| Quick Verdict: Henry Halfhead is a sandbox adventure where you possess objects and complete tasks as you follow Henry throughout the stages of their life. For me, this one was hard to judge because there’s nothing wrong with the game, but something felt missing to me. I don’t know if it’s the pacing or the repetition of doing much the same thing throughout the game. |
| Game: | Henry Halfhead |
| Developer(s): | Lululu Entertainment |
| Publisher: | Lululu Entertainment and Popagenda |
| Review Score: | 8 |
| Cozy Score: | 8 |
| Price: | $12.99 |
| Pros: | A ton of achievements to collect, you can go at your own pace, there’s a co-op mode, and it was fun to see what you could possess. |
| Cons: | There are puzzles to put together in every stage of life, and you need to make sure you put them together because you have to restart the level in order to put them together later. |
| Platforms: | PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5 |
| Genres: | Sandbox, Adventure |
Henry Halfhead follows the life of Henry and – surprise of all surprises – they’re only half a head. You might think that this means we’d be working around some challenges, but Henry has the unique ability to possess objects of all sorts.
Starting as a baby, you’ll join Henry through the exploration of their nursery as you possess blocks, crayons, and more. The game is set up so that you only have one new thing to focus on at a time. Once you’ve completed the challenges in that area, a new one with new tasks will open up.
Once you’ve done everything as a baby, you’ll join Henry as a child going through the motions of schoolwork. From there, it’s into adulthood, helping Henry perform their tasks and rediscover their joy in life.
It’s a smaller game, but I can see where replayability could come in if you wanted to complete all the achievements and didn’t manage to accomplish them all the first time around.
Personally, I found the structure to get a little monotonous as I played, but I did complete it in one sitting. That doesn’t mean that this isn’t a great game; I was just getting a little bored by the time Henry was starting their adult life.
Thankfully, the game did throw a curveball in the pacing at that point, and I was able to rally and find interest again. I won’t spoil anything, but I found the way they structured Henry’s working life before they started to rediscover joy in it to be very poignant.
In truth, I almost don’t want to call Henry Halfhead a game so much as an experience. It’s a little series of puzzles where you can interact with objects with no consequence for taking your time. You’re actually encouraged to play with every little item. It’s about discovery in all forms.
I never would have guessed that becoming a tube of lipstick would bring me so much joy.
Maybe I would have had a little more fun if I had played with someone. Henry Halfhead can be played solo or with one other friend, and I feel like it might not have felt like I was just repeating the same steps over and over if I had someone else who could create chaos with me.
In terms of gameplay, I was very impressed by the smoothness of some objects. There are items you can inhabit that allow you to draw across surfaces and the floor, and I found that progaming to be incredibly seamless.
On the flip side, however, I struggled with the controls. You’re encouraged to play on a controller, and I agree that that is likely easier. However, I kept getting it confused as to which button was meant to possess objects and which would jump. I was constantly leaving something I intended to inhabit when I meant to jump.
It got a little better as I continued to play, but I was making that mistake right up to the end. So, that’s something to think about if you’re like me or if you have dexterity issues with your hands. Fortunately, nothing was timed, so even if you have some accessibility needs, it should still be manageable.
If I’m honest, I’m a little on the fence about Henry Halfhead, and I can’t put my finger on what it was. The art is great, I ran into no bugs, and I enjoyed the subject matter. I’m not sure if it’s the pacing or the repetition of doing the same thing over and over, but there was something that kept me from fully immersing.
At the end of the day, it could simply be a me issue, and these qualms in no way impact the score or my recommendation for playing this game if you love sandbox adventures. However, I’d feel remiss if I didn’t say that something felt incomplete for me.
Watch the trailer for Henry Halfhead!
My only real qualm is that there are puzzle pieces to collect in every stage of life. This is something I was enjoying finding, but I accidentally blocked my ability to finish the puzzle in the first part. I hadn’t fully put the puzzle together when I was told to go to Henry’s bedroom.
What I didn’t know is that by going to Henry’s bedroom, you move the story along. Everything up until this point kept building on itself, so I expected Henry’s room would just plop down like all the other areas. Unfortunately, it took me to an entirely different area, and there is no way to go back without completely restarting the area.
Something as small as letting us return to areas or popping up a note to ask if we’ve done everything we already wanted to before moving on would be a great thing to add for any updates the game might come out with.
All in all, Henry Halfhead was an interesting game with some moments that stuck with me, and if you’re interested in this title, it’s unlikely that you’ll regret buying it.
If you’d like to grab Henry Halfhead, you can get it for $12.99 over on Steam, Nintendo Switch, or PS5. Otherwise, stick around and check out some of our other reviews, like Little Problems: A Cozy Detective Game or Out and About.
