Headlander

Headlander may be a mixed-bag, tonally speaking, but in terms of everything else there’s a clear sense of purpose and intuitiveness to it. From the level design, to the combat, to the puzzle solving, to the secrets, to the progression system and power-ups you can unlock. It’s probably be the best severed astronaut head game you’ll ever play.

Headlander delivers an unique twist on metroidvanias, but falls a bit short on controls. It's a fun romp through twisted dystopian science fiction vistas. With a little bit of fine tuning it would've rocked. [Sept 2016]

It’s difficult but fair, and fast-paced but satisfying through to the end. And with a story so dangerously loaded with trope upon trope, it’s a joy to see Headlander sidestep some cliches with a beautiful setting, dark humor, and, well… a rocket-powered head. That’ll do the trick.

Headlander occupies a space of being a game which is a great deal of fun to play to completion over a weekend. While some of the game mechanics are fairly unique, it’s not trying to do anything complex. Anyone who’s played this type of game before will feel right at home from the early going, and although some sections are difficult, they shouldn’t have any trouble progressing through the game at a good pace. It’s a shame some of the story sections and dialogue aren’t funnier, but that doesn’t stop Headlander being a game well worth your time.

In the end, Headlander is a very good adventure game for fans of the Metroidvania blueprint. The gimmicks that come from a flying head are used well, and the idea never feels tired. The action in firefights is good, and the number of areas and slightly hidden passageways in the world makes exploration equally worthwhile. It does feel like a drag whenever you have to perform the same action multiple times in different parts of a level, but the game is short enough that the padding doesn't feel too bad. Overall, genre fans will have a great time with Headlander.

Head and robot gameplay styles mesh together in a fluid, intuitive way, and the gorgeous colourful space stations and melodramatic sci-fi synth soundtrack makes this sci-fi romp an enjoyable, surprisingly sincere tribute to the wobbly sets of old.

A fun puzzle platformer that replaces jumping with a flying head and body-snatching. [Issue#254, p.60]

Headlander could do with a bit shorter story and less repeatability of certain elements, but it's a great game overall. Double Fine's title provides great style and interesting mechanics, easily overcoming the irritating parts.

It’s not always clear but Headlander doesn’t overstay its welcome, and it doesn’t waste time on extraneous stuff. Instead, Headlander finds smart core mechanics and a really cool idea and pushes them both to smart places that make for a game remains engaging even as it steadily grows more challenging. It’s not the funniest guy in the room, but it’s still a lot of fun to hang around with.

Not as unique as you’d perhaps expect given the premise, but still a very stylish, characterful and funny adventure.

From its odd mechanics to its captivating presentation, Headlander's parallels to Metroid bubble under the surface; it's the game's fresh qualities that grab your attention and make it one of the most delightful takes on the well-worn formula in years.

While lackluster combat and simplistic puzzles would prove a damning criticism for most games of this type, Headlander’s tone and aesthetic is so fully-realized that the whole package manages to be a groovy, retro delight.

Headlander is a metroidvania with a twist: you don't have a body, so you must take control of the many robots that surrounds you. Full of the typical Double Fine sense of humor, the game it's not bad, but could be boring in the long run.

Headlander is a decent Metroidvania game, although you will not feel thrilled with any of its virtues, nor disappointed with its issues.

Headlander doesn’t forge a bold new path, but it’s a lot of fun to live in its strange world for a while. Its various elements are well trod – ‘70s aesthetic, Metroid-style exploration, big questions about the nature of identity and consciousness – but they’ve been arranged in a fascinating way that feels fresh.

The world is a pulpy delight: captivating, unique, and a genuine pleasure to spend time in. [Oct 2016, p.116]

HeadLander is unfortunately uneven: at first, you’re thrust into a parody of the seventies, where robotized populace dances disco and enjoys weird art. But once you get used to the atmosphere, game forces protagonist to investigate some elevator shafts for an hour. Then game picks up the ball and becomes more dynamic and interesting, only to drop it again soon after – and that process repeats itself until the very end. [Issue#212, p.61]

Headlander's retrofuturist aesthetic is creative enough to make up for the fact its underlying mechanics are anything but.

A great concept that doesn't realize its potential. [Issue#179, p.84]

Funny platformer with an original idea, that is, however, spoiled with rapidly rising repetitiveness. [Issue#266]

Combination of originality and exquisite visual style saves the monotonous, too long and sometimes frustrating gameplay only partly. Although Headlander entertains, it will not nail you down. You will forget this game before it appears on Steam sale.

It has some nice Metroidvania moments, although it sputters towards the end to only rely on its color-coded components to keep me out of certain areas, which felt like a cheap way to finish the game.

Retrofuturistic environments are alive, they burst with vivid colors and details, but the game itself is painfully repetitive. [10/2016, p.64]