Line #89 VideoGame/DynamiteHeaddy


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6	''Dynamite Headdy'' is a PlatformGame by Creator/{{Treasure}} for the Platform/SegaGenesis with the unique feature of taking place in and behind the scenes of a puppet show. You control Headdy, a puppet with a [[LosingYourHead detachable head]] that can be used as a projectile, on a mission to confront King Dark Demon, a BigBad who has, quite literally, stolen the show. On your way you meet helpers such as Hangman, an animate handhold; Headcase, a walking box with a rotating selection of power-up heads inside; Beau, a visitor from FluffyCloudHeaven who points out [[AttackItsWeakPoint bosses' weak points]]; and Heather, a mysterious woman with detachable hands.
7
8	The 'puppet show' nature of the game's setting comes up quite a bit, although it also has elements of a live action play or a movie. Each stage of the game is called an Act, and is subdivided into sections called Scenes. Backgrounds are often missing sections through which the backstage area can be seen, and sometimes actually fall apart. Some sections of the game take place backstage, and enemies and [=NPCs=] both sometimes take on the role of stagehands or other staff. Even the LifeMeter reflects this: Headdy's vitality is represented by a klieg light whose color (and the size of the "H" in the middle) corresponds to the amount of life left, and bosses have a similar spotlight with an "E" in the center. There's also a scene where an orchestra is visible in the background playing the background music. Needless to say, metafictional and setting tropes get quite a workout in this game.
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10	----
11	!!This game provides examples of:
12
13	* TwoAndAHalfD: Used in a few places, especially when rotation is involved, e.g. the tilting platforms in Act 3 Scene 1 and the boss of Act 5.
14	* ActionBomb: Bomb Head is a power up that turns Headdy's head into a bomb that can be thrown to the ground before blowing up and damaging any nearby enemies. However, if Headdy does not throw the bomb before it detonates, it will explode while still attached to him, causing a OneHitKO.
15	* AdvancingBossOfDoom: Twin Freaks, known as Rever Face or Funny Angry in Japanese. The fight takes place in an AutoScrollingLevel filled with obstacles that Twin Freaks can crush Headdy against for a OneHitKO if he fails to avoid them.
16	* AlreadyDoneForYou: Upon reaching Act 4-4, Beau appears to reveal to Headdy that Heather already defeated the act's Keymaster before he showed up, and the game immediately transitions into Act 5 after.
17	* AlwaysIdenticalTwins: Gatekeeper and Nasty Gatekeeper, known as Yayoi and Izayoi in Japanese, respectively, look identical with the exception of the claws and more wicked looking face on the Nasty Gatekeeper.
18	* AIRoulette: Bosses that notably use this include Trouble Bruin's Flying Scythe and FinalBoss King Dark Demon.
19	* AmazingTechnicolorBattlefield: The final boss fight.
20	* AmericanKirbyIsHardcore: Trouble Bruin in the original Japanese version was called Maruyama, was purple, and had wide round eyes and a goofy smile. The international version colored him brown and turned him into a PerpetualFrowner. The color change might just have been so you could tell he's supposed to be a bear and not a cat, though a lot of people just thought he was a brown cat, especially as he seemed to a lot of people to say "m-m-meow" when he turned up (it's actually saying "Ma-Ma-Ma-Ma-Maruyama"). Also, the American game cover compared to the European and Japanese ones. Many of the bosses within the game receive a similar change.
21	* AttackItsWeakPoint: One helpful character, Beau, tends to appear during boss fights to point out the weak points, complete with onscreen '''TARGET''' notice and synthesized voice clip.
22	* BackgroundBoss: Spinderella, known as Motor Head in Japanese, is a very notable example, as she can switch the camera's perspective to make it so Headdy is in the background, and the camera faces her back.
23	* BaitAndSwitchBoss: At the end of the second world, it seems that Headdy is going against Trouble Bruin's Octopus Trap machine, but as soon as he starts moving, Mad Dog, the real boss, falls from the sky and crushes Trouble Bruin, who gets stuck under Mad Dog for the entirety of the fight!
24	* BeamSpam: Baby Face's third adult head fires a hemispherical spray of lasers followed by a longer beam aimed at Headdy's position related to Baby Face in a very fast alternating pattern.
