Henry Halfhead (PS5) Review: Find Your Childlike Glee

While sandbox games are often just seen as a fun time and an experiment to be creative, sometimes they can be profound. Similar to how seeing the world from a micro and macro level in Everything gave gamers a new perspective, Lululu Entertainment’s Henry Halfhead winds up being a deceptively cute game about aging and creativity. But mostly, it’s a lot of creative fun as you puzzle about and become every object you can see.

Henry Halfhead begins with you as the titular character as a baby. As his last name suggests, Henry has only half a noggin, and you speedrun his childhood as you go from playing with baby toys and stacking blocks to getting prepared for school. You do all of this by occupying inanimate objects you see, which then become cute Henry-ized versions that you can move around and sometimes perform actions with. If you see it, you can be it.

Featuring a charming narrator who keeps you clued in on what to do next to keep progressing through the game (there’s also a helpful and optional hint section that you can pull up at any time), Henry Halfhead is primarily a playground. A lot of the joy comes from doing creative things with the objects you’ve been given, and a lot of alternate solutions are rewarded with trophies and narration quips. It’s not quite Stanley Parable, as you won’t get constant feedback on everything you do, but it feels special when you do something imaginative and the game recognizes that.

What’s most interesting about the two-hour game is that you see Henry age over time. What starts off as a mischievous and imaginative child with free rein to do as he pleases becomes an adult who has to work within the world we exist in. It makes you realize how boxed in and routine life can become, and how we don’t have to always do the mundane. It’s all a matter of perspective, and there’s quite a bit of narrative heft for a game that is inherently goofy.

As mentioned, Henry Halfhead is quite a short experience, albeit a memorable one. It’s also a very replayable one, as there are plenty of alternate solutions to figure out, and you can play through the whole game in local co-op play as well. Interacting with the world with a friend is particularly fun, as you can do some unique interactions and speed up the process quite a bit. Much like Henry, more imaginative players will get the most out of this game.

Henry Halfhead (PS5) Review: Final Verdict

Sometimes half a head is all you need, as Henry Halfhead is an imaginative and fun time for gamers of all ages. With a surprisingly impactful narrative and some creative puzzles, this goes beyond a simple sandbox and winds up being a PS5 game with a lot of heart that you should check out.

Disclosure: The publisher provided a digital copy for our Henry Halfhead PS5 review. Reviewed on version 1.000.002.

The post Henry Halfhead (PS5) Review: Find Your Childlike Glee appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.