Choplifter
Encyclopedia
Choplifter is a 1982 Apple II
game developed by Dan Gorlin
and published by Brøderbund
. It was ported to other home computers and, in 1985, Sega
released a coin-operated arcade game
remake, which in turn received several home ports of its own. While many arcade games have been ported
to home computer
s and consumer consoles
, Choplifter was one of the few games (Lode Runner
is another) to take the reverse route: first appearing on a home system and being ported to the arcade.
In Choplifter, the player assumes the role of a combat helicopter
pilot
. The player attempts to save hostage
s being held in prisoner of war
camps in territory ruled by the evil Bungeling Empire
. The player must collect the hostages and transport them safely to the nearby friendly base, all the while fighting off hostile tank
s and other enemy combatants. According to the backstory, the helicopter parts were smuggled into the country described as "mail sorting equipment."
Although the Iran hostage crisis
ended the year before the game was released, Gorlin has stated "the tie-in with current events was something that never really crossed my mind until we published."
The player rescues the prisoners by first shooting one of the hostage buildings to release them, landing to allow the prisoners to board the sortie
, and returning them to the player's starting point. Each building holds 16 hostages, and 16 passengers can be carried at a time, so several trips must be made. When the chopper is full, no more hostages will attempt to board; they will wave the helicopter off and wait (hopefully) for its return. Usually, each trip back is more risky than the previous one since the enemy is alerted and has deployed a counter-attack.
If the player lands directly on top of a hostage, or completely blocks the building exit, the hostage(s) will be killed. In the Apple II and Atari 7800 versions, hostages will also die if the vehicle is not landed correctly (it is slightly tilted), being crushed as they attempt to board the chopper. While grounded, the helicopter may be attacked by enemy tanks, which it can shoot at only by returning to the air. Also, the enemy scrambles jet fighters which can attack the vehicle in the air with air-to-air missile
s or on the ground with bombs.
Choplifter was ported
to many other home systems of the era. These versions were ports of the original Apple II game, not the later arcade version. These systems include the Atari 5200
, Atari 7800
, Atari 8-bit family
(and a graphically updated version for the Atari XEGS
), ColecoVision
, Commodore 64
, Commodore VIC-20
and MSX
. German
publisher Ariolasoft
published the Europe
an Commodore 64 version.
In 1985, Sega, looking for properties marketable in the west, produced remakes of Choplifter and Pitfall II on their System 8 hardware. Sega's version added scoring elements, music, a fuel gauge, and several new environments including a naval battle, a cave, and futuristic city. This version was also notable at the time for its heavy use of parallax scrolling
.
In 1986, ports of the arcade version back to home versions were developed for the Nintendo Entertainment System
and Sega Master System
. These versions include some gameplay and scoring changes of their own, but use the environments, music, and approximate scoreplay of the arcade remake. The arcade version is listed in the Killer List of Videogames
Top 100 and one of the four best games in 1985.
game, play continues until all three helicopters are destroyed or all prisoners are either rescued or killed. There is no scoring system other than the counters at the top of the screen, which indicate how many of the 64 total hostages have been killed (red), how many are on board the helicopter (blue), and how many have been rescued (green). The best possible result is to rescue all the hostages, for which the game will award you a triple crown, Brøderbund's emblem. The Commodore 64
version is the same.
In the arcade
version, a point system is used, giving points for enemies killed and hostages rescued. Furthermore, the arcade version has only eight hostages per building rather than 16. In order to move from one level to the next, the player must rescue at least 20 hostages (40 in the Sega Master System
version). The arcade version also forces the player to restart a level if too many hostages are killed, but does not restore any helicopters lost. (In the Sega Master System version, this automatically ends the current game in progress.) Another difference in the arcade version is the addition of a fuel meter. This was essentially a time limit because there was only one way to replenish the meter—saving hostages.
The original game provides a safe zone around the player's launch area where the player was largely free from attack. A fence indicates the border between friendly and enemy territory. While the fence is still present in the arcade version, enemy jets will pursue the player's helicopter all the way to his landing pad.
