Cleared Hot hits Steam Early Access and already sits at 98 % positive

Cleared Hot landed on Steam Early Access last week and quickly racked up a 98 percent “Overwhelmingly Positive” score from roughly 1,200 user reviews, a strong start for a twin-stick helicopter shooter based on a franchise that peaked more than three decades ago. The game, from Not Knowing Corporation, leans into strike series nostalgia while keeping a playful tone. Players jump into an armed Hind-style chopper in an opening mission, then skip forward 34 years to follow a once-ace pilot running odd jobs to get back in the cockpit, including a mission where you pluck chickens out of a coop with a grappling hook.

Reviewers and players praise the core loop but point out rough edges. The UI is rudimentary and the voice acting has drawn criticism, though those are the sort of issues the developer can polish while the title remains in early access. Not Knowing Corporation says the current build covers the first chapter, which is set in the Texan desert. The studio plans future chapters that will add jungle, Arctic, and urban environments with the stated aim of representing the whole Strike series inside one game. Cleared Hot is available on Steam

There are already other throwbacks to Desert Strike showing up last year saw Megacopter: Blades of the Goddess, which favors a 16-bit palette and a goofier premise where your helicopter drinks blood to trigger powers. Also, the Steam review scene has recently produced other big success stories for early access titles, including Palworld reaching Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam, so Cleared Hot’s early reception puts it in good company.

There was also a short trailer and announcement video released alongside launch.

Cleared Hot’s structure and ambitions make it a neat experiment in bundling the Strike lineage under one roof while testing fan appetite for a modern take, and the developer now has early access breathing room to add content and polish. Have thoughts on Cleared Hot or the return of helicopter shooters? Leave a comment and follow us on X, Bluesky, and YouTube.

CLEARED HOT is a nostalgic helicopter shooter with satisfying physics and light tactical elements. Shoot, dodge, move your squad around the battlefield, and pick up almost anything with your rope and magnet.