Headlander (PC)

In a society where humanity has long since given up their fragile, flesh-and-blood bodies for long-lasting robotic ones, you are the last remaining living human around. There's just one problem: all that's left of you is your head, sealed up inside of a space helmet. Fortunately for you, your helmet is equipped with maneuvering thrusters and a docking system that allows it to replace the head of any robot you encounter. All you need to do first is relieve said robot of its existing head.

 

Story and Flow

Headlander is a “Metroidvania”-style game where you get around by hijacking any robotic bodies you come across – whether they be civilians, soldiers, a little janitorial bot, or even a robo-dog! Your helmet comes equipped with a vacuum system that can remove the heads of any bot in the game, allowing you to dock into the body and control it – at least, until it takes too much damage and blows up. Hopefully, you've moved on before that happens.

You will also need to change bodies of your own accord from time to time – maybe an upgrade has come along with a superior weapon type, a map-bot has showed up (which allows you to expand your minimap), or a patrol bot with a higher security clearance has appeared. Taking over that last one will allow you access to higher-security areas, using a Paranoia-style rating system: Red is the lowest standard access level, then orange, then yellow, and so on. There are also separate color sets for specialized bots in the arena.

New abilities are unlocked over time, with points gained by collecting glowing energy pulses, or by downloading massive amounts of said pulses when docking with special terminals. Major upgrades are unlocked by progressing through the story, while others come along with them as those trees are explored. Do you want to improve your auto-repair rate when you lack a body, or do you want to prioritize allowing your helmet to repair the bodies you have docked with? Do you want to improve your melee strength or your running speed, or would you rather save up and enable a headbutt move that lets you instantly take over an undefended enemy body? You can also gain extra points quickly by completing optional mini-missions offered by civilian bots as you go along.

The game autosaves as you go, and the penalty for dying is minimal – you simply restart the room you are in from scratch, complete with the body you were inhabiting when you did so. This can get frustrating if you've spent the last few minutes working out some complex puzzle, aiming your lasers just so while the constantly respawning enemy bots are taking potshots at you...but it's still far better than losing half an hour of progress because you couldn't find a save room.

Controls and Gameplay

The controls are straightforward and, for the most part, intuitive, though some of the more advanced unlockable abilities wander into the territory of “hold this and press that while under condition whatever.” Your helmet has unlimited thrusters, and a limited amount of energy available for high-speed boosts and laser-reflecting shields, but no onboard weapons of its own. When docked with an armed robot body, you can use its weapons system – whether that means anything from a single laser beam to a quad-splitter laser to a heavy melee punch and a reflector shield. You can aim said lasers with the right stick (the game has full controller support, and will default to that if it detects one), and hold another button to show prediction lines indicating where your laser will go for the first couple of bounces. The “prediction” lines will glow more intensely if you have properly targeted another's head.

 

Graphics and Sound:

The graphics in Headlander boast a 60's/70's Jetsons-future-meets-hippy aesthetic. There are high-tech space stations, mixed with plenty of areas designed to allow the civilian bots to give themselves over to absolute pleasure: carpets with absurdly thick pile, mood lighting, trippy ambience, and a “free love” setting. Enemy types can be clearly distinguished by their uniform colors, the shapes of their heads and weapons, as well as the marking upon them.

The music creates an unobtrusive, retro ambience. Lasers sound like sci-fi lasers. Speech (even the cameo from Raz/Zim's voice actor, Richard Horvitz, as the enemy turret that's just doing his job) is filtered to have a mild, slightly hollow electronic effect. Civilian bots constantly chatter in the background about their own concerns – e.g., getting their faces made over (presumably with an arc welder), or allowing their minds to wander in one of the relaxation chambers. Most every door you come across will give you (Hitchhiker’s Guide) Marvin-esque commentary, responding with outright sarcasm if your current body doesn't have the security clearance required to get through.


Summary

Overall, Headlander is a fun, silly Metroidvania game with a wonderfully absurd premise – just what you’d expect from Double Fine. (Eric Kei)



Comments:
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2016-11-17 18:27:59... - Andris

i would like to have the chance to participate in this test because i would make a non-baist review and give my opinions in a video on YouTube, Thank you.


2016-10-25 11:22:04... -

ܫܣܣܫܣ


2016-10-13 12:07:51... -

I WANT THE GAME NOW!


2016-10-07 02:04:21... - Israel

xdd grax amigo


2016-10-01 21:18:43... - ivo12345610

asdad


2016-09-27 18:31:25... - thewadu12

pls give the game, i want to do a video in spanish ^^


2016-09-26 17:21:43... - slavik

sd


2016-09-26 08:55:58... - simba

Give me, please


2016-09-24 09:03:38... - Mork

Go


2016-09-22 12:52:03... -

heloo


2016-09-22 05:30:38... - Назар

Give me please


2016-09-22 05:30:20... - Назар

Xxx


2016-09-17 09:54:00... - Claptrap

ASD


2016-09-05 21:12:56... - GawaiGr

ill make a video of it


2016-09-05 21:11:49... - GawaiGr

plzzz give it to me and ill make a video of it


2016-09-01 10:09:10... - Yiannis

nr


2016-08-31 15:13:22... - egorr31

хочу плизз




2016-08-30 19:17:47... - Артем

хочу в ее поиграть


2016-08-30 17:45:42... - Urtzi

i want this game


2016-08-29 22:32:24... - Luis

goo


2016-08-28 10:30:00... - Никита

give me please this game


2016-08-27 18:10:09... - Алексей

^_^


2016-08-26 14:35:53... - David

want to play


2016-08-25 17:13:39... - .lollodss

hnhv


2016-08-24 16:27:35... - Kevin

Cool ^^


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