In the original game, a new enemy is added with each trip the player makes. First, the player faces only tanks which are limited to attacking only when the helicopter has landed or is extremely close to the ground. The next trip introduces jet fighters that shoot missiles at the helicopter in the air and bomb it when it's on the ground. The last enemies are "air mines" which attempt to collide with the player's helicopter, and which on the fourth trip gain the ability to shoot. The arcade game has a larger variety of enemies which vary more according to each level's landscape rather than the number of trips the player has made. The most significant of these are anti-aircraft guns which make the arcade version much harder than the original. It retains the tanks and jet fighters, but does not include air mines which follow the player's helicopter. The arcade version also gives the ability, once the helicopter is shot down and while it is falling in flames, to make the hostages jump with parachutes by repeatedly pressing the 'turn' button, these hostages can be rescued again in subsequent sorties and will not count as dead hostages.
The original Apple version (and perhaps other platforms) contains what is arguably a bug: it is possible to create a situation in which the game cannot end. The hostages will run towards the helicopter when it lands. If the helicopter takes off before hostage can board, and lands closer to the base, the hostage will again run towards the helicopter. With repeated "hops," the hostage can be led back to the base; when led within the fence, the hostage will run straight into the base—however, that rescue is not counted. As a result, that hostage will never count as either a rescue or a death, and the game cannot end (except by the destruction of all the helicopters).
Sega also released a pair of spiritual successors without the Choplifter brand, to capitalize on their earlier success:
On the Commodore 64
and the MSX
, games related to Choplifter were Lode Runner
and Raid on Bungeling Bay
, all three games featuring the fictional Bungeling Empire.
In a review by Computer Gaming World
, the graphics and animation were highly praised.
The world record holder, as listed by the 1987 Guinness Book of World Records
, is Charles Collins of Madison, WI., with a score of 1,781,000.
On 17 June 2009, Inxile Entertainment
announced it is working on a remake
to the classic arcade game. This game entitled Choplifter HD
is scheduled for release in North America Q3 2011.
's book The Hunt for Red October
, and the Sonar
man aboard the USS Dallas, Jones, has the high score. In Mario's Picross
, Easy Picross Level 6A is a helicopter similar in appearance to Choplifter. When the puzzle is solved, the caption describes the image as "Choplifter". Web Comic Up Up Down Down created a comic based on Choplifter in 2011.
Apple II series
The Apple II series is a set of 8-bit home computers, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977 with the original Apple II...
game developed by Dan Gorlin
Dan Gorlin
Dan Gorlin is a computer game programmer, designer and founder of Dan Gorlin Productions. He is best known for his 1982 Apple II game Choplifter.-Career:...
and published by Brøderbund
Brøderbund
Brøderbund Software, Inc. was an American maker of computer games, educational software and The Print Shop productivity tools. It was best known as the original creator and publisher of the popular Carmen Sandiego games. The company was founded in Eugene, Oregon, but moved to San Rafael,...
. It was ported to other home computers and, in 1985, Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
released a coin-operated arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
remake, which in turn received several home ports of its own. While many arcade games have been ported
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
to home computer
Home computer
Home computers were a class of microcomputers entering the market in 1977, and becoming increasingly common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single nontechnical user...
s and consumer consoles
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
, Choplifter was one of the few games (Lode Runner
Lode Runner
Lode Runner is a 1983 platform game, first published by Brøderbund. It is one of the first games to include a level editor, a feature that allows players to create their own levels for the game. This feature bolstered the game's popularity, as magazines such as Computer Gaming World held contests...
is another) to take the reverse route: first appearing on a home system and being ported to the arcade.
Overview
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
. The player attempts to save hostage
Hostage
A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
s being held in prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
camps in territory ruled by the evil Bungeling Empire
Bungeling Empire
The Bungeling Empire was a villainous organization that the players were said to be pitted against in several different games created by Brøderbund.-Summary:...
. The player must collect the hostages and transport them safely to the nearby friendly base, all the while fighting off hostile tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
s and other enemy combatants. According to the backstory, the helicopter parts were smuggled into the country described as "mail sorting equipment."
Although the Iran hostage crisis
Iran hostage crisis
The Iran hostage crisis was a diplomatic crisis between Iran and the United States where 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981, after a group of Islamist students and militants took over the American Embassy in Tehran in support of the Iranian...
ended the year before the game was released, Gorlin has stated "the tie-in with current events was something that never really crossed my mind until we published."
