Henry Halfhead

This is a review from a rare keyboard-and-mouse player. Even though the store page and the loading screen advises you to use a controller, it works perfectly fine without one, even if it's a little clunky... I'm writing this partway through the game as I haven't finished yet, but I'm at the adult life section where Henry has a lot of different things to do around the house and I don't want to forget my opinions by the time I've completed the game. I will most likely edit/update when I do. Spoilers ahead!!!! The game is about the titular Henry Halfhead, who is seemingly the only person in this world. No other characters (human or animal) are ever visible, we only hear about them from the Narrator. You can change Henry's skin tone when you start a new save (I'm not sure how this effects hair colors and style, because they have hair in the school section). The player takes Henry through different stages of life as they navigate life using their special power of being able to turn into objects. It's a platforming/puzzle/adventure game. My experience so far is good, but I have a list of things I liked and disliked in no particular order. Positives: The soundtrack, sound effects, ambience are all fitting and pleasant. You can find the OST on YT and Spotify for free. You can wear different cosmetics such as hats or glasses and they don't obstruct your movement or fall off when you possess an object. Henry's face/expression changes with age and mood (they have eyelashes as a baby, they look tired at the end of the work section with visible eyebags) The story is realistic and deals with experiences many people will be able to resonate with (accidentally breaking a plate, being scolded by their teacher, becoming burnt out at work, having a toilet clogged, etc.) The puzzle pieces are usually easy to obtain and the image they create is cute and fitting for the specific chapter, although I don't bother too much with them personally (I might try and finish some, but the rotation is annoying). The visual style of the game is cute, calming, and easy on the eyes with the warm colors. Every book you open has actual sentences from what could be actual books, and the contents change by section, so there are children's books, fantasy books, nature/animal books, romance books, etc. I haven't had any performance issues on my college laptop. You can turn on subtitles for the Narrator and there are other helpful settings (Anti-aliasing, camera centering, FPS cap, volume control separately for speech and music, etc.) When Henry turns into an object, they can move just like the object does (roll using the wheels of a cleaning cart, float like a paper plane, etc.) and it feels very natural and immersive. The message of the story is heartwarming. Negatives/annoyances: Some doors open with the right click (such as the washing machine's door) while some doors open with WASD (such as the house's front door). When you possess an object, the action pops up in a little graphic and the key you need to use, but sometimes it's blocked by the camera angle or I have a muscle memory messup. The hints section is more like a list of things to do instead of giving pointers on where to find an object or an arrow to show you where to go. It's never explained why Henry is the way they are, whether their parents (and the rest of the people they meet) are half of a head just like them or not. There are various accomodations around Henry that seem to imply that everyone in this world is like them (such as the furniture as well as people using stamps to sign their names), but when Henry does laundry, there are items that go on a lower body (underwear, pants, socks) that Henry shouldn't be able to wear considering they're only half a head. Some of the achievements, especially the ones you see when you go to the bottom of the list, are tedious, and once again the hints don't help with them. Whenever a new area is unlocked, the screen splits and shows the new area instead of turning your camera over there, leading me to get lost multiple times trying to find a new area. There is also no map or compass. The rubber duckie's squeaking is very persistent even after I found it. Henry doesn't jump very high up and usually you have to do the platforming using your ability, possessing objects one after the other on a shelf until you make it to the top. The "sandbox" tag isn't exactly fitting, as you have a list of things to do to progress, and there are certain sections that are timed or feel like they are. Some subtitles are incorrect (have typos, missing a word, or a word was changed). The movement when Henry possesses an object that's cylindrical (like a battery) is quite annoying and you have to jump a lot to change direction. I'm giving it a thumbs up for now, as I don't think the rest of the game will be so bad that it ruins my entire experience. Even despite my annoyances, I'm having fun. I also got the game 40% off, but the full price isn't too high, I'm just broke. There's a lot of content in this game and you even have the option for 2-player. Edit after completing the game: I had major trouble with the end of the home section where the lack of real instructions made me unable to bake the tart, but thankfully I could substitute it with another activity to make the tree grow and progress further. The last section where Henry is elderly was quite realistic. Having lost grandparents over the years and had friends lose their pets to old age, I'm familiar with the hearing and vision loss, lack of coordination or energy, etc. that comes with the last few years of life. The little bird is a recurring character. The ending made me cry a little, but it was also quite open-ended (we never hear what Henry's last thought was as the narrator is cut off). This is the kind of game that makes you think about people in different stages of life than you and helps you appreciate both past and future. My thumbs-up remains. I'll try getting a few of the achievements by reloading the levels.