Airhead Demo: Self-Inflated In A Good Way

Here’s an interesting one: Airhead. A good old double-tuck among the plethora of titles in The Big Adventure Event, this indie title is as much of an adventure as the others. 

Most titles are point and clicks (so far), but this is more of a problem-solving platformer with a minimalist aesthetic. Described as a Metroidvania, you have to guide a headless body through a series of caverns, pushing and pulling rocks to create new pathways.

Emphasis again on the minimalist approach as there are no dialogue cutscenes or driving narrative. However, the core story reloved about being reunited with your head that’s been removed by a mysterious machine. Getting a…head in the game happens pretty fast, and the mechanics swiftly change.

Until getting your head, Airhead is mostly that pushing and pulling technique, hitting some switches with no apparent effect, and swimming in the water without any consequence, i.e. oxygen bar. That promptly changes when using your noggin as you have to fill up your oxygen using those earlier containers. The thing is, it’s so frequent that it’s evident where the real challenge lies.

That’s a good thing, by the way. Each time you move, your oxygen will deplete rapidly, meaning that you have to plan your routes and find those canisters. Fortunately, these also serve as save points. There’s no real danger in Airhead other than suffocation – much more common than you’d expect, and where fellow headless bodies are running around, they don’t hesitate in taking your head should you put it down, using the remaining oxygen to reanimate their fallen comrades.

Octato Game’s puzzle platformer has been quite the standout. I loved the simplicity of it; visually pleasing but challenging enough to make the demo enjoyable. That head/body mechanic, coupled with the minimalist approach does it justice, and this game now features on my wishlist, and certainly something I’m looking forward to.

This isn’t a new piece, but as I hadn’t heard of Airhead up until The Big Adventure Event, here’s a summary of the key features and a trailer:

• A beautiful art-style, embracing bold colors and bleak shadows.
• An immersive 2.5D platform experience.
• Exploration in a Metroidvania-style world, full of secrets and hidden paths.
• Challenging puzzles, exploring the unique mechanics of a detachable head full of air.
• Many powerful abilities to discover, each giving access to new areas and puzzles.
• A personal story of companionship, discovery, and responsibility.
• A myriad of creatures and machines to hinder and help you on your adventure.

Airhead is set for a release in 2022. Make sure you wishlist it.