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Tiger-Heli
老虎直升机
Tiger-Heli is a vertical-scrolling shoot-em-up released in 1985 by Toaplan and distributed in North America by Taito America Corp. Players pilot a military helicopter across multiple stages, shooting down enemy ground forces, vehicles, aircraft, and installations from above. The helicopter can fire a primary forward shot and deploy small bombs that spread outward on both sides, useful for hitting ground targets. Destroying certain enemy clusters or vehicles releases smaller helicopters that fly in formation and boost firepower. The game progresses through scrolling stages with increasing enemy density and varied terrain. Players have a limited number of lives, and colliding with enemies or projectiles destroys the helicopter. The arcade cabinet used an eight-way joystick and two action buttons for shooting and bombing.
- Developer
- Toaplan / Taito America Corp.
- Released
- 1985
- Platform
- Arcade
- Genre
- Action
- Rating
- 4.4 / 5 (3.7K)
- Last updated
Tiger-Heli Controls — Arcade Keyboard Keys
Default keyboard bindings for Tiger-Heli on our in-browser Arcade emulator. Plug in a USB or Bluetooth gamepad to auto-detect mappings, or rebind any key from the emulator settings menu.
| Keyboard | Console button | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| ↑ | Joystick Up | Move up |
| ↓ | Joystick Down | Move down |
| ← | Joystick Left | Move left |
| → | Joystick Right | Move right |
| X | Button 1 | Primary action (jump / confirm) |
| Z | Button 2 | Secondary action (attack / cancel) |
| S | Button 3 | Tertiary action |
| A | Button 4 | Quaternary action |
| Q | Button 5 | Fifth button |
| W | Button 6 | Sixth button |
| 5 | Insert Coin | Insert coin |
| 1 | 1P Start | Start / Pause |
Coin and Start are convention "Insert Coin: 5" and "1P Start: 1". Some arcade boards expect specific button mappings — check the in-game prompts on coin-up.
Rebind any key from the EmulatorJS in-game settings menu (gear icon → Controls). A connected gamepad auto-maps to the same buttons.
Tiger-Heli Longplay & Gameplay Videos
Watch a full playthrough of Tiger-Heli on Arcade before you dive in — recommended for getting a feel for the game's pacing, story beats, and difficulty curve.
Watch longplay on YouTube
"Tiger-Heli" Arcade longplay 1985
External references
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Tiger-Heli released?
Tiger-Heli was released in 1985 for the Arcade.
Who developed Tiger-Heli?
Tiger-Heli was developed by Toaplan / Taito America Corp., available to play in your browser on RetroGameSpace.
What type of game is Tiger-Heli?
Tiger-Heli is a Action game for the Arcade, playable instantly in your browser — no downloads, no installs.
How can I play Tiger-Heli for free?
Open this page and click "Play Now" — Tiger-Heli runs free in your browser via WebAssembly emulation. No account, no payment, no installer.
Do I need to download anything to play Tiger-Heli in the browser?
No. Tiger-Heli streams from a public archive into a browser-side Arcade emulator. Nothing is installed on your computer.
Can I save my progress in Tiger-Heli?
Yes. Save states are stored in your browser (IndexedDB) per game, and you can also use any in-game save the original Arcade cartridge supported.
Does Tiger-Heli work on mobile devices?
Yes — the Arcade emulator runs on iOS Safari and Android Chrome. Touch controls overlay the game; landscape mode is recommended.
Is it legal to play Tiger-Heli this way?
RetroGameSpace is a transient caching reverse-proxy and does not host first-party copies of Tiger-Heli. Game files are fetched on demand from publicly-accessible archives. You are responsible for compliance with your local laws and the bring-your-own-ROM principle.
