You are the last known human in the universe, and all that's left of you is a disembodied head. Seeking clues to your fractured past, you must travel through a hostile world of machines using a special helmet that allows you to dock into and take control of any robotic host body. As you launch from one body to the next, you'll start to discover that things are not quite what they appear to be, and the fate of humanity has yet to be decided...
Steam User 15
A nice short(around 4-5 hours), fun, psychedelic, 2D action game.
Its sci-comedy and have a unique concept.
loved it.
Steam User 9
TL;DR
Headlander is a short, absurd, and aesthetically flawless game about a headstrong head without a body heading to behead some impudent robots. The mob has many heads but no brains, as the saying goes.
Full Review
Only a studio like Double Fine Productions can make such a ridiculous game with so much style! Headlander is preposterously fascinating. It is colorful, retrograde, funny, even silly at times, and somehow not challenging (for a Metroidvania, at least.) There are cool power-ups you use only once or twice, and there are secrets you can find without real effort. It is a good starting point for people that are not familiar with the Metroidvania genre, I guess. I liked it nevertheless – primarily, thanks to smooth gameplay and humor. Do you know who are the main characters here? Well, heads, of course, but also doors. They are not mere access points blocking your way. They are hilariously sarcastic entities that can say things like, "Only blues can enter; does it make you blue?" in your face to your head. These ridicules from opposing robotic forces accompany you the whole playthrough.
It took me 10 hours to beat Headlander in its entirety. Seems short, yet the time well spent!
Steam User 5
A fun, easy, short Metroidvania. Definitely for people who want a more relaxed, humerous experience. 100%'d in about 9 hours so short. Not difficult, only a few "bosses" which were a touch tricky, but it was fun and the humor was great. Definitely recommend on the cheap.
FPS is capped at 60.
Steam User 3
The Metroidvania Review
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How Metroidvania is it? Medium Fit. Headlander's progression is fairly linear with little reason to go back to previous areas if you're diligent in finding all of the secrets the first time through
Curator Review
Headlander is a fun puzzle platformer novelty that sets itself apart from the competition with Double Fine's usual bizarre world building.
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Steam User 3
Had no idea what to expect from this game, as flying around as a head seemed a little bit silly, but it turned out to be one of the more enjoyable metroidvanias I've played. Game's got excellent gameplay, nice athmosphere and a great soundtrack.
Steam User 2
This is a metroidvenia, in a sense that you can explore, unlock abilities, and then unlock new areas using those abilities. But it's not a platformer because you can't jump. Interesting combo.
The most original aspect of the game is that you are actually a floating head and can attach yourself to many different bodies. Bodies come and go, but the head is what you actually upgrade. Cool mechanics.
I found the lore and world building here pretty fascinating. Wanted to learn more about what is going on.
Humor is good in general, but sometimes there is just too much yammering. Every door, NPC and enemy is constantly making quips, and when you have a busy action scene, it can be a bit too much noise, as everyone is talking over each other.
Exploration/metroidvenia aspects can be a bit dull. You unlock energy for "experience points" and 3-4 types of incremental upgrades (1-15). But the spots where you pick these up always look the same, and are all visible on the map. It becomes a bit samey after a while.
It's good game, but not great.
Steam User 1
Interesting game mechanic basically a flying head and body swapping to explore the surrounding areas. Decent sense of humour to it and doesn't overstay it's welcome at the 8-9 hour mark to complete