Headlander Reviews

Headlander is ranked in the 63rd percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Aug 3, 2016

Headlander is a Metroidvania style game that will not only take players on an out of body and world odyssey but it will serve as an example of the influence that science fiction of the 1970's has had on pop-culture.

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90 / 100
Aug 4, 2016

Headlander is one of my favorite games of the year. It is beautiful, plays fluidly, has an interesting story, rewards exploration and is just plain fun.

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Aug 4, 2016

Still for all the shortcomings addressed, Headlander is an enjoyable title. It doesn't take itself too seriously, as evident by all of the tongue and cheek humor, nor is it really difficult (Not completely anyway). As a Double Fine Productions game, It's right up there with some of their best, I just wish it was a tad longer and didn't spend too much time focus on slapstick comedy and included more gameplay content. For the asking price for $20, Headlander is a great choice for enjoying 8-10 hours of gaming fun. Perhaps the game would have been a tad better if it didn't stick too close to the tried and true Metroidvania gameplay and swam a bit more in the deep end. Still, at the end of the day, I enjoyed myself and I'm sure you will as well.

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Aug 5, 2016

Headlander continues to demonstrate that simplicity isn’t necessarily a bad thing with its upgrade system. While most games in the genre have you picking up dozens of different powers to get to new areas, Headlander only has a few, making many areas accessible early and eliminating the need for lots of backtracking.

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79 / 100
Aug 5, 2016

Headlander is an enjoyable experience that shouldn’t be overlooked, especially if you like the Metroidvania style of games.

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8 / 10.0
Aug 8, 2016

Headlander may not be perfect, but I'll be darned if it isn't one of the most enjoyable games of the year so far.

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Aug 8, 2016

‘Headlander’ is a lovely dystopian 70s sci-fi game that's strange, good fun.

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8.4 / 10.0
Aug 8, 2016

Headlander may be a mixed-bag, tonally speaking, but in terms of everything else there’s a clear sense of purpose and intuitiveness to it. From the level design, to the combat, to the puzzle solving, to the secrets, to the progression system and power-ups you can unlock. It’s probably be the best severed astronaut head game you’ll ever play.

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5 / 10
Aug 8, 2016

Headlander isn’t a lost cause, yet Double Fine should have done a couple more reinventions on the drawing board before they let this one loose. The main idea is intriguing and might convince some dedicated players to go all the way through, but to anyone else it will be a drag with some laughter, but mostly tedium.

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68 / 100
Aug 9, 2016
Headlander - Quick Game Review video thumbnail
Aug 9, 2016

By narrowing their focus, Double Fine have crafted probably their most cohesive and mechanically sound game to date, one that takes its gimmicky concept and executes it to perfection.

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Liked
Aug 11, 2016
Headlander(Critical Eye): Getting A-head in the Genre video thumbnail
Drew Leachman
Top Critic
7.5 / 10.0
Aug 11, 2016

Headlander has a few faults, but when getting into a flow of this style of game, it turns out to be a pretty well made Metroidvania game. Filling out the map is addicting, and seeing a room I can’t enter without having a certain body usually always had me backtracking to see what exactly was in it.

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9 / 10.0
Aug 12, 2016

"yet another game that strengthens the standing of Double Fine as pioneers in eccentricity, one of the few developers respectfully willing to pay attention to their bizarre ideas"

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4 / 10.0
Aug 15, 2016

Sharp visuals and story don't save a would-be strong Metroidvania platformer from endless pitfalls.

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81%
Aug 16, 2016

Headlander doesn’t rise above the genre in every respect, but it honors it and enhances it through clever gameplay and inventive new mechanics. It succeeds because it adds a wonderful new spin to the action-adventure side-scroller while maintaining a distinct aesthetic and personality. It’s quirky and fun with a big dose of silly humor. Fans of the genre shouldn’t miss it.

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8 / 10.0
Aug 18, 2016

Headlander it an outstanding game artistically speaking, gameplay-wise its really fun and even though it's story is lost midway through, it's not something that hurts the game at all. The difficulty scales linearly as the game progresses, finding more powerful enemies as we advance, enemies which in turn we can posses, making it all beautifully balanced. Some gameplay mechanics fall short as they are not used enough, however the game is enjoyable from beginning to end. This is why i absolutely recommend this game, it's a fun experience all the way through, although clocking at around six hours, it left me wanting for more.

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4.5 / 5.0
Aug 22, 2016

Headlander is a unexpected but pleasant title that has rekindled my interest in 2D side-scrollers. The title is both familiar and wholly unique, and the main mechanic of Headlanding is entertaining and intuitive. A sleek and stylistic design matched with an incredible attention to detail more than make up for any frustrations with the game’s combat or puzzles.

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Unscored
Aug 26, 2016

Headlander is worth the price of admission, just be warned that its combat can lead to a fair share of frustration.

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7.5 / 10.0
Sep 6, 2016

Headlander is a funny, well designed game with an excellent aesthetic, it's a shame that a few shortcomings let it down in the long run

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