Double Fine and Adult Swim combination = Genius.
Headlander is the latest from Double Fine and Adult Games. You are the last human in the universe, but all that is left of you is your disembodied head that is somehow kept alive. Your head floats around and can attach itself to robots as long as their head is shot off. The game has a Metroidvania vibe to it with upgrades and backtracking aplenty.
It is unique in the way it works though, using your floating head to reach hidden areas or new robots works really well. My only gripe is the shooting, which is made all the more annoying by the fact that your weapon fires lasers and so do you your enemies…this results in a lot of wall-bouncing lasers and potential death. It doesn’t help that the aiming is a pain too, but the good news is that you can just jump from body to body as long as it’s headless, giving you plenty to work with.
Double Fine games have always been successful, mostly down to their unique sense of humour and Headlander is another one that has plenty of it. The script, characters and story is quirky and full of highly amusing moments.
I completed Headlander in around 9-10 hours, but I did miss some hidden areas that I will be replaying. The difficulty does have it’s spikes, but it’s rewarding when you clear a hard area, even if the checkpoint system is a bit hardcore for some. Visually, Headlander won’t win any awards…but it is a nice looking game and the cutscenes are well animated. Voice-acting is where Headlander shines most with it’s quirky one-liners and unique humour.
The Verdict
Headlander does things a little differently from other Metroidvania type games. It’s a unique concept and one that works well, despite an awkward combat and aiming system…it is one hell of a game and one that fans of either/or Double Fine and Metroid should definitely give a go.