Description
The helicopter (named "Hawk-Z" in the Master System version manual) can face three directions: left, right, or forward (facing the player). It may shoot at enemies in any of these directions and need not fly in the same direction it is facing. The forward-facing mode is used primarily to shoot tanks. Care must also be taken to both protect the hostages from enemy fire and not accidentally shoot them oneself.The player rescues the prisoners by first shooting one of the hostage buildings to release them, landing to allow the prisoners to board the sortie
Sortie
Sortie is a term for deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops from a strongpoint. The sortie, whether by one or more aircraft or vessels, usually has a specific mission....
, and returning them to the player's starting point. Each building holds 16 hostages, and 16 passengers can be carried at a time, so several trips must be made. When the chopper is full, no more hostages will attempt to board; they will wave the helicopter off and wait (hopefully) for its return. Usually, each trip back is more risky than the previous one since the enemy is alerted and has deployed a counter-attack.
If the player lands directly on top of a hostage, or completely blocks the building exit, the hostage(s) will be killed. In the Apple II and Atari 7800 versions, hostages will also die if the vehicle is not landed correctly (it is slightly tilted), being crushed as they attempt to board the chopper. While grounded, the helicopter may be attacked by enemy tanks, which it can shoot at only by returning to the air. Also, the enemy scrambles jet fighters which can attack the vehicle in the air with air-to-air missile
Air-to-air missile
An air-to-air missile is a missile fired from an aircraft for the purpose of destroying another aircraft. AAMs are typically powered by one or more rocket motors, usually solid fuelled but sometimes liquid fuelled...
s or on the ground with bombs.
Platforms
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
to many other home systems of the era. These versions were ports of the original Apple II game, not the later arcade version. These systems include the Atari 5200
Atari 5200
The Atari 5200 SuperSystem, commonly known as the Atari 5200, is a video game console that was introduced in 1982 by Atari Inc. as a higher end complementary console for the popular Atari 2600...
, Atari 7800
Atari 7800
The Atari 7800 ProSystem, or simply the Atari 7800, is a video game console re-released by Atari Corporation in January 1986. The original release had occurred two years earlier under Atari Inc. The 7800 had originally been designed to replace Atari Inc.'s Atari 5200 in 1984, but was temporarily...
, Atari 8-bit family
Atari 8-bit family
The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers manufactured from 1979 to 1992. All are based on the MOS Technology 6502 CPU and were the first home computers designed with custom coprocessor chips...
(and a graphically updated version for the Atari XEGS
Atari XEGS
The Atari XE Video Game System is a video game console released by Atari Corporation in 1987. Based on the Atari 65XE computer, the XEGS is compatible with the existing Atari 8-bit computer software library. Additionally, it is able to operate as a stand alone console or full computer with the...
), ColecoVision
ColecoVision
The ColecoVision is Coleco Industries' second generation home video game console which was released in August 1982. The ColecoVision offered arcade-quality graphics and gaming style, and the means to expand the system's basic hardware...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, Commodore VIC-20
Commodore VIC-20
The VIC-20 is an 8-bit home computer which was sold by Commodore Business Machines. The VIC-20 was announced in 1980, roughly three years after Commodore's first personal computer, the PET...
and MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
. German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
publisher Ariolasoft
Ariolasoft
Ariolasoft GmbH, later known as United Software, was a German computer game developer, publisher and distributor. It started as the software subsidiary of Ariola Records...
published the Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an Commodore 64 version.
In 1985, Sega, looking for properties marketable in the west, produced remakes of Choplifter and Pitfall II on their System 8 hardware. Sega's version added scoring elements, music, a fuel gauge, and several new environments including a naval battle, a cave, and futuristic city. This version was also notable at the time for its heavy use of parallax scrolling
Parallax scrolling
Parallax scrolling is a special scrolling technique in computer graphics, popularized in the 1982 arcade game Moon Patrol. In this pseudo-3D technique, background images move by the camera slower than foreground images, creating an illusion of depth in a 2D video game and adding to the immersion...
.
In 1986, ports of the arcade version back to home versions were developed for the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
and Sega Master System
Sega Master System
The is a third-generation video game console that was manufactured and released by Sega in 1985 in Japan , 1986 in North America and 1987 in Europe....
. These versions include some gameplay and scoring changes of their own, but use the environments, music, and approximate scoreplay of the arcade remake. The arcade version is listed in the Killer List of Videogames
Killer List of Videogames
The Killer List of Videogames is a web site featuring an online encyclopedia devoted to cataloging arcade games past and present. It is the video game department of the International Arcade Museum, and has been referred to as "the IMDb for players."....
Top 100 and one of the four best games in 1985.
| System | Year of release |
|---|---|
| Apple II | 1982 |
| Atari 5200 | 1982 |
| Atari 7800 | 1987 |
| Atari 8-bit | 1982 |
| Atari XEGS | 1988 |
| ColecoVision | 1984 |
| Commodore 64 | 1982 |
| Commodore VIC-20 | 1982 |
| NES | 1986 |
| SEGA Master | 1986 |
| MSX | 1982 |
| Arcade | 1985 |
Version differences
In the original Apple IIApple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
game, play continues until all three helicopters are destroyed or all prisoners are either rescued or killed. There is no scoring system other than the counters at the top of the screen, which indicate how many of the 64 total hostages have been killed (red), how many are on board the helicopter (blue), and how many have been rescued (green). The best possible result is to rescue all the hostages, for which the game will award you a triple crown, Brøderbund's emblem. The Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
version is the same.
In the arcade
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
version, a point system is used, giving points for enemies killed and hostages rescued. Furthermore, the arcade version has only eight hostages per building rather than 16. In order to move from one level to the next, the player must rescue at least 20 hostages (40 in the Sega Master System
Sega Master System
The is a third-generation video game console that was manufactured and released by Sega in 1985 in Japan , 1986 in North America and 1987 in Europe....
version). The arcade version also forces the player to restart a level if too many hostages are killed, but does not restore any helicopters lost. (In the Sega Master System version, this automatically ends the current game in progress.) Another difference in the arcade version is the addition of a fuel meter. This was essentially a time limit because there was only one way to replenish the meter—saving hostages.
The original game provides a safe zone around the player's launch area where the player was largely free from attack. A fence indicates the border between friendly and enemy territory. While the fence is still present in the arcade version, enemy jets will pursue the player's helicopter all the way to his landing pad.
In the original game, a new enemy is added with each trip the player makes. First, the player faces only tanks which are limited to attacking only when the helicopter has landed or is extremely close to the ground. The next trip introduces jet fighters that shoot missiles at the helicopter in the air and bomb it when it's on the ground. The last enemies are "air mines" which attempt to collide with the player's helicopter, and which on the fourth trip gain the ability to shoot. The arcade game has a larger variety of enemies which vary more according to each level's landscape rather than the number of trips the player has made. The most significant of these are anti-aircraft guns which make the arcade version much harder than the original. It retains the tanks and jet fighters, but does not include air mines which follow the player's helicopter. The arcade version also gives the ability, once the helicopter is shot down and while it is falling in flames, to make the hostages jump with parachutes by repeatedly pressing the 'turn' button, these hostages can be rescued again in subsequent sorties and will not count as dead hostages.
The original Apple version (and perhaps other platforms) contains what is arguably a bug: it is possible to create a situation in which the game cannot end. The hostages will run towards the helicopter when it lands. If the helicopter takes off before hostage can board, and lands closer to the base, the hostage will again run towards the helicopter. With repeated "hops," the hostage can be led back to the base; when led within the fence, the hostage will run straight into the base—however, that rescue is not counted. As a result, that hostage will never count as either a rescue or a death, and the game cannot end (except by the destruction of all the helicopters).
