Quick Review: Headlander

Talk about a head-ache!

In the future, everything will be plug-and-play.
Even body-critical technology. USBs? Too complicated.

Developed by Double Fine Productions, published by Adult Swim Games and released on July 26th, 2016, Headlander is… well, it’s Double Fine, so it’s weird. Someone awakens on a space station, to realize they are nothing except a head in a space helmet. Bodies are so last millennium. Even worse, they are the last flesh and blood human in the universe, since the rest of mankind has long transferred their consciousnesses into "Impostor" robot bodies to attain immortality. And all the places where these Impostor bodies live are controlled by the all-seeing powerful AI known as Methuselah.

In this screenshot, my character is in the bottom left, using
an orange body - stronger than red. Still gotta deal with
the lasers from the other guards...

Any hopes of saving humanity? In this world inspired by how the ‘60s imagined the future, your helmet can plug ("Headland") into any body without a head (using Q) and take control of it. Can’t find a body without a head? Activate the vacuum (Left-click) and pull the head off a body yourself to steal it! You can use the vacuum feature to pull out all sorts of things, granting access to computers, passageways, and more. It's a Metroidvania, so you gradually unlock abilities that allow you to go further. You can collect multicolored energy that fills up a gauge, granting skill points when full; these can be spent in the menu to unlock or improve abilities. Progress is also locked behind color coding, as many doors are locked unless you control a body of the appropriate color. The armed guards in the second area, as an example, are usually red, and you need to take their bodies to walk through red doors. But then, orange and yellow doors later appear.

Hmm. Orange... Yellow... yeah, let's go for yellow.

When lasers start flying left and right and everywhere - oh
yeah, it gets hard to avoid them all. Good luck moving that
frail robot body around...

The guards are equipped with laser weapons that you can then use against other guards and threats. Lasers bounce off walls, floors and ceilings, and you can use that to your advantage to hit enemies – but they, too, can do it to hit you. Your arsenal expands over time to include melee attacks, greater vacuum pull allowing you to rip the heads off robot bodies from greater distances, a thrust that can transform your flying head into a cannonball, force shields that can be used to bypass lasers, and so much more. As a Metroidvania, the interest is to explore every nook and cranny to find secrets and upgrades, and to return when new abilities (or bodies) are discovered. The plot is split into chapters, with teleporters (sorry, “zap pads”) between areas, so you can go back without having to trek the whole way through. The robot bodies can be frail against enemy lasers, even after upgrades to health regeneration, so those pads are much appreciated.

Found another secret area with a health boost! You bet
I'll take it - the lasers are only getting stronger in every area!

Speaking of the "chess" game,  wait till you see the Queen.
Now THAT's a boss fight I wasn't expecting.

And of course, this is Double Fine we’re talking about, so the absurd concept is delivered with a very tongue-in-cheek writing and a lot of sarcastic characters (especially the doors when they tell you that you’re in the wrong body to move ahead – they're called R.O.O.D., that says it all). The silly concepts somehow lead into an intriguing story that keeps you invested regardless. And they have fun with it, too; one chapter even includes a twisted version of chess with lasers (…don’t question it), and one game of it must be infiltrated to steal sensitive data. the concept lends itself to a lot of special challenges, such as when you’re forced to plug into specific bodies to progress, as an example.

It's a crazy ride, a solid Metroidvania with an excellent eye for aesthetics. It's worth checking out, whether you like the genre or the slightly more comedic tone.

Headlander is available on Steam for …..