Release Date: 26/07/2016
Played On: Win
Available On: PS4 / Win / XBO
Time Played: 7h 48m
Progress: 100% Complete
Developer: Double Fine Productions
Publisher: Adult Swim Games
There's a short list somewhere of super hype crazes that I completely missed out growing up. I never knew what a Pokémon was until recently, I've never played a Metal Gear game, and I've never played either a Metroid, or Castlevania game. It's funny how even though I've been playing games since the 80s, there are some major mainstream holes in my experience.
I mean, I spent more time playing Monty On The Run on my Commodore 64 than I ever did playing Mario. I had a NES, which was basically an Excitebike machine, followed by a SNES that served me well as a Mortal Kombat and NBA Jam system. Along with a few other games (Killer Instinct, Donkey Kong Country), my time on Nintendo systems has always been pretty lean. Don't even get me started on Sega, as I think I played about half an hour of an Alex Kid game on a Master System somewhere, but that's about all she wrote.
The reason I feel the need to highlight this is because I've never understood the hype around Nintendo games, as I have no sense of nostalgia or sentimentality to drive any interest. I'm not saying that Nintendo haven't done influential and inspired things in their lifetime, but I'm also not someone who cares. We could get into some analysis about why I have zero interest in Nintendo properties these days, but that's probably something for another time.
With all that in mind, take heed when I say that Headlander is one of the coolest Metroidvania games I have ever played.
Your mileage may vary if you're a Metroid fanboy or have some great nostalgia for Castlevania whip cracking, but as someone who sees nothing appealing in those titles, Headlander is great. In fact the only reason I associate it strongly as a Metroidvania game is partly because that's what I've read online, but also because it's the first game that makes me feel like I'm playing what everyone goes on about when they hype Metroidvania games.
Thankfully though, this doesn't mean a bunch of unnecessary back tracking, or ridiculous platforming jank. Instead Headlander has clearly been designed with a full dose of Double Fine in mind, as it features some slick writing and world building that I have come to associate with its developer.
In fact, I've come to think of Double Fine as a "tripe I" developer, or some sort of prestige independent studio. It's an odd clarification to make, but I think it fits in some cases, as it indicates that the game's budget is nothing like the big studios', but there's a level of quality and polish that can be expected. Like them or not, Double Fine have certainly earned a place in my world as a quality developer that manage to create a certain recognisable style and sense of humour that permeates their games.
Headlander is a 2D platformer, but the gimmick is that you're a head that's able to swap out bodies throughout the game. This central mechanic is what drives discovery and exploration as you gradually build up your abilities and find better bodies to land on and control. Areas of the map are blocked by security clearances, so as you explore you find ways to control bodies with higher security, thus allowing you to progress.
If you're looking to complete a few side objectives and discover all the areas on the map, some back-tracking is required. What was inaccessible at the start of the game, becomes another easy door to open when you have the right upgrades later on. These systems are what makes me feel like Headlander was built as a Metroidvania game from inception. Even the map layout and ways of getting around are consistent with the genre, so even through ignorance its clear to see where this game came from.
Thankfully though, the world is drenched in an interesting theme of 70s style and disco aesthetics. There's shag-pile rugs and rooms full of robots dancing to the shimmer of disco balls, not to mention the liberal use of burnt orange (a colour I'd like to say stayed in the 70s, but sadly resurged in recent times).
The 70s science fiction style really carries the game a long way, so it never wears out its welcome. The big bubble helmets for humans are suitably ridiculous against the polished metal shapes of those groovy robot bodies.
Speaking of which, swapping out bodies is actually fun and rarely becomes a chore. There are times where you'll be roaming rooms on the map, searching for the correct body to land on to access an area, but not often. Most of the time the rooms are populated with robots with whatever requirement you need to progress. There are areas of lengthy chains to go from one access to another, to another, in order to unlock another, but they are cased in sensible story reasons for elongating the process.
One section even tasks you with entering a competitive arena and switching between classes in order to win the game and get past the area's boss.
Combat is probably the weakest system in Headlander, but it's also the least important outside of a few boss fights. Most security robots carry weapons, which can be used to destroy other robots, or fired to open distant doors or activate switches. Each level of security robot comes with an improved weapon, which is essentially a more powerful laser gun that will ricochet about the room when its fired. Some lasers are shot in different configurations, like a spread or a complex pattern, but it's easy enough to always find one that suits your own preference.
The best thing about the combat is how firing any weapon injects a burst of colour onto the screen and lights everything up in satisfying explosion of neon brilliance. Getting hit will render your current robot body useless, forcing you to take off and land on another, but most of the time it's of little inconvenience. Instead, combat becomes a fun little task that breaks up the exploration and progression of the map. Later you unlock other abilities like shields and dashes, but they're just icing on the already fun (however simplistic) cake.
It's interesting to think that the world of Headlander can be so compelling, when the story is nothing to write home about. It's as basic as it gets as far as motivation goes, and to be honest I can remember exactly what happened plot-wise. However, the world drives progression well enough and I had plenty of fun exploring each room and new area I happened upon.
I mentioned that Double Fine are a top tier indie developer, which is not meant as an insult to other indies, but rather a reflection of the polish they're able to accomplish. Everything looks great, works well, and you can tell that a team has worked hard to make this little game an enjoyable experience.
In some ways it's not that little, as it will take a good chunk of hours to get through and find all the hidden collectibles and upgrades. In a more important way, Headlander never outstays its welcome and manages to wrap everything up just before it becomes tedious and slow. These mid-length games made with a high standard of quality are one of my favourite things to come out of gaming in the last decade.
There's definitely a lot of room for mid-level games to make their mark. Headlander is a good example of a quirky idea that would suffer as a big budget epic, but does well with more attention than a short proof of concept.
As with Mike Bithell's Subsurface Circular, I'm really enjoying these small high quality games that don't ask you to give up your day job just to complete them. There's something to be said for a game that will give you hundreds of hours of play time, but it's a long way from a few nights of quality entertainment.
I love an epic adventure, but it's easier to fit in a small experience, which is where the value lies in these games. Headlander is another fine example of a small game made well, with a good dollop of style and humour for good measure.