Video games - Dynamite Headdy

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	Video games - Dynamite Headdy

Dynamite Headdy is a video game released in 1994 by Sega and produced by Treasure Co. Ltd. It was released on the Sega Game Gear and Sega Mega Drive/Genesis systems.

The style of the game is platform/action. In the game you as play as the star puppet Headdy who can attack his enemies by shooting his detachable head at them.

Dynamite Headdy was not the best known game outside of Japan, perhaps because it wasn't marketed well compared to other games (obviously the marketing culture around games wasn't what it is today, but things like getting someone to know it, or making the box art attractive were dealt with badly), and perhaps due to it's incredibly high difficulty levels. The numerous bosses and platforming sections got rapidly harder, whereas extra lives where hard to come by. Admittedly continues where relatively easy to gain access to, although that often meant you got put back at the beginning of a challenging level, and had to make your way back to where you got stuck previously.

Dynamite Headdy is one of the 3 games included with Gunstar Heroes in the Gunstar: Treasure-Box Collection.

Storyline

Set on the stage of a puppet theatre, the storyline to Dynamite Headdy is strange, and a little confusing without combining ideas from the box description, manual and the various versions of the game itself.

Headdy is the star of the Treasure Theatre production of Dynamite Headdy. He has come to North Town from the country in order to visit his friends Headcase, Hangman and Beau (detail from the Master System version), but arrives to find that the evil puppet king, Dark Demon, attacks the puppet town to select which of the peaceful toys should live and which should be converted into his evil minions. Headdy is captured by the Robo-Collector and rejected by D.D.'s forces, and is dropped into the dust cargo to be thrown into the incinerator. However, Headdy escapes the clutches of Dark Demon's minions and sets off to defeat the evil king.

However, trouble is afoot. Not only is the puppet world filled with Dark Demon's minions, but to reach the evil overlord's castle Headdy must defeat Dark Demon's keymasters, who serve as the king's elite guard. To make matters worse, Headdy is followed by his lifelong rival and bounty hunter Trouble Bruin, a puppet jealous of Headdy's success. Bruin wants to be the star instead of Headdy, and will stop at nothing to get rid of him.

The Characters

Headdy (The Main Hero of the game)
Heather/Fingy (Japan)
Hangman/Fukkun (Japan)
Headcase/Mokkun (Japan)
Beau/Yakkun (Japan)
Smiley/Smily (Japan)
Robo-Collector (The 1st boss of the game)/Toruzo-Kun (Japan)
Mad Dog (The 2nd member of the Keymasters)/Bounty Boundy (Japan)
Wooden Dresser (The 3rd member of the Keymasters)/Jacqueline Dressy (Japan)
Spinderella (The 4th member of the Keymasters)/Motor Hand (Japan)
Baby-Face (The 5th member of the Keymasters)/Mitsuru (Japan)
Twin Freaks (The Leader of the Keymasters)/Rever Face (Japan)
The Gatekeeper (The "Headdy Wonderland" Boss)/Yayoi and Izayoi (Japan)
Trouble Bruin (The main rival to Headdy)/Maruyama (head only) and Kuma Body (Japan)
Dark Demon (The Big-Boss)/King Dark Demon (Japan)

Gameplay

The game is played over a series of "scenes" and "acts". The end of each act is signified by a large battle with a Keymaster. Headdy's special power is his launchable head. This can be fired in eight directions: up and down, left and right, and the four diagonals in between. Lauching it at enemies can damage or destroy them. His head can also be used to hold on to a Hangman, a character that acts like a hook. By grabbing a Hangman with your head, you can then use it to hurl yourself in its direction, as if connected by an elastic band. Headdy can also swap his head for a special head, if he attacks a Headcase. Depending on the symbol that the Headcase is showing, Headdy will get a different head with a different special power. By pressing the A button, Headdy's normal head will be returned to him and his special head will be removed. There are 15 power-up heads that can be used in the normal levels, and 3 that only appear in certain levels.

Much of the levels constists of fighting certain bosses. Although some of the acts contain mostly normal platformer stages, many are filled with bosses, with only small sections of level in between. As a result, the game is incredibly varied, featuring an incredible array of ideas and fast-paced action, while retaining the platform-game mechanic. In other words, you rarely stray from platforming action, and the variety, challenge and originality of the bosses keeps the game exciting and fast-paced.

Bosses include such creative designs as a flying puppeteer and his swinging marionette, a giant manniquin whose powers are decided by the clothes it wears, and a giant robotic baby's head which transforms from baby to old man as its outer shells fall off. Trouble Bruin also appears frequently, each time with a new robotic body to destroy Headdy with. Beau also points out the weak point of the current boss.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Dynamite Headdy ]

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