34| Dynamite Headdy
Released: August 04th, 1994
Definitive Version: Sega Mega Drive; Also on: PC, PS3, 360, Wii, GG
The game opens up with the player controlling a puppet who is running away from giant towers crashing onto the ground causing multiple big explosions. Soon a giant robot begins attacking the player as they have to retaliate against its attacks. Once defeated the giant robot stops in its tracks with a myriad of explosions. A couple seconds later an airplane appears and starts firing at the main character. Once the player dodges all of the attacks they encounter the game's first boss battle. If it isn't incredibly apparent already, this is a Treasure game.
Dynamite Headdy involves controlling a puppet with a detachable head named "Headdy." There isn't much explained in the story, after all it is a 16-bit platformer, but it seems to involve Headdy beating up a gang baddies while he impresses his love interest. The entire world he is in seems to be filled with puppets, while the entire game takes place on a stage similar to Super Mario Bros. 3.
Gameplay wise the game is a mix of different genres. For the most part it is a typical platformer game with a unique gimmick. It involves using the title character's detachable head ability as he can latch on to things and scale buildings, attack distant objects, and what not. The platforming isn't the deepest out there or the most polished, but it is very fun. It wouldn't be a Treasure game with a lot of ambitious boss battles. Just the first few levels involve fighting screen filling robots and giant dancing mannequins. They aren't as difficult as their intimidating stature implies, but they are still very fun to do battle with.
As said before, the game mixes things up a lot, but the most notable change in the game occurs halfway through when it turns into a shoot-em-up for a few stages. Unfortunately this is where the game's quality takes a nosedive. First is that the game makes for a pretty average shoot-em-up. It isn't particularly bad, but it isn't particularly good. On top of that the game is way too difficult for its own good. It is so hard to progress it makes one wonder what Treasure was thinking when play testing the title. After playing this title dozens of times, I still can't beat the shoot-em-up sections. What's worse is that the difficulty isn't something that gradually happens, it appears out of nowhere. Being honest, these shoot-em-up sections are what really holds the game back.The platforming sections are some of the most enjoyable I've had in a video game. Unfortunately the shooting sections are so mediocre and frustrating they severely damage the game's overall enjoyment.
Presentation wise, the game is great. The graphics are very colorful and just pop out of the screen. To add to that the game also has a lot of neat effects including scaling and rotation. This isn't just limited to boss battles, but is even present in the levels themselves. Something I feel that few people mention is the amount of detail put into the game's animation. There are a lot of little touches the developers put focus on that few developers did at the time, including several animations applied to the game's backdrop. As per par with Treasure games, the title has a wonderful soundtrack. It isn't the best out there, but it has a few standout tracks and it fits the game very well.
Overall, Dynamite Headdy is a great game that could be fantastic if it wasn't for overly arduous shoot-em-up sections. There is such a thing as a game being too difficult for its own good and unfortunately this is what happened here. Treasure managed to create a highly unique, high quality title. Unfortunately just a few sections of the game managed to really bump this game down some ranks. Regardless, it manages to speak volumes for the first couple of stages of the game which are some of the best offerings of the 16-bit era.