NimbleMyth
A rescue shooter in the 1985 arcade style

Downdraft

Fly out. Break them out. Bring them home.

Somebody has to go in. Fly out from your base, shoot open the prisons, set down under fire while the prisoners run for your cabin, and get them home before the fuel runs out.

Featuring 21 unique missions across multiple game modes, cosmetics (only unlockable through gameplay!), and additional game modes and helicopters unlocked by playing well, Downdraft is a heartwarming throw back to games like Choplifter, Air Rescue, and Apocalypse!

Beta, releasing in October
Play Now! (Web/Mobile)Android coming soonWindows coming soonDiscord
Downdraft: a rescue helicopter under fire above a desert prison, with the game's title across the top.
The green rescue helicopter hovers above a warship while its red deck guns fire pink shells at it and an enemy gun explodes in a BOOM burst against a sunny sea sky.
A PRISON BREACHED banner over a grey warship deck bristling with red gun turrets and striped masts, the green rescue helicopter hovering above and a +200 ring marking the broken-open prison.
Inside a purple lava cavern the helicopter sits on the ground loading rescued prisoners beside a stone prison hut while an enemy shell arcs in from above.
The helicopter flies over purple mountain ridges under a pale sun while an enemy gun explodes in the air beside it with a +200 score pop, in the Cavern mission.
PRISON BREACHED on a city rooftop: the helicopter flies past a blue skyscraper with lit windows as an explosion and a +200 ring mark the opened prison.
The helicopter dodges enemy shells from rooftop gun turrets on a blue skyscraper at dusk while an explosion bursts at the top left of the city skyline.
A night mission: the helicopter sits on the ground in the dark, its spotlight beam lighting the ground as it loads a rescued prisoner (LOADING 1/10), with a crescent moon and a Night Search counter at top right.
The helicopter sweeps its spotlight beam across a dark night landscape under a crescent moon as an enemy is destroyed in a POW explosion with a +200 pop.
The DOWNDRAFT title screen: the logo and a menu of Start Mission, Challenge, Hangar, Achievements, Options and Help over a desert sunset with a helicopter parked at its base.
The Mission 2 Fleet briefing card reading RESCUE 20 OF 32, with Launch and Commander's Briefing buttons over a sunlit warship scene.
The loop

Out, down, home.

Every mission is the same brave idea told a new way. You leave the base at the right-hand end of the map and fly left, into the enemy.

  1. Fly out

    Take off from the base and cross the map. Fuel drains in the air, so every trip is a bet.

  2. Break them out

    Shoot a prison's door to open it. Deck hatches need a bomb or a diving shot. The first prison of mission one is already open.

  3. Land under fire

    Set down near the prisoners, not on them: the skids kill, and so do your own guns. They climb aboard one at a time.

  4. Carry them home

    Land on the pad to unload. Each delivery adds fuel back, and each trip raises the enemy's alert level.

How it works

One button, two ways to fight.

Facing is your weapon

Face a side and the cannon fires along the nose; the nose dips as you accelerate, so a shallow dive aims down. Face the camera and you drop bombs instead.

Twenty is enough

At 20 of 32 rescued the pad shows EXFIL READY. Land with an empty cabin for two seconds to finish, or go back for more: every extra prisoner is worth 1,000.

Every mission ends in a boss

A boss guards the last prison. It is optional, since 20 rescued never needs it, but its prisoners are worth 1,000 each and a FULL HOUSE needs it.

Crates and specials

Lettered crates add bombs, missiles, the firebolt and the rope, plus the S and I power-ups. Lose your chopper and you lose them.

Fair by design

Enemies telegraph. Guns glow before they fire, drones spin up before they launch, and fixed guns draw their lane. You get hit when you misread, not at random.

Briefed, not lectured

The commander gives a short, skippable briefing before each mission: the goals, what is new and the threats to watch for.

The world

Twenty-one missions. No two alike.

Act one runs from the Desert through the Fleet, Highlands, Outpost, Cavern, Wildfire, Skyline, Floodplain, Stormfront, Midnight, Jungle and Compound to the Fortress. Act two carries on with Lifeline, Bridgehead, Relief, Offshore, Extraction, Summit, Canyon and Metropolis.

  • Tracking guns, fixed guns, drone launchers, tanks, jets, gunboats and rival gunships
  • Hazards of the places themselves: lightning, geysers, falling stalactites, fire and flood
  • A boss guarding the last prison of every mission
Everything in the box

Built to be picked up and mastered.

Training

Thirteen short chapters cover flying, landing, bombs, rescue, the rope and a graduation lap. Skip any of it; nothing in it counts toward a score.

Cadet, Pilot, Ace

Three difficulty levels, plus screen shake and reduced-flashing options.

Records and medals

Per-mission records, medals and achievements, with three save slots.

Plays offline

Install it from the browser and it plays with no network once loaded.

Drawn in code

The cel-shaded art is drawn live and every sound is synthesised, so it loads fast.

Original

Inspired by Choplifter, Air Rescue and Apocalypse. Downdraft uses none of those games' code, art, sound, text or names.

Controls

Keyboard, gamepad or thumbs.

ActionKeyboardGamepad
FlyArrow keys or WASDLeft stick or D-pad
Fire (cannon / bombs)Space or JA or RT
Special weaponLB or LT
Turn / face the cameraShift or KX
Use (hook, rope, pick up)RRight stick press
PauseP or EnterStart

On a phone an on-screen pad appears: a floating stick on the left half, buttons on the right. Everything can be rebound, there is a left-handed layout, and an auto-face assist helps new pilots.

Release

Beta, releasing in October.

Downdraft is the first NimbleMyth game out. It starts on the web, with Android and Windows versions to follow.

  • WebPlanned
  • AndroidPlanned
  • WindowsComing soon

Next release · Beta, releasing in October

Release months are plans and may move. See the full lineup.

Community

Talk about Downdraft

Questions, bugs, ideas and a place to meet other players: the Downdraft channel is on the NimbleMyth Discord.

Downdraft channelJoin the server
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