Airhead was developed by Octato and Massive Miniteam. It is an indie 2.5D puzzle platformer, which got published by HandyGames. It was released on the 12th of February 2024, and in it, you have to take care of an inflatable head. It does sound odd, and it actually also is.
RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 12, 2024
DEVELOPER: OCTATO/MASSIVE MINITEAM
PUBLISHER: HANDYGAMES
PLATFORM: PLAYSTATION 5
Airhead is a puzzle platformer in which you need to help a small body save a head-like organism full of air from a leak. When starting the game, you can select its guidance – available to turn on/off are hint availability, waypoints, highlighting interactibles, and tutorials. I left all of them turned on, because I am getting old. You start the game by controlling a character without a head whatsoever. You can jump an push/pull objects, that will help you platform through the level. You go swimming and swinging, all until you get to and collect a “head.” Once you have it, you can hold the R2 button at air cylinders to refill air and save your progress. You lose air when moving or when Head is left alone – you are able to track your remaining air by using the white orb at the lower right side of your screen. When you lose all of the air, you will have to restart from the spot where you last saved your progress. Carrying Head can make like difficult, since grabbing high ledges and pulling objects takes the use of both hands. There is also a map available, so make sure you use it, if you ever feel lost. As much as the game starts pretty calm, it gets quite hectic really soon, since you have to refill the Head thing with air all the freaking time.
All-in-all, Airhead is an adventure with metroidvania-like exploring and solving puzzles while you are at it. As mentioned, you play as Body that finds an inflated organism, which it starts using as a head. By constantly holding it above its body. Head is deflating rather quickly, but you are on a mission to save its life. You will be constantly using air cylinders to keep it inflated, because once it is completely out of air, you will have to start again from your last saved checkpoint. Airhead’s gameplay consists of exploration, puzzles, and taking care of the damned Head. You will be exploring through dark caverns, ancient structures, and other weird locations that, I have to say, look pretty good. While exploring, you will gain new abilities, reach new areas, and encounter new puzzles to solve. The puzzles are a bit too constant, as it feels like you are just solving them all the time – while keeping the damn Head inflated. Most of them are environmental, but there are others as well, and you have to be pretty darn creative with them. The more you will understand the world you are in, the easier it will become to solve them.
Airhead looks nice with its, more of less, simple design, and offers a good 2.5D platformer experience. There is a lot of exploration present, and even more puzzle-solving. The main premise – keeping the Head constantly inflated – got on my nerves rather quickly, though, so I only recommend it to the ones that are of calmer nature to begin with.
GRADE
