Wikipedia

Dynamite Headdy

Dynamite Headdy[b]is aplatformvideo game developed byTreasureand published bySegafor theSega Genesisin 1994. The game follows a puppet named Headdy in his efforts to stop an evil puppet king from taking over his world. Headdy can throw his head at enemies to defeat them and use it to pull himself to various areas and move objects. The player can find a wide variety of "heads" which act aspower-upsthat provide different effects and alter gameplay.

Dynamite Headdy
Developer(s)Treasure[a]
Publisher(s)Sega
Director(s)Hiroshi Aso
Producer(s)Koichi Kimura
Programmer(s)Masato Maegawa
Artist(s)Koichi Kimura
Makoto Ogino
Kaname Shindoh
Composer(s)Katsuhiko Suzuki
Yasuko
Koji Yamada
Aki Hata
Norio Hanzawa
Platform(s)Sega Genesis,Game Gear,Master System
Release
5 August 1994
  • Sega Genesis
    • JP:5 August 1994
    • NA:28 September 1994[1]
    • EU:28 October 1994[2]
    Game Gear
    • JP:5 August 1994
    • NA:September 1994
    • EU:November 1994
    Master System
Genre(s)Platforming
Mode(s)Single-player

Critical reception toDynamite Headdywas positive. Critics highlighted the game's originality and creativity in distinguishing it among other games in the platform genre. They also commended Treasure for demonstrating their technical expertise with impressive graphical effects and building on the success of their earlier gameGunstar Heroes(1993). In reviews from the time and in retrospect,Dynamite Headdyis cited as one of the best games on the Genesis, and has since been included in multiple compilations of classic Genesis games. An8-bitport was released forGame Gear,which itself served as the basis for aMaster Systemport released inBrazil.

Gameplay

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Headdy fighting with Trouble Bruin early in the game

Dynamite Headdyis aplatform gamein which the player controls Headdy, a puppet with a detachable head.[3]The story follows Headdy in his adventures to save his world from the evil puppet King Dark Demon, who is transforming all the puppets of the world into his evil minions. To succeed, Headdy must overcome the King's army, which features the likes of Trouble Bruin[c]and the key masters which serve as stage Boss es.[4]Headdy can jump and throw his head in any direction to attack enemies. His head can also be used to grab hooks and pull himself up to other platforms.[5]: 6 Headdy's health is represented by a spotlight in the corner of the screen which changes colors. If the player does not pick up restorative items to heal themselves after suffering damage from enemies, they will lose a life.[5]: 7 

During his adventure, Headdy will findpower-upswhich change the design and function of his head. These 17 power-ups range from increasing damage, such as spinning fireballs around his head, to providing invincibility, restoring health, increasing speed, etc.[6]Some of these power-ups last for only a short time. Other than heads, the player can also find health restoratives, extra points, and extra lives throughout the levels. By finding the Liberty Head, players can enter a Bonus Stage in which the player must shoot basketballs into the correct hoops.[5]: 10–13 Unlike other platform games where falling into a bottomless pit results instant death, if Headdy falls off, he will bounce back up which allows the player to put him back on a platform, though Headdy will still sustain some damage.

Development and release

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After developingGunstar Heroes,Treasurewas divided into four teams to work on four separate projects:Alien Soldier,Light Crusader,Yū Yū Hakusho Makyō TōitsusenandDynamite Headdy.[7]Development ofDynamite Headdystarted in August 1993.[8]Inspiration for the game came from Koichi Kimura, who wanted to work on an original project. Up to this point in his five-year career, Kimura had only worked on projects using the pre-existing works of others.[9]Kimura lead development,[9]and president of Treasure, Masato Maegawa, served as head programmer.[10]

Kimura designedDynamite Headdyto be commercially viable.[9]He wanted the main character to attack with a part of its body, so he felt a puppet that could throw its head would be appealing. Not wanting Headdy to be a stereotypical lone hero, Kimura added support characters that appear in every stage.[9]The game's visual design was inspired byWestern animationand the work of film directorTerry Gilliam.[9]After deciding to publish a localized version for overseas markets, Maegawa was told bySegaof America to make the game more difficult. This was because Sega did not want customers completing the game too easily on rental. Maegawa happily obliged, and the North American release was made about twice as difficult.[7]In addition to changes in difficulty, most of the dialogue in the game was removed, and several of the character and Boss sprites were changed.[11]