25	* BearsAreBadNews: [[PunnyName Trouble Bruin]] (Maruyama in Japanese) and his Kuma Body, although he is [[InformedSpecies referred to as a cat-bear (who looks more feline than bears).]]
26	* BigBad: King Dark Demon[=/=][[spoiler:Smiley]] plans to rule the world by turning all the other puppets into his minions, and the boss characters all do his bidding. [[spoiler: In the Japanese version, it's revealed that Smiley turned into King Dark Demon and did all this because he thinks he's supposed to be the greatest puppet in the world]].
27	* BitchInSheepsClothing: The Gatekeeper offers false praise and thanks to Headdy for all of his hard work once he reaches her and implores him to leave, as the location they are in [[BlatantLies is not King Dark Demon's castle and dawdling here would put everyone in danger]]. Heather promptly shows up and calls the Gatekeeper on her lying, beginning the battle.
28	* BonusStage: Most stages have one Liberty Head, which leads to an "intermission" MiniGame where machines spit out a continuous stream of basketballs (and the occasional bomb) and you must knock them into the two moving tiers of hoops above. There are three special hoops that do something different from awarding you a point if you dunk a basketball in them: a hoop with a basketball symbol that doubles the rate of basketball fire, a hoop with a "slow play" symbol that reduces the speed at which the hoops move, and a hoop with a Keymaster symbol that destroys one of the ball machines. There is no time limit for getting the requisite score to win; you lose by getting hit by too many bombs, getting both machines destroyed, or forfeiting by canceling the head. The reward for completing the bonus game is one digit of a four-digit password to be used at the end of the game after the credits roll. With each digit you get, the number of baskets you need to make increases by five (from a starting value of five), and the frequency of bombs increases slightly. Once you have gotten all four digits, the Liberty Head icon will no longer appear on Headcase. One perk of entering the bonus game is that when you leave, whether you win or lose, your health is returned to maximum.
29	* BonusStageCollectables: The four digits collected in the intermission bonus games are used to open the door to an OptionalBoss at the end of the game. There are seven chances total.
30	* BoringButPractical: The Slammer Head isn't as flashy as almost any other power-up, but will do double the damage to any enemy.
31	* BossOnlyLevel: All end-of-act bosses and most Trouble Bruin battles get their own scene. There are two entire acts where all the danger takes place in boss fights: Act 7 against the Gatekeeper & Nasty Gatekeeper, and Act 9 against Trouble Bruin's Super Finagler (which has other obstacles to worry about as well).
32	* BountyHunter: Mad Dog (Bounty Boundy in Japanese) is this, being only the Keymaster to have been hired by King Dark Demon to kill Headdy.
33	* BreatherLevel: Invoked and then subverted in Stage 7, which is very short with two easy bonus points and a Liberty Head (bonus stage), and no enemies until reaching a robotic [[BreatherBoss Gatekeeper]]. Then you get punished gruesomely for your naïve belief that the game would be so kind by having to face the Nasty Gatekeeper, and the rest of the game past this point is [[NintendoHard no better]].
34	* BrokenRecord: Beau's Training Stage has her say "Target!" every time an enemy is about to pop up, which becomes increasingly frequent over time.
35	* ButtMonkey: Bino, classified by the game as a backstage worker, appears often "on stage" in many ways (grabbed or thrown in by a boss, boss wearing a MASK of him, wandering aimlessly on the arena...) and his elimination is the key to get many of the Secret Bonus Points.
36	* ClimaxBoss: The end-of-act bosses are Keymasters (well, at least from act 2 through 6), but the Gatekeeper (end of act 7) is certainly one. If the Keymasters count, Twin Freaks (end of Act 8) does too.
37	* ClippedWingAngel:
38	** Baby Face's final form. He only has one attack, a grab, and if he connects with it, he ''dies of old age'' before doing any harm.
39	** The secret final boss will get really angry after you've hit him enough times, but at that point one more hit will defeat him for good.
40	* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: King Dark Demon has a crystal ball which signals which attack he will perform next, while Headdy is given a choice between four power-ups to respond with.
41	* CreativeClosingCredits: Functions as a curtain call for ''every'' single character in the game.
