Released in 1984 by Taito and developed by Crux, Gyrodine is a vertically scrolling arcade shooter that puts you in command of a combat helicopter. You fly over land and sea in a continuous, looping campaign, taking out enemy aircraft, bunkers, and tanks. As an early pioneer of the helicopter shooter subgenre, it introduced several distinct mechanics that paved the way for later classics.
How to Play
Use the arrow keys to pilot your helicopter. Uniquely, steering left or right will angle your guns in that direction, allowing you to aim your shots diagonally. Press Z to fire at aerial enemies and X to attack ground targets. Pressing both buttons simultaneously launches a heat-seeking missile. Press 5 to insert a coin and 1 to start the game.
Tips
- Watch your fire: Destroying neutral civilian objects like houses will dock 1,000 points from your score and temporarily increase the difficulty.
- Master the angled fire: Since your helicopter guns tilt as you move horizontally, you can strafe ground targets from a safe diagonal distance without flying directly into their line of fire.
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