Dynamite Headdywas originally released in Japan on 5 August 1994 for theSega Genesis,with North American and European releases following in September and October respectively.[4][12][13]A port was released for theGame Gear,and aMaster Systemport based on the Game Gear version was released exclusively in Brazil.[11][14]A32Xconversion was planned but canceled.[15]The game was included along withGunstar HeroesandAlien SoldierinSega Ages 2500:Gunstar Heroes Treasure Box,a compilation released for thePlayStation 2in 2006 in Japan. The compilation includes all versions ofDynamite Headdyreleased on all three Sega platforms across all regions.[11][14][16]The game saw a digital re-release on theWiivia theVirtual Consolein July 2007.[17]It was also included inSonic's Ultimate Genesis CollectionforXbox 360andPlayStation 3,and was released onSteamon 2 May 2012.[11][18]In 2018, it was included in the multi-platform compilationSega Genesis Classics.[19]In 2021,Dynamite Headdywas added to theNintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.[20]

Reception

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Dynamite Headdyreceived critical acclaim,[11]with some believing it to be one of the best games on the Genesis.[21][24][27]Journalists repeatedly highlighted the game's creativity as a strong point.[13][21][24][25]Rik Skews ofComputer and Video Gamessaid it "breathes new life" into the platform genre and stood up to the likes of theSonicseries.[13]The staff atMean Machines Segafound the game innovative and liked how each stage introduced new concepts to keep gameplay fresh.[24]Tim Tucker atGamesMasterbelieved that Treasure was doing more innovation in the genre than any of its rivals.[23]In addition to the game's originality, critics praised Treasure's programming expertise andDynamite Headdy's technical prowess.[21][23][24]The staff ofElectronic Gaming Monthlycomplimented the game's visual effects and colorful stages.[21]Tucker said "Dynamite Headdyis full of classic Treasure overstatement "and cited the impressive colors, big explosions, large sprites, and rapidly changing backgrounds—which all together were perhaps a little too overwhelming.[23]TheMean Machinesstaff believed thatDynamite Headdyfollowed in the footsteps of Treasure's previous games and therefore confirmed the studio's technical expertise.[24]The gameplay drew some criticism, with Tucker finding it somewhat disjointed and "patchy" andMean Machinesstating that it takes a few stages to truly find its footing.[23][24]

Critics found the Game Gear port to be well done given the system's less powerful technology.[27][28][29]Electronic Gaming Monthlystaff called it one of the best portable action games.[29]Richard Leadbetter ofSega Magazinebelieved that since much of the Genesis version's playability came from the system's technical capabilities, the Game Gear version suffers in that sense, but still believed Treasure was able to create a fun 8-bit port.[27]

In retrospective reviews of the Genesis version,Dynamite Headdyhas continued to receive considerable praise. Critics agreed that the game is excellent despite not receiving the same legendary status as some of Treasure's other works such asGunstar Heroes,IkarugaandRadiant Silvergun.[3][30][31]Lucas M. Thomas ofIGNsaid the game is overload on the eyes, but it makes sense with respect to Treasure's chaotic design.[3]Frank Provo ofGameSpotnoted the game's impressive graphical effects, large Boss es, and bizarre premise providing the same level of excitement asGunstar Heroes.[30]Damien McFarren ofNintendo Lifecalled it one of the best Treasure games of the Genesis era and one of the best platformers on the system.[31]

Notes

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  1. ^Ported to Game Gear and Master System by Minato Giken
  2. ^In Japanese:Dainamaito Heddī(ダイナマイトヘッディー)
  3. ^Known as Maruyama(マルヤマ)in Japan.
  4. ^Five reviewers provided individual scores of 8, 8, 8, 8, and 6.

