Dynamite Headdy

What if the hero's main weapon were his own head? This crazy idea is exactly what Dynamite Headdy is built on, a platformer in which Treasure unleashed one of its most playful explosions of creativity on the SEGA Mega Drive. Released in 1994, it pours out original ideas at literally every step.

The main draw is the head-swapping system. Headdy attacks by launching his head at enemies, and throughout the game he can swap it for dozens of different types – a bomb, a hammer, a question mark and many more, each offering different abilities and often solutions to specific puzzles. This mechanic gives the game unexpected depth and constantly surprises the player with new possibilities.

The entire game unfolds in a theatrical setting, as if everything were happening on the stage of a puppet show. Backgrounds shift and slide like scenery, bosses feel like oversized stage props, and the overall visual style is unmistakably bizarre and enchanting. Here Treasure showed off its full flair for artistic imagination and for choreographing action scenes.

As with the studio's other titles, there is a heavy emphasis on inventive boss battles and constantly changing gameplay situations, so the player is practically never bored. Platforming sections are interspersed with puzzles that make use of that very head system, and the pace changes so often that every level brings something fresh.

Despite its quality, the game remained somewhat in the shadows – partly due to confusing marketing that failed to clearly convey what it was actually about. That is why today it is often labeled an underrated gem that deserves far wider attention than it ever received.

Why play it: An inventive and visually enchanting Treasure platformer with the original mechanic of swappable heads – an underrated Mega Drive gem.