If you had a Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) or Super Nintendo back in the 1990s, then chances are you played one of the Strike games from Electronic Arts. Desert Strike, Jungle Strike and Urban Strike weren’t your typical arcade shooters, they were slower-paced, deliberate and far more strategic. Piloting a variety of combat helicopters, players were tasked with destroying enemy structures, collecting valuable resources, and saving military personnel and civilians. While the series continued into the polygon era with the release of Soviet Strike and Nuclear Strike, it wasn’t long before the once popular retro gaming franchise faded into obscurity, never to be seen again…. until now! Well, sort of. 

Developed by independent studio Pizza Bear Games, Megacopter is a new game inspired by the superb Strike series.

As you can see from the action-packed trailer below, the game features similar gameplay to its 90s forebears, only this time you’re battling giant alien monstrosities instead of fictional human armies.

While the isometric battlegrounds return from the Strike series, the visuals are more stylish and colourful, the enemies are bigger, and the technology is more fantastical.

It also appears to have a pretty robust upgrade system, letting players load up their helicopter with a mixture of standard weaponry and ancient technology.

According to the development team, the game will feature a number of different mission types, from Seek and Destroy to Rescue.

Seek and Destroy missions are said to feature an “escalating threat level as you penetrate enemy lines”, while Choplifter inspired Rescue missions task players with entering danger zones and saving targets.

There are also wave-based defence missions that sound like a challenge, plus classic boss battles against the most powerful enemies.

If that sounds as good to you as it does to me, then you’ll be even happier to discover that Megacopter has just been given a June 21 release date on PC and Mac.

Better yet, you can get a taste of the old-school action by visiting the game’s Steam page and downloading a free demo as part of the recent Steam Next Fest event.

It’s also worth checking out the gameplay trailer above, especially if you’re a fan of 80s/90s action movies, not to mention TV shows like Airwolf and Knight Rider.

Speaking of retro games making a comeback, it was recently revealed that Volgarr the Viking is getting a sequel after more than a decade.

The hard-as-nails 2D platform game is another to wear its influences proudly, featuring similar gameplay to retro classics like Rastan and Ghouls and Ghosts.

Volgarr the Viking 2 will be available on consoles and PC in August.