42	* CrowdChant: If Headdy runs out of lives but still has continues, the crowd will chant his name to try to bring him back.
43	* CosmeticAward: Getting all the Secret Bonus Points or beating the OptionalBoss does not affect gameplay in any way, and in fact all you get in either case is [[AWinnerIsYou the game briefly acknowledging that you've done so]].
44	* CorruptCorporateExecutive: The OptionalBoss is the incredibly greedy boss of the theater, and his two henchmen. In the Japanese version, he is actually supposed to be [[TakeThat the President of Konami]].
45	* CrosshairAware: In the fight against the robotic Mons Meg in level 4-2.
46	* CulturalTranslation: There are several. The level names in international releases are parodies of movie/music names while in the Japanese version, they just give the general level idea in a simple phrase. The Geisha in Scene 7 is replaced by a robot who is far less threatening when they change forms, as the original had sharper claws than the robot. In stage 4 of the Japanese version, Mons Meg was a large doll named Rebecca. Trouble Bruin was changed from purple to brown in the international version. The Heavy head's icon was changed from the Japanese characters to a large onion of some type. Even the ending has some minor differences. [[spoiler:In the Japanese version, Smiley latches onto Headdy's head and he tries pulling it off humorously, while in the Western releases Heather hugs Headdy, though this may be because there was no dialogue in the Western release.]]
47	* CutsceneIncompetence:
48	** The Robo-Collector captures Headdy at the start but is no threat at all during gameplay.
49	** A rare unintentional example: Headdy jumps on the first few steps of the tower level on his own, but about 1 in 10 times, the programming omits something and he falls off, causing minor damage.
50	* DeflectorShields: Protector Head surrounds Headdy with a ring of fireballs that damage enemies. Not impenetrable, but nothing's getting in without taking a hit first.
51	* DidntNeedThoseAnyway: The Wooden Dresser and Baby Face, in different ways. The Wooden Dresser is vulnerable after losing everything, but quickly brings in new stuff afterwards. Baby Face slowly loses faces until he runs out.
52	* DifficultyByRegion: The game starts with 3 continues in the Japanese version but none in the North American/European version (you can earn continues in both versions) and has a few other tweaks to make the American/European version more difficult. On the other hand, Twin Freaks, one of the hardest bosses in the game, has twice as much health in the Japanese version, but has a significantly smaller hitbox in the Western version.
53	* DubNameChange: [[DubNameChange/DynamiteHeaddy Now has its own page]].
54	* EasyLevelsHardBosses: The general trend with exceptions on both sides.
55	* EnergyWeapon:
56	** Rocket Head fires lasers straight forward. Can penetrate certain barriers that the other shmup heads' projectiles cannot.
57	** Baby Face's third form fires lots of lasers at Headdy.
58	** When King Dark Demon's crystal ball flashes all colors, he will fire a massive beam that only Pin Head can avoid.
59	* EvilIsHammy: King Dark Demon's voice samples in both versions. In the Japanese version, most of the boss characters, especially Trouble Bruin, serve up some [[AffablyEvil oft-affable]] ham in their text-only speeches.
60	* EvilOverlord: '''King''' Dark Demon.
61	* EvilPuppeteer: One boss is a clown puppet that controls another puppet to fight Headdy.
62	* FatAndSkinny: The two minions of the TrueFinalBoss.
63	* FauxActionGirl: Heather appears to be an ActionGirl at first, going as far as to defeat one of the Keymasters before Headdy shows up, but later on in the game, she gets captured and must be rescued. Twice. Some may say that she deserves a break for some of this: the first time she was blindsided by the Nasty Gatekeeper, who showed up out of frickin' ''nowhere'', and the Japanese version explains the second one: [[spoiler:she was trying to [[IKnowYouAreInThereSomewhereFight reach out to Smiley]], and he attacked her in response]]. Still though...
64	* FinaglesLaw: The Super Finagler, which spends one scene trying to shoot Headdy like it should, then goes haywire and starts attacking both Headdy and its owner.
65	* FlashOfPain: Enemies usually flash white if they're hit without being destroyed.
66	* FollowTheMoney: [[AvertedTrope Entirely absent.]] Naturally, this also means no LawOfOneHundred. Since there is no way to save, extra lives and continues, far from being [[MeaninglessLives meaningless]], are rare and precious pickups.