Reception and legacy
This game was fairly successful and popular, spawning two sequels:- Choplifter IIChoplifter IIis a Shoot-'Em-Up video game, developed by Beam Software and published by Victor Interactive Software, which was released in 1991. It was the first Choplifter title for the Game Boy handheld....
for the Game BoyGame BoyThe , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
(1991), and remade on Game Boy and Game Gear as Choplifter IIIChoplifter IIIis a 1994 Shoot-'Em-Up video game for the Super NES.-Summary:It was released both in North America, Europe and Japan. In Europe, a remake of Choplifter II was released under the same name, and later ported to Game Gear. Despite the confusing name change, these are not conversions of the Super...
in 1994. - Choplifter IIIChoplifter IIIis a 1994 Shoot-'Em-Up video game for the Super NES.-Summary:It was released both in North America, Europe and Japan. In Europe, a remake of Choplifter II was released under the same name, and later ported to Game Gear. Despite the confusing name change, these are not conversions of the Super...
for Super NESSuper Nintendo Entertainment SystemThe Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
, a different game than the handheld games of the same name.
Sega also released a pair of spiritual successors without the Choplifter brand, to capitalize on their earlier success:
- Air RescueAir RescueAir Rescue is a Sega arcade game released in 1992 . A Sega Master System game of the same name was released later in 1992, but had little in common with the arcade version...
(1991) for System 32 hardware was a first-person, pseudo 3D take on the concept. - Air RescueAir RescueAir Rescue is a Sega arcade game released in 1992 . A Sega Master System game of the same name was released later in 1992, but had little in common with the arcade version...
(1992) for Sega Master SystemSega Master SystemThe is a third-generation video game console that was manufactured and released by Sega in 1985 in Japan , 1986 in North America and 1987 in Europe....
more closely resembled classic 2D Choplifter, but had stages that scrolled in all directions.
On the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
and the MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
, games related to Choplifter were Lode Runner
Lode Runner
Lode Runner is a 1983 platform game, first published by Brøderbund. It is one of the first games to include a level editor, a feature that allows players to create their own levels for the game. This feature bolstered the game's popularity, as magazines such as Computer Gaming World held contests...
and Raid on Bungeling Bay
Raid on Bungeling Bay
Raid on Bungeling Bay was the first video game designed by Will Wright. It was published by Brøderbund for the Commodore 64 in 1984 and the NES and MSX computers in 1985...
, all three games featuring the fictional Bungeling Empire.
In a review by Computer Gaming World
Computer Gaming World
Computer Gaming World was a computer game magazine founded in 1981 by Russell Sipe as a bimonthly publication. Early issues were typically 40-50 pages in length, written in a newsletter style, including submissions by game designers such as Joel Billings , Dan Bunten , and Chris Crawford...
, the graphics and animation were highly praised.
The world record holder, as listed by the 1987 Guinness Book of World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
, is Charles Collins of Madison, WI., with a score of 1,781,000.
On 17 June 2009, Inxile Entertainment
InXile Entertainment
inXile Entertainment is a video game developer formed in late 2002 by Brian Fargo, a founder of Interplay Productions...
announced it is working on a remake
Remake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
to the classic arcade game. This game entitled Choplifter HD
Choplifter HD
Choplifter HD is an upcoming game from inXile Entertainment based on the classic Choplifter, and will be released in 2011 for Windows and PlayStation 3.It is scheduled for release in North America Q3 2011....
is scheduled for release in North America Q3 2011.
In popular culture
Choplifter is played by U.S. submarine crew members in Tom ClancyTom Clancy
Thomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. is an American author, best known for his technically detailed espionage, military science, and techno thriller storylines set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, along with video games on which he did not work, but which bear his name for licensing and...
's book The Hunt for Red October
The Hunt for Red October
The Hunt for Red October is a 1984 novel by Tom Clancy. The story follows the intertwined adventures of Soviet submarine captain Marko Aleksandrovich Ramius and CIA analyst Jack Ryan.The novel was originally published by the U.S...
, and the Sonar
Sonar
Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...
man aboard the USS Dallas, Jones, has the high score. In Mario's Picross
Mario's Picross
is the first in a series of Mario themed Picross titles released in the 1990s. It is a collection of nonogram logic puzzles involving a grid with numbers for every row and column, which refer to the amount of marked squares within the grid. The game features Mario as an archaeologist who chisels...
, Easy Picross Level 6A is a helicopter similar in appearance to Choplifter. When the puzzle is solved, the caption describes the image as "Choplifter". Web Comic Up Up Down Down created a comic based on Choplifter in 2011.