About Helicopter Escape
Helicopter Escape fills a grid with helicopters, each at the end of a dashed flight path that twists across the board. You clear the sky one helicopter at a time, and a helicopter can take off only when the line in front of its nose is empty out to the edge of the grid.
Underneath it is Arrow Escape's rule, with four hearts and the same clock, but the boards are its own and they run longer: level 80 takes 86 waves to clear, more than any level in Arrow Escape or Traffic Escape. The 100 levels go from 45 helicopters on 15 × 20 to 240 on 44 × 58. It is free and plays in the browser tab you are reading this in.
Helicopter Escape screenshots
How Helicopter Escape works
A helicopter flies off in the direction its nose points, trailing its dashed path, as long as every cell in a straight line ahead of it is empty up to the edge. Helicopters cannot fly over each other: one sitting anywhere on that line keeps it grounded, and the tap costs one of four hearts. The dashed path behind it is only where it came from.
Tapping a grounded helicopter again is free until another has taken off. Level 2 starts the countdown, which allows four seconds per helicopter and never less than two minutes. When hearts or time run out, a revive puts you back in the air on the same board, or you can start the board over.
How Helicopter Escape gets harder
| Levels | Board | Helicopters | Free at start | Clock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1–10 | 15–35 × 20–49 | 45–156 | 1–6 | none on level 1, then 3:45–10:25 |
| 11–25 | 25–36 × 25–50 | 67–171 | 3–7 | 4:30–11:25 |
| 26–50 | 27–39 × 27–53 | 79–195 | 3–10 | 5:20–13:00 |
| 51–75 | 31–41 × 31–55 | 98–209 | 2–13 | 6:35–14:00 |
| 76–100 | 35–44 × 35–58 | 113–240 | 2–9 | 7:35–16:00 |
- Level 1: 45 helicopters and no countdown.
- Level 2: The countdown starts (3:45), and only one helicopter can move at the start.
- Level 3: The first square grid; squares recur on every third level except multiples of 10.
- Level 10: The first 35 × 49 grid, 156 helicopters; a large grid follows every ten levels.
- Level 80: 86 waves, the longest unwind of the three grid games.
Helicopter Escape strategy
- At the start of level 2 only one helicopter can fly, the one in the bottom right corner facing right. Clearing it lets two more go.
- Sometimes the longest path is the first to go. In level 40 the 42-cell path ending at column 38, row 49 is free from the start and lets three more helicopters move.
- In level 50, after wave 8 only one helicopter in the whole sky can leave: left at column 22, row 44. Find it before tapping around and losing hearts.
- Level 70 has the longest path in the game, 56 cells, with its helicopter at column 6, row 19, yet it is clear by wave 9 of 67, so do not leave it for last.
Helicopter Escape version history
- — This build of Helicopter Escape and its 100 levels went onto the site.
- — An unused advertising placeholder was taken out of the game file at build time.
- — The bare game address now forwards to this page.
- — Revive buttons now read 'Revive' instead of offering an ad; the heart or extra time is given at once.
- — Added support for opening a specific level from a link (?level=N).
Helicopter Escape FAQ
- Can a helicopter fly over another one?
- No. Any helicopter on the straight line ahead of its nose grounds it, however far away. Its own dashed path is never in the way.
- How is it different from Arrow Escape?
- The rule, hearts and clock are the same; the 100 boards are different, and Helicopter Escape's take more waves to clear (up to 86, against 77 in Arrow Escape).
- Why did a helicopter turn grey?
- You tapped it while its line was blocked. The grey marks the one that cost you a heart; it can still fly once its line is clear.
Helicopter Escape details
- Developer
- Jing
- Added
- Levels
- 100 to start, then new boards indefinitely
- Controls
- Tap or click a helicopter; pinch or wheel to zoom in on a crowded sky; drag to pan