67	* {{Geisha}}: In the Japanese version, Yayoi and Izayoi both appear to be designed after one.
68	* GimmickLevel: Besides Act 6's UnexpectedShmupLevel, Act 3 starts with an area that has depth, so Headdy can move up and down as would be ordinarily seen in a BeatEmUp. Then Trouble Bruin pulls Headdy backstage, ending the gimmick.
69	* GuideDangIt: Many of the Secret Bonus Points require you to perform extremely counterintuitive or un-obvious actions, and there are no hints anywhere. Fortunately, they're not mandatory, and in fact, [[ScoringPoints aren't worth a thing]].
70	* HealThyself: Sleepy Head. Headdy goes to sleep and gradually regains health until he is fully revitalized. Can be dangerous to use if you're currently under attack, although it can be canceled like most heads. There is also a non-head healing item, the [[HyperactiveMetabolism Jellybean]], which restores half of your maximum health.
71	* HeartIsAnAwesomePower: [[spoiler:Pin Head makes you tiny and decreases your firing radius, walking speed, and jump height accordingly, and usually leads to the safer, less rewarding path in the early game. In a level near the end of the game, it instead leads to a challenging path that ends with the only 2-up reward in the game, and it's also very important against the final boss.]]
72	* HitboxDissonance: Used deliberately. Headdy's body can take damage while his head cannot, whether or not it is attached to his body. This becomes important at some points. [[spoiler:The key to beating a certain boss is noticing that it targets Headdy's head instead of his body.]] It also means that ducking is not very useful for dodging damage, as due to Headdy's proportions most things that can hit him while he is standing will still hit him when he is ducking. [[spoiler:The solution is generally to don the Pin Head, making Headdy's body small enough that hazards go over it.]] Ducking is still useful for hitting low targets, though.
73	* HoldTheLine: The penultimate level has Trouble Bruin's [[HumongousMecha robot]] go out of control and chase ''both'' of you down a very long hallway. The robot is invincible, and Trouble Bruin himself may only be [[{{Determinator}} stunned]]. Trouble Bruin spends the whole sequence tackling and clinging on to you because he needs somebody to hug during the stressful experience, while you desperately TryNotToDie (and you can't let him touch you if you want the bonus point). This lasts for about two minutes.
74	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: A tank miniboss in Scene 4-1 is defeated by deflecting its shot onto the ceiling and letting it drop onto the soldier driving the tank.
75	* HomingProjectile:
76	** Pig Head fires two of them from its nose, but unlike most heads cannot be fired itself. Good for dealing with enemies from a distance, but not for much else.
77	** '''Money''' when the OptionalBoss throws it. (Yes, you read that correctly).
78	* HostageSpiritLink: In the second boss fight of Act 7, the Nasty Gatekeeper (Known as Izayoi in the Japanese version) captures Heather and keeps her held in one of it's claws for the duration of the fight. It uses Heather to guard it's face, and if Headdy accidentally hits her, she unleashes an attack that is completely unavoidable, even with the Empty Head power up.
79	* HostileShowTakeover: The event that kicks off the plot, with King Dark Demon forcibly derailing the puppet show from whatever it was originally going to be about. Also referenced in the Japanese version before the fight with Trouble Bruin in Act 3, Scene 2, which helps explain his motive:
80	-->'''Trouble Bruin:''' Let's begin the next scene right now! It's time for Dynamite Maruyama's entrance!
81	* HumanShield: The Nasty Gatekeeper spends most of her fight using Heather to shield her weak spot.
82	* HyperactiveMetabolism: Jellybeans. "Yum yum!"
83	* ImprobableWeaponUser: The OptionalBoss and his henchmen attack with dollar bills.
84	* IncredibleShrinkingMan: Pin Head, which makes Headdy tiny. Useful for getting through small openings and avoiding certain hazards. When it shows up you usually face a fork in the road with a tiny path where you need Pin Head to proceed and a normal-size path that often requires some other head. Even where the level layout doesn't actually split, Pin Head and whatever the alternative is will give you entirely different strategies for proceeding through the level. It's also useful to [[spoiler:avoid an otherwