Dynamite Headdy is full of superb platforming action, but the difficulty is too unforgiving to make it a true classic.
The presentation of Dynamite Headdy is even more impressive than the gameplay. The graphics have a very Japanese flavor to them, lots of the game takes place backstage in a theatre meaning you will have stagehands coming in and changing the backgrounds right in the middle of the level. The game also uses some very impressive effects to give the illusion of being 3-D in many places. The screen tilts and turn in and out of the background and though you may find it a bit distracting at first, it doesn't lead to any cheap deaths. There is really nothing else like it on the Genesis Both from an artistic and technical standpoint, Headdy is one of the best looking games on the Genesis. The music is as high quality and varied as the graphics, but it is a shame that the same boss music repeats so often. The voice samples, especially the main villain's shouts of "Boops" (what the hell is "Boops") every time you hit him, get really annoying really fast. .
.
Despite the excellent gameplay and presentation, Headdy is severely held back by its difficulty. Now, there is nothing wrong with having a hard game, Gunstar Heroes is very difficult but because you are given unlimited continues and multiple difficulties, it is still very beatable. Headdy is not, you are not given any continues and if you lose all your lives, you have to start the entire game over again. Considering how long this game is and the fact that the earlier levels don't offer much of a challenge when you keep having to replay them, the lack of, a save system, difficulty setting, or any continues sucks to the highest extent that something possibly could suck. If Dynamite Headdy had to been more forgiving, it would have easily been as fondly remembered as Gunstar Heroes or many other Genesis classics. However, because the difficulty is so unreasonably hard, most gamers will play through and enjoy only about the first half of the game before realizing that there are equally fun games out there which don't punish you in cold-blood simply because you want to see everything that they have to offer.