This spiritual successor to Desert Strike has exploded into Steam early access with a 98% positive rating, and its developer plans to represent the whole Strike series in future updates

I have fond memories of ye olde helicopter shooter Desert Strike, as it was one of the very few games that caught the attention of my dad. While my dad was always happy to fund my childhood gaming obsession no matter how concerning it became, he rarely showed much interest in games himself. But Desert Strike, and its sequel Jungle Strike, were rare exceptions, and I distinctly recall us pad swapping as we picked our way through the latter's fiercely tricky night mission.

It seems plenty of other people are nostalgic for EA's twin-stick chopper, as a spiritual successor to the Strike series is making waves on Steam (must be the rotor wash). Released last week, Cleared Hot has racked up a 98% 'Overwhelmingly Positive' rating out of 1,200 reviews—not bad considering it's an early access title based on a genre that had its heyday more than 30 years ago.

The main appeal of Cleared Hot is how it takes the template laid down by EA and upgrades the action with modern spectacle. Now, when your hellfire missiles thud into tanks and structure, they burst in a glorious, physics-powered shower of debris. Indeed, physics is a big part of Cleared Hot, with its diminutive human foes flying about after being blasted by your minigun, and your grappling hook waggling freely about as you collect health and ammo upgrades.

But having taken the early access version for a quick spin, there's also a fundamental arcade quality to Cleared Hot. Your helicopter is equipped with air-jets that enable it to "dodge" enemy attacks, which comes in handy for evading RPGs and antiair missiles launched by SAM sites. Your grappling hook can also be used to pick up anything, from enemy corpses to explosive tanks that you lob at enemies for extra firepower.

Cleared Hot wisely doesn't take itself too seriously, either. After an opening mission that lets you get hands on with a helicopter bristling with weapons, the next jumps forward 34 years, where your once ace-pilot is now a washed-up schlub trying to get back in the cockpit by running odd jobs for a friend, like returning chickens to their coop by plucking them off the ground with your grappling hook (probably best not to think too hard about how that works).

Not everything's brilliant. The UI is rudimentary and the voice acting leaves a lot to be desired. But there's nothing fundamentally wrong here, and the rougher edges can easily be addressed during early access.

On that subject, dDeveloper Not Knowing Corporation has big plans going forward. The current version only features the first chapter of the game, which takes place in the Texan desert. Future chapters will add a jungle biome and Arctic and urban environments, with the ultimate goal of representing the entire Strike series in a single game.

Cleared hot is available now. Weirdly, it isn't the only Desert Strike successor to emerge recently. Last year saw the launch of Megacopter: Blades of the Goddess. Megacopter is truer to Desert Strike's visual style, with a vivid 16-bit-inspired palette. But it swaps out Desert Strike's Gulf War setting for a scenario where you mow down alien lizard people. Also, your helicopter drinks blood to unleash special powers. What's not to like?