In Henry Halfhead, you play as a disembodied head (effectively, half of 1, to be exact) that may amble round and possess the objects round it. It’s a easy mechanic which, mixed with a comfortable sandbox sim and guileless voice over, finally ends up leading to a surprisingly entertaining movie-length expertise that’s as shifting as it’s foolish.
I’m not a mark for sentimental video games with affected emotional arcs, which is why I used to be relieved to find that Henry Halfhead isn’t one. The twee presentation and surface-level puzzles don’t don’t masks a recreation that’s attempting to be greater than it’s. As a substitute, they praise a rewardingly concise train in displaying how playful reassessments of the mundane constructing blocks of our lives can shake us unfastened from their in any other case zombifying energy. It’s a riot towards min-maxing wrapped up in a poignant animated film about not letting life flip you right into a boring jerk.
Out this week for PlayStation, Swap, and PC, the latest indie release from the Zurich-based Lululu Leisure begins at start with you controlling Henry the primary time they brake out of their crib at bedtime. It’s the primary of many rogue acts as they make messes and trigger chaos in pursuit of every new story-based goal. Henry can turn out to be different issues—a toy, e book, calendar, cake knife, child-proof gate—to discover their environment and transfer issues alongside.
This setup encourages one small act of discovery after one other, rewarding you with each the delight of seeing how every new object within the sandbox reacts to your powers in addition to the absurdity of the conditions that come from them. I used to be supposed to assist arrange for my celebration at one level however ended up throwing all the things on the ground accidentally as I struggled with the only duties. My first day of faculty was a particular one as I found out how one can flip my worksheet right into a paper airplane that would fly as much as attain a buddy’s confiscated toy, just for the bell to ring and the trainer to successfully inform me I used to be a failure with dwindling prospects.
This acquainted story of “growing up” on the expense of “feeling alive” hits a climax at Henry’s office the place they’re chargeable for sorting packages in a mail room. The parcels pile up shortly. The preliminary enjoyable of exploring the brand new surroundings is lower brief by the arbitrary urgency with which productiveness should ramp up. Play is changed with work, each narratively and within the gameplay: the as soon as cozy sandbox transforms into a colorless, transactional guidelines. It’s the story of so many lives and so many video games. Henry Halfhead hit exhausting after I was least anticipating it to.
Emotional epiphanies wrapped up in gameplay typically ring as true to me because the phrases inside a fortune cookie, however Henry Halfhead doesn’t drive its approach into your coronary heart or hit you over the pinnacle with a e book report. It exhibits as an alternative of tells, with a co-op mode that immediately gained my youngsters over the primary time they tried it. The battle to cease the world from grinding us to mud is unending. For a couple of hours at the least, Henry Halfhead makes it extra enjoyable and colourful, and leaves behind the nagging reminder that I could possibly be residing the remainder of my life with extra of the little halfhead’s spark.
