If you’re looking for a game that delivers a relatable life story, but lets you dick around as a disembodied noggin, look no further than Henry Halfhead. This might sound a bit niche, but it really does have something for everyone, delivering a silly yet surprisingly heartfelt adventure for an incredible price.
Landing on PC, Switch, and PS5 today for $12.99 (and just $9.74 on Steam before the end of September), this sandbox adventure is the sophomore effort from Swiss indie outfit Lululu Entertainment. Henry Halfhead puts you into the demi-skull of a jawless, bouncy bonce who can transfer your consciousness into over 250 objects around you, using these items to get through life, and indulge in any daft stuff that takes your fancy.
In just two hours, Henry Halfhead manages to make the most of its ridiculousness to convey a simple message: we all need to have more fun, even if we don’t feel like we can or should. It has a weird way of going about it, but its unique approach makes it one of the most satisfying games you’ll play in 2025.
You start as a baby in your cot, before zooming through your single-digit years in the first act — learning to play, exploring your childhood home, and celebrating your birthday, before eventually going to school. These early moments are the perfect blend of nascent experiences and light tutorials, but even as you progress, Henry Halfhead doesn’t force you to move to a new section. If anything, it actively encourages you to fiddle with your surroundings. There are plenty of distractions, too: tower blocks, jigsaw puzzles, and plug outlets you can jam a fork into.
The whole thing is narrated by a rather prim and proper British-accented narrator, voiced by Lululu’s own Leander Schneeberger. His straight-laced tone makes the experience feel a bit like The Stanley Parable, though the script pulls its punches on humor more than you might expect. In a way, this more metered approach makes sense; the game’s core possession mechanic is hilarious, even if it’s normalized within 15 minutes, and the more subtle jokes shine through without detracting from the fun you create on your own.
It also quickly becomes clear that going off the beaten track is rewarding in two ways: Henry Halfhead has a few hidden trophies that indulge your desires, and these are celebrated with unique lines from the narrator. Admittedly, self-inflicted distractions can be annoying — quickly moving between tasks will cut one line of dialogue off in favor of another, rather than stacking them — but that’s a simple fix.
Talking in great detail about the story will only ruin the experience, but in terms of the game’s simple mechanics, everything just works. The gravity and physics can be a little flighty, though you adapt quickly; trickier-to-reach areas quickly devolve into puzzles of their own, as you build new ways to navigate them, developing a weird bunch of steps you can access in your chosen form, like a hardback book or violin.
Henry Halfhead’s final act will stay with you for weeks. It makes you appreciate just how well Lululu handles the life experiences we’ve all had, as well as those inevitable things many of us will face. These important moments are treated with grace and respect, and only underlines just how much the team clearly wants to bring people together on the simplest human level.
Ultimately, Henry Halfhead is all about finding joy in whatever you like, even if it’s banal — how we should take time to indulge ourselves in hobbies and passions, because before we know it, we might not be in the position to do so. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a must-play experience, even if you may have an existential crisis or two — but that’s what life’s all about.
