Headlander
So trippy and fun you’ll lose your head
$19.99 Developer Double Fine Productions/Adult Swim Games, adultswim.com Requirements macOS Sierra, dual-core Intel i5, 4GB RAM, GeForce GT 650 Ti/AMD Radeon HD 7800 or newer graphics, 4GB storage
It’s not often we see entirely new mechanics in gaming, but Headlander is as refreshing as it is colorful – and with its 1970s sci-fi aesthetic, it’s also positively groovy.
You start out as a disembodied human head in a world full of machines, and your quest is to discover what happened to the rest of your body – and uncover your past. Playing as a disembodied head is fun; the helmet surrounding it can float, boost, attach to random machinery, and even shield itself temporarily. But when limbs are required to get to a certain spot, you can pop that head down on any available body – after you use your helmet’s vacuum to suck their head off, naturally.
Combining elements of exploration, platforming, and combat on a slowly revealed map isn’t exactly new; this “Metroidvania” genre is named for two games from the ’80s, after all. It’s Headlander’s core mechanic and plot point – the disembodied head – that makes it so different. Throughout the game, you’ll embody passersby, soldiers, brawlers, dogs, map droids… you name it. That’s not taking into account all of the other things you can do with your head, such as finding secret rooms with upgrades to stats, moving elevators, and more. It makes combat even more fun – if your current body is low on health, you can pop off your head, throw up your shield, and vacuum off the head of a shooting robot.
Other than enemies respawning a bit too quickly at times and a few vague objectives, there’s almost nothing to complain about. It’s a groovy good time, just as intended, imbued with humor and style. It’s the type of game you play when you want to escape into a more entertaining, colorful world for a while.
the bottom line. Headlander mashes a well worn genre with original ideas and a great retro aesthetic, and the result is massive amounts of fun.