, awful graphics for a game released in 2017, terrible sound design and quality, and obnoxious music that sounds like it's from a commercial.”
- grinding74 mentions
- 4 % positive mentions
- 15 % neutral mentions
- 81 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's grinding aspect is generally perceived as minimal and well-balanced, allowing players to progress quickly through the tech tree without the tediousness often associated with similar titles like World of Tanks or War Thunder. Many players appreciate the fair progression system that rewards gameplay without excessive grinding, although some note that certain elements, like the XP system for unlocking helicopters, can still feel grindy at times. In summary, while there is some grinding involved, it is largely considered manageable and enjoyable, making the game accessible for those who prefer a less grind-heavy experience.
“It's not too grindy and the controls make sense.”
“This game is not very grindy at all.”
“Yes, there is a progression system but it is not grindy!”
“The game is designed similar to a War Thunder or World of Tanks type game where you unlock helicopters through a progression tree, but nowhere near as grindy.”
“Was a great game, great to have a quick blast fun in, fly around and blow stuff up, and then they went and added research, turning it into a grinding game, which for a game I paid money for is a bit disappointing as now it's turned into War Thunder helicopter edition.”
“The progression is very fair, requiring some grinding for experience, but not so much that you feel you're making progress or getting bored before reaching your goal.”
- optimization62 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 29 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting severe performance issues, including low frame rates, graphical glitches, and unresponsive controls. The "enhanced edition" has been particularly noted for degrading performance and visuals compared to the original, leading to frustration among users who expected improvements. While some players with high-end systems report decent performance, the consensus is that the game is poorly optimized and often unplayable on lower-end hardware.
“Optimization is also decent (not as good as Verdun/Tannenberg); my potato-class PC can launch the game perfectly.”
“The performance doesn't seem to be an issue, and the game has been running at a constant 60fps for me (I have an i7 and a GeForce 1060).”
“Graphics and optimization are rather solid; the UI could have been better.”
“Klabater forced out an underbaked and overhyped 'enhanced' edition years ago that was and still is plagued with UI issues, server stability issues, graphical and performance issues, and nearly killed off the original game before massive backlash occurred around launch week for the enhanced edition.”
“Still so, the extensive reviews written on the store have made clear that this game is unoptimized (with regards to GPU, no matter what!) with no hope of a fix.”
“That's just bad optimization.”
- stability48 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 92 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, crashes, and performance issues across both the base and enhanced versions. Users describe the experience as laggy and unrefined, with a messy user interface and frequent disconnects, making it difficult to recommend in its current state. While some players find it enjoyable despite the glitches, many advise against purchasing until significant improvements are made.
“The old game may have been on an outdated engine, but it was nearly bug-free and easy for anyone to hop in for a quick game.”
“It runs great both on an onboard AMD Vega and on a dedicated RTX.”
“Stable, no artifacts, no glitches, just great.”
“The new 'enhanced edition' is a bitter disappointment; it's buggy, the user interface is worse than before (which is an accomplishment in its own right) and the graphics + sounds are a disgrace to the game.”
“The game is buggy and unrefined, and updates rarely if ever happen.”
“That said however, the game is an unrefined buggy mess with atrocious hardware optimization and even worse netcode.”
- replayability19 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 26 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers a mix of replayability experiences, with strong single-player and co-op elements that promote teamwork and progression. However, some players note that the limited number of maps and objectives can lead to a decline in replay value after a few hours, particularly in multiplayer modes. Despite these concerns, many find the gameplay enjoyable enough to warrant multiple playthroughs, especially when adjusting difficulty settings.
“It's a great little co-op helicopter arcade game that does a decent job at promoting teamwork and with a good variety of maps and objectives for replayability.”
“This game is quickly rising to become one of my favorite games on Steam for one main reason-- it's basically War Thunder but all about military helicopters with a nice balance of Cold War and modern tech-- all that and tons of single player replayability.”
“Nice, comfy progression, replayable as hell, easy to grasp mechanics.. overall, worth the buy!”
“Maps are limited, and replay value drops after a few hours.”
“The amount of maps to play on is pretty limited, but you can get decent replayability out of them if you set the difficulty parameters accordingly.”
“Multiplayer (and the main focus of the game) shows the most promise but lacks replayability right now.”
- monetization17 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 29 % negative mentions
The game's monetization model is largely praised for its lack of intrusive microtransactions, with most players appreciating that the only available purchases are cosmetic skins sold in bundles. While some users express frustration over the limited content and perceived cash grabs through DLC, the overall sentiment is that the absence of pay-to-win mechanics enhances the gameplay experience. Players value the straightforward purchase model, which minimizes the need for ongoing microtransactions.
“The progression is similar to World of Tanks; however, there are no microtransactions in this game at all.”
“Feels like World of Tanks before it was pay-to-win, and the only microtransactions are skins.”
“Best of all is the fact that there are no microtransactions and 110% no painful grind.”
“And the microtransactions/cosmetic store is cancer, remove that.”
“So originally I gave this game a thumbs down because it had less content and a plethora of DLC helicopter skins which felt like a cash grab to me.”
“- while the microtransactions are just cosmetic and don't involve loot boxes, I really hate that the skins are only sold in bundles.”
- humor5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game's humor to be a highlight, particularly enjoying the absurdity of aerial duels featuring outdated helicopters from the Korean War and the amusing DLC skins, such as police-themed and banana-colored helicopters. While the PvP matches can sometimes be unbalanced and less enjoyable, the addition of new objectives in PvE modes adds a layer of fun and variety. Overall, the game successfully incorporates humor into its gameplay and aesthetics.
“PvP with 1st generation helis from the Korean War is just hilarious, in a good way.”
“- Nice DLC skins, very funny varying from police choppers to banana coloring the famous 'banana choppa'.”
“I think the game is quite funny.”
- atmosphere5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere effectively immerses players in the Vietnam War setting, enhancing the experience during mission flights and combat. While it offers a more arcade-like feel compared to realistic titles like Arma 3, the graphics and overall ambiance contribute to a fun and engaging environment. Players appreciate the blend of intensity and accessibility, making for an enjoyable gameplay experience.
“The atmosphere flying to a mission objective is cool and brought me into the moment.”
“Graphics are great and the atmospherics are nice... for the price, no complaints from me.”
“I need to feel the Vietnam War atmosphere to get in the mood for playing.”
“This certainly ranks up and possibly surpasses the feel of helicopter combat one has while playing Arma 3, giving a blend and an even more arcade-like forgiving sense to one's longevity, but certainly not taking away from a player's mad dog, firebird gunship ability in a helicopter in a more arcade atmosphere.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a mix of distress and appreciation regarding the emotional impact of the game. While some are frustrated by gameplay mechanics that hinder enjoyment, others find the experience to be relaxing and rewarding, particularly valuing the freedom in gameplay choices and the low level of microtransactions. Overall, the emotional responses highlight a desire for improvements alongside recognition of the game's potential for wholesome engagement.
“No game has made me feel like I can choose how I want to go about winning to the scale this one has.”