Headlander Review

Headlander is the new title from famed developers Double Fine, a studio that has previously brought us Broken Age, Psychonauts and the recent remaster of Grim Fandango. Headlander is an attempt to bring metroidvania style shooters back to the forefront, using 1970’s inspired sci-fi as a backdrop.

The gameplay revolves around the use of a detachable head that you, the player, controls. The head in question is the last human alive in the universe, given the fact that the rest of humanity decided to upload its conscious to the cloud, as far as societal satire goes, this is pretty on the nose. Once all of the humans uploaded their consciousness a naughty A.I enslaved them all, and there you have it, a good guy, a bad guy and a story to tie it all together.

Straight from the off, the game is unashamedly comedic, telling players they can perform dances based on whatever body the human head is currently occupying. This mixed in with movie references and witty dialogue, makes for a refreshingly funny, comedic experience. This is why it’s no surprise that Adult Swim decided to publish the title; it fits in with their library of sarcastic millennial targeted comedy perfectly.

Gameplay comprises of a 2D map in which your characters must solve puzzles whilst also fending off the enemy forces looking to repel you from travelling deeper into the city. In true metroidvania style, there are loads of hidden passages filled with power ups, unfortunately the map marks every single one of them down for you, so there’s no real feeling of discovery. It’s a shame as the hidden secrets throughout the entries in the Metroid series are both a challenge and a delight to hunt out. Headlander cheapens this sense of discovery, which is a real shame.

Combat is fun and responsive: most shots you fire often reflect of walls and ceilings, meaning you can be a little more intelligent about aiming your bullets. There are a few different enemy types, all of which you can jack by removing their head and stealing the body. There a real satisfaction to flying over to an enemy and just ripping their head from their shoulders: it often serves as an excellent way of neutralizing a room full of enemies shooting your way.

One thing that I feel lets the game down is the lack of character in the main characters, there’s the obvious reasoning that the lack of lungs basically makes it impossible to talk, but it feels like they’ve missed out. The character is basically demoted to making facial expressions, while every other character around him does all the talking. Given the game's comedic aspect, there could have been some really great dialogue.

It’s also worth noting that one of the biggest issues with Metroidvania title is also present in Headlander: Backtracking. The game expects you to do it quite a lot, which is always going to be a big issue in a 2D game. The right way to progress can often be unclear leading to frustration. I spent a good few hours stuck in one area because I hadn’t levelled up the right thing, even though the game gave me no form of indication that I needed to. It’s these kinds of minor issues that limit the game's full potential.

The game’s aesthetic is probably its strongest feature, the 1970s sci-fi theme really helps game stand out visually. Everything has a cartoon-like element to it, feeling something akin to a Saturday morning cartoon. This mixed with various movie and pop culture references lead to a world that has been developed with both passion and care. Using various inspirations from the past whilst still managing to create something that looks, sounds and feels incredibly fresh.

I feel the game would have really benefited from a 2 player mode, giving players the chance to explore the world together. I find splitscreen coop always fits 2D Metroidvania type games exceptionally well and often makes the combat more enjoyable.

Headlander has a lot going for it, the comedy writing is excellent along with an incredibly well designed and thought out aesthetic. Gameplay is also incredibly solid, with quick and responsive gunplay. The biggest let down is how confusing progression can be thanks to a lot of backtracking. Pinpointed secrets on the map also spoil what could have been a great feature. Headlander is definitely worth a try if you fancy something a little bit different in the guise of the established metroidvania genre.