This review was published on 07/18/2013.

Dynamite Headdy is a side-scrolling platform game developed by Treasure and released for the Sega Genesis in 1994. It also got a stripped down port on the Game Gear and Sega Master System, but these ports don't hold a candle to the Genesis version. Treasure's main claim to fame was Gunstar Heroes, but they also made other fantastic games. This is one of them. Dynamite Headdy is a unique and interesting creation. Back then, Treasure had a tendency to create a lot of one-offs; games that wouldn't spawn a series. I'm not certain if this was a deliberation on their part or if it was due to poor sales, but it was different from how most other game companies operated. While Dynamite Headdy received rave reviews from publications of the time, not too many people knew about the game back when it came out. Thanks to the wondrous wonders of the Internet, however, that has changed. Today, Dynamite Headdy is a fairly well known game among retro gamers, many of whom discovered the game well over a decade after its release. I'm one of the few people who bought the game back when it was new, and I don't regret it one bit. Dynamite Headdy is DYN-O-MITE!

This game stars Headdy, a strange disembodied being that has a mighty good head on his shoulders. Headdy looks like Rayman, though Rayman came after. There are many unique things about Dynamite Headdy, and the premise is one of those things. The whole game has a theater motif to it, with all the characters being toys or puppets that are merely playing parts of a grand play. It's slightly similar to Toy Story in that it revolves around toys, but the theater thing is the main focus. All the background and foreground objects are actually stage props, like the clouds are pieces of cardboard that are painted white and are held up by very visible ropes. The game begins with an evil puppet known as the King Dark Demon terrorizing a town of peaceful puppets. This Demon of Darkness has built machines to select which of the toy denizens of the puppet town will be converted into its minions or brutally disposed of. Headdy gets caught up in this, and is thrown into the trash because he didn't meet the Dark Demon's incredibly high standards. Like dynamite, Headdy escapes and begins a heroic quest to thwart the terrible Dark Demon. Dynamite Headdy's premise, besides being fun and original, works real well for a video game. I like it.

As already established, you control Headdy in this game. Headdy can run and jump like any good platform hero can, but his primary ability is to use his head as a projectile attack. He's able to toss his head in all eight directions, and once thrown, Headdy's head will quickly return to him, much like a boomerang would. It's possible for Headdy to use his head as a grappling hook, too, by his head biting onto grappling points as it's thrown. Somehow, Headdy is able to pull his body towards objects his head is attached to. It's almost as if there's an invisible force tethering his head and body together. Besides these innate abilities, Headdy can augment his head with an assortment of power-ups. Throughout the game you'll encounter a little guy named Head Case. Head Case slowly cycles through a variety of power-ups, which are shown on his body. You hit him when the desired power-up is shown to literally exchange Headdy's head. Power-ups do all manner of things, like increase Headdy's damage output, range, and mobility. The hammerhead power reinforces Headdy's head with a strong metallic substance, greatly enhancing his damage output, as well as allowing him to break certain barriers he normally can't. Another cool power-up is one that gives Headdy three heads, which increases his attack radius. The small head is one of the few power-ups not restricted to a time limit, and it shrinks Headdy down to size, so he can fit through tiny spaces. Dynamite Headdy has spectacular mechanics, tight controls, and awesome power-ups.

Most platform games are fairly formulaic, usually sticking to a structure that consists of long stages with a boss at the end. Dynamite Headdy totally defies convention by not having any discernible structure to its levels. Instead of being divided into worlds, the levels are comprised of "scenes." These scenes could consist of just about anything, and they're not logically assorted in any particular manner. The length of any given scene also varies wildly, with some scenes lasting the length of an average platform game level, and some scenes being a single boss fight. You really won't know what to expect from this game on your first time playing it. The first level starts off with a chase sequence that quickly transitions into a boss fight, and then it just ends suddenly. There's a scene a short bit into the game that starts out like an average level from any platform game, but out of nowhere, you're whisked away to a gauntlet of bosses. No, this isn't at the end of the game; the developers just felt like putting a string of cool bosses in the middle of the game, for no particular reason. Other notable scenes is this bit where you climb a tower while fighting a boss, and the boss literally removes large sections of the tower as you're climbing it, in an attempt to obliterate you. Another big section in the game is a Gradius styled shooter segment, complete with its own power-ups. Dynamite Headdy challenges the notion of what constitutes a stage in a platform game, in addition to having incredible level design.

Treasure really treasures its boss fights. Dynamite Headdy has a ton of bosses, sometimes dedicating whole stages to nothing but boss fights. As one would expect from a Treasure game, all the bosses in this game are superb. Most of them are really big, often taking up a large amount of the screen, pushing the Genesis hardware to its limits. The bosses are pretty unique, too. There's one boss that's really two bosses in one; a puppeteer controlling a puppet. Depending on which of these guys you take out first, the fight will change, as the attack pattern differs when only one of them is around. Immediately after that battle is another cool boss fight that consists of a huge puppet that puts on different costumes. Each costume has its own attack pattern to avoid, and the objective is to slowly knock away pieces of the costume to reveal the core, which you then attack for massive damage. In a normal game, these awesome bosses would be spaced out more evenly, giving you time to recuperate from the awesomeness. Dynamite Headdy, however, never gives you time to rest from its awesome factor. A nice touch is that almost every boss is accompanied by its own music, making this game's soundtrack one of the best on the system. Games back then typically used one or two boss themes for every boss, but Dynamite Headdy had much higher standards. When it comes to bosses, Dynamite Headdy has the dial set to awesome.

Dynamite Headdy is a unique and unusual creature. There is almost no other game out there like it, in terms of its premise and general art style. I find that interesting, because it's a cool theme for games to explore. Dynamite Headdy is typical for a Treasure game, which means it's exemplary. The game excels in all categories, such as music, graphics, control, gameplay, etc. It's also really challenging, though it's too challenging at times. The insanely high difficulty level might be one of the game's only downfalls, as most players won't be good enough to make it to the later levels. It's a shame, because the later levels are just as awesome as the early ones, and this game is worth experiencing in its entirety. Even though Dynamite Headdy was an unsung hero in its time, I don't really need to sing it any praises now, as its reputation is known. If it's all new to you, though, then know that this is one of the best Sega Genesis games ever, and one of the best 16-bit games of all time.

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