References

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  1. ^"$3-$10 off Game cartridges".The Spokesman-Review.September 25, 1994. p. 316.RetrievedNovember 24,2023.Dynamite Headdynot available until Wednesday, Sept. 28.
  2. ^"Bulletin board".The Observer.October 23, 1994. p. 189.RetrievedNovember 24,2023.Already being hyped as a replacement for the fadingSonicseries,Dynamite Headdy(£44.99, out 28 October) is Sega's big hope for the Christmas market.
  3. ^abcThomas, Lucas M. (1 August 2007)."Dynamite Headdy Review".IGN.Ziff Davis.Archivedfrom the original on 31 March 2016.Retrieved19 March2016.
  4. ^ab"ダイナマイトヘッディー | Wii(R) バーチャルコンソール メガドライブ công thức サイト".Sega.Archivedfrom the original on 23 July 2016.Retrieved23 September2017.
  5. ^abcDynamite Headdy(instruction manual) (NTSC, Genesis ed.).Sega.1994.
  6. ^"ダイナマイトヘッディー | Wii(R) バーチャルコンソール メガドライブ công thức サイト".Sega.Archivedfrom the original on 1 April 2016.Retrieved23 September2017.
  7. ^ab"Danh tác アルバム -『ガンスターヒーローズ』- P4".Sega.Archivedfrom the original on 14 November 2015.Retrieved23 September2017.
  8. ^"Work in Progress: Dynamite Headdy".Mean Machines Sega.No. 19.EMAP.May 1994. p. 19.
  9. ^abcde"ダイナマイトヘッディーってこんなヤツ".Beep! Mega Drive(in Japanese). No. 54.SoftBank Creative.March 1994. p. 38.(Translationby Shmuplations.Archived2020-11-07 at theWayback Machine).
  10. ^"Danh tác アルバム -『ガンスターヒーローズ』- P1".Sega.Archivedfrom the original on 22 January 2017.Retrieved23 September2017.
  11. ^abcdeKubiak, Kyle (2008)."Dynamite Headdy".Hardcore Gaming 101.Archivedfrom the original on 21 December 2016.Retrieved23 September2017.
  12. ^"Dynamite Headdy"(PDF).Electronic Gaming Monthly.No. 61. August 1994. p. 146.
  13. ^abcdSkews, Rik (October 1994). "Dynamite Headdy".Computer and Video Games.No. 155. pp. 68–70.
  14. ^ab"“SEGA AGES 2500シリーズ Vol.25 ガンスターヒーローズ ～トレジャーボックス～” ～ áo thành プロデューサーに lại びインタビュー!～ ".Game Watch.Impress Corporation. 14 March 2006.Archivedfrom the original on 6 December 2016.Retrieved23 September2017.
  15. ^"News: Dynamite Headdy - 32X".Sega Power.No. 61.Future Publishing.December 1994. p. 7.
  16. ^"Sega Ages: Gunstar Heroes Treasure Box Import Impressions".GameSpot.CBS Interactive.17 May 2006.Archivedfrom the original on 16 September 2017.Retrieved23 September2017.
  17. ^Dunham, Alexis (30 July 2007)."Wii Virtual Console Adds Three New Titles".IGN.Ziff Davis.Archived fromthe originalon 20 February 2008.Retrieved22 October2007.
  18. ^"Dynamite Headdy on Steam".Steam.Valve.2 May 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 1 June 2015.Retrieved3 June2015.
  19. ^Hatfield, Daemon (2021-11-01)."SEGA Genesis Classics Review".IGN.Retrieved2021-12-18.
  20. ^"Sega Genesis - Nintendo Switch Online adds Altered Beast, Dynamite Headdy, Sword of Vermilion, Thunder Force II, and ToeJam & Earl".Gematsu.2021-12-17.Retrieved2021-12-18.
  21. ^abcde"Review Crew: Dynamite Headdy".Electronic Gaming Monthly.Vol. 7, no. 9. September 1994. p. 36.
  22. ^Đọc giả クロスレビュー: ダイナマイトヘッディー.Weekly Famicom Tsūshin.No.333. Pg.34. 5 May 1995.
  23. ^abcdeTucker, Tim (October 1994)."Dynamite Headdy"(PDF).GamesMaster.No. 22. pp. 52–53.
  24. ^abcdefg"Mega Drive Review: Dynamite Headdy".Mean Machines Sega.No. 25. November 1994. pp. 74–77.
  25. ^ab"Genesis: Dynamite Headdy".Next Generation.No. 1. pp. 99–101.
  26. ^Slate, Chris (October 1994). "Dynamite Headdy".Game Players.Vol. 7, no. 10. pp. 78–79.
  27. ^abcLeadbetter, Richard (November 1994)."Game Gear Review: Dynamite Headdy"(PDF).Sega Magazine.No. 11. p. 96.
  28. ^"ProReview: Dynamite Headdy"(PDF).GamePro.No. 62.IDG.September 1994. p. 138.
  29. ^ab"Review Crew: Dynamite Headdy".Electronic Gaming Monthly.Vol. 7, no. 9. September 1994. p. 38.
  30. ^abProvo, Frank (29 August 2007)."Dynamite Headdy Review - GameSpot".GameSpot.CBS Interactive.Archivedfrom the original on 17 January 2015.Retrieved19 March2016.
  31. ^abMcFarren, Damien (29 July 2007)."Review: Dynamite Headdy (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)".Nintendo Life.Archivedfrom the original on 14 July 2010.Retrieved24 September2017.
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