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Dynamite Headdy

 Sometimes, I just don't get it.


Honestly, I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. I think it kind of makes me more understanding when it comes to different gaming opinions. I try to do my best to see things from other people's perspective and I feel like I usually do a pretty good job. I would never focus entirely on one single game genre, but I understand why people do. I love RPGs, but I totally understand why some people don't. Speed runs don't interest me, but I do see why people find them fascinating and what they bring to the gaming community as a whole. But to this day, I don't understand the effusive, almost hyperbolic level of praise that Treasure games receive.

For those that don't know, Treasure is a Japanese developer known for its unique game design philosophy and focus on high quality. They were something of, what we would consider today, an indie developer that initially made games exclusively for Sega before branching out. It's not that these games are bad, because they most certainly are not. But they way some of these games are hyped up is just crazy. I remember the first time I played Gunstar Heroes, many years after its release after it was hyped up to me as one of the greatest games of all time. Don't get me wrong, it was good. Really good.  I would even call it great. It was certainly technically impressive, but the way it was built up to me it would have to have been life changing just to meet expectations. And a run and gun game without any revolutionary gameplay elements that I beat in 40 minutes on the first try just wasn't life changing. Maybe I'll do a full review of it at some point, but today we are going to dive into another of Treasure's Genesis titles, 1994's Dynamite Headdy.




Like so many games of the era, Dynamite Headdy is a 2D platformer. The gimmick here is that the main character, Headdy, uses his (surprise) head to attack and climb up various platforms. He can acquire various powerups, from a triple shot to a screen clear to a shield. There are 17 powerups in total, which is quite a few for a game like this. However, some of the "powerups" are actually detrimental, which is frustrating. There really isn't very much new or interesting about how DH is set up, it certainly had its differences from your standard platformer but there aren't really enough new mechanics to make it stand out. That's not to say its bad, I just didn't feel it was as inspired as some folks make it out to be. I will say the mechanics actually work and the world is well designed around Headdy's abilities, so there's that.

Graphically, DH looks great. It has some really cool 2D graphics and excellent sprite animations, possibly some of the best on the Genesis. The graphics are bright and colorful and while the enemies aren't particularly interesting, they are very detailed. The bosses are awesome, they are huge and offer some truly unique challenges. The backgrounds are pretty cool too, the range from standard video game fare to wild, whacky and out there. DH has a sort of theatre/stage motif, Headdy and his enemies are supposed to be puppets, which I wasn't necessarily a fan of. The sound is also just okay, it's top quality but the actual design just doesn't do it for me. I know I started off the review kind of knocking treasure, but they were known for really putting a lot of effort into this kind of stuff and it shows here. It may not be my cup of tea, but all of the technical aspects here are top notch.

If there was one technical flaw I did find, it's that I had some issues with hit detection on Headdy's distance attack. I'm not sure if it was an issue with the attack or enemy hitboxes or with the attack itself, but I found it difficult to hit enemies from a distance. It was especially pronounced when using the powerups, as it felt like they sometimes exacerbated the problem. It was a bigger issue when it came to using the grappling platforms, as I felt like I missed quite a few jumps that it looked like I should have hit. Fortunately, I didn't seem to have the same problem with the jumping. I never fell through platforms or anything like that, which is always a positive. Taking an accidental hit due to collision issues is a bit frustrating, but outright dying because of it is game breaking. The controls are simple, solid and responsive, no issues there.

If it sounds a little like I'm struggling to find something to say about Dynamite Headdy...it's because I am. It's just a 2D platformer from the mid-90's and its not much more than that. It's weird, I wouldn't consider it generic in terms of presentation, there are some really nicely designed bosses and unique areas to explore and I can't complain about the level design. But it's not really excellent either. Everything is nicely designed around Headdy's abilities, but that doesn't change the fact that the levels are just collections of platforms leading to an exit. The bosses look great and are more fun to fight than not, but none of the fights were particularly excellent. It isn't particularly difficult, though I wouldn't call it easy either. The graphics are probably the best part of the package, but even there its far from the best looking game on the Genesis. I definitely had my share of fun with the game, but it kind of fell short of expectations placed on it simply from having been developed by such an unconditionally loved studio.

Now that I've ruined any reputation as a gamer I might have (I mean I guess I already did that by saying I don't like Tony  Hawk's Pro Skater), I do want to say that Dynamite Headdy isn't a bad game. It's just very uninspired. I guess playing it did allow me to better understand why people like Treasure's other games so much, they may not have been revolutionary but they provided some very stimulating gameplay. I know I was a little bit rough on Gunstar Heroes, but I will say that game went by very quickly and kept my attention from beginning to end. It may not have changed my life, but it was a blast to play through. I could say the same for Alien Soldier and several other Treasure games I've played in my time. Dynamite Headdy just wasn't that interesting. Finishing the game was a bit of a slog, though I can't say it was completely awful. Not a game to avoid, but I wouldn't seek it out either.

6.25/10
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