At first glance, Airhead seems to be a colorful and joyful metroidvania-style puzzle adventure. But as I dived deeper, I experienced the subtle themes of friendship, kindness, and lending a helping hand in a bleak world, which reflects our own reality.
In Airhead, you play as “Body,” a small creature of unknown origin who witnesses a tragedy of a symbiotic being, “Head,” and takes it upon itself to help save Head. Thus begins an unexpected journey of consequences, dependency, and friendship.
On the whole, Airhead is a platformer puzzle adventure that I had fun with. Some of the puzzles can get a little frustrating, but the unique world in which it is set up along with its vivid visuals made my 4 hours with this game worth it.
An Unlikely Yet Familiar Companionship
The opening minutes of Airhead aren’t anything flashy or extraordinary. In fact, there isn’t even an introduction. The game directly puts the player in the middle of an apocalyptic, mysterious world. You play as a small organism that looks like a “Body,” or so the game calls it.
As someone who knew nothing about the game, I was met with confusion, yet my curiosity got the best of me.
Body isn’t complete without its Head, and this is something Airhead wants you to ponder upon from the beginning. And just when I was thinking about it for the 10th time, the ambience shifted to that of a tragic event.
Body bears witness as a big machine of unknown origin tears a creature in half, separating it from its air-source. Rushing to the site of casualty and saving what’s left of the creature, Body gets its “Head.” Without its main air source, Head is deflating, and it is up to the Body to save and reunite Head with its missing part.
The instinctive nature of Body rescuing the Head without any forethought of the consequences is very neatly incorporated as the primary plot of the game. Indie concepts like these are why I love video games!
Simplistic Gameplay, Complex Puzzles
Best part about Airhead’s controls is that they are simple and accessible even to non-gamers. If you are someone who loves puzzles but isn’t used to video games, this title is for you.
With its easy controls and well-established tutorials, the only thing you need while playing Airhead is the patience to solve puzzles.
As Head constantly needs air to survive, it has its own air meter that depletes very quickly. Luckily, there are air cylinders located in every corner of the environment that can be used to fill up the air meter on a regular basis. Once that air meter fully depletes, it is game over, and this is why timing is very important in traversal or solving puzzles. Filling up the air cylinders also acts as checkpoints, which is convenient when you fail any time in the game.
You can also find some upgrades within the map of each area. These upgrades give special abilities that help both Body and Head to overcome challenges and puzzles in newly discovered areas. I made sure to find as many upgrades as possible since they were very helpful as I went further into the game.
Both Head and Body are very much codependent on each other for survival. So, when it comes to traversal or completing puzzles, it is required to rely on both their strengths.
While Head is a bit weaker since it always needs air from the cylinders to stay alive, you can only get to higher areas with its help. Body can be used to reach narrower areas in the map. With Head being detachable, timing is once again very important during puzzles where you need to separate Head from Body given how quickly Head’s air meter depletes.
There were moments when it took a good chunk of time to solve certain puzzles or find an upgrade. The puzzles did feel a bit challenging and tricky especially with the air meter decreasing rapidly. In fact, there were times when solving them almost felt impossible, but thankfully the game has an option to provide hints which did help a great deal.
A Mysterious Yet Vibrant World
Exploration in Airhead reminded me of Hollow Knight. With a vast map, every area is drowned in secrets and hidden paths. Sometimes it was easy to get lost but with an in-game map, it was easy finding main objectives.
The world of Airhead is no doubt beautiful. As you come across a variety of creatures and machines with unique designs, it feels like remnants of a world that is still bursting with life. Each area and level possess its own lighting, mood, and colors which made me want to keep exploring endlessly. Honestly, I wouldn’t have minded if the game was just exploration without the puzzle solving and story.
Even though there isn’t a lot of information regarding the lore and backstory behind Airhead’s world, it leaves a lot of room for players’ interpretation. TThis might be my favorite detail about the game.
A Game For Everyone
At the first glance, Airhead is a story about unexpected friendship, practicing kindness in an unforgiving world, or simply lending a hand to someone in need. But ultimately, the beauty of the game is that it can be interpreted in many ways.
It is a kind of game that you can play after a long hard day while sipping tea. Solving the puzzles feels like a personal victory, and exploring the stunning world of Airhead gives you a sense of calm. There aren’t any rousing or glamorous boss fights; instead, it is more of a game that requires patience and quiet.
There aren’t many games like Airhead, and though it’s short, it’s a title I can wholeheartedly recommend.
Airhead
Airhead is a unique metroidvania puzzle platformer that combines unique story, simplistic gameplay, vast exploration, and stunning visuals.
The Good
- Stunning visuals
- Vast exploration
- Unique story
- Simple yet engaging gameplay
The Bad
- Puzzles can get a bit exhausting
