Wow, I tried it with regular controls at first, but struggled really hard to kill any enemies. Then I turned on the laser pointer, and that was better. I did still died from the helicopters quite often. It was only after my third attempt that I realized that right mouse button also shoots a cannon. But I guess that's my own fault for not playing the tutorial.
Interesting take on the theme. Once I understood that the cannons rotated you in different directions, I really got somewhere in the game (for my average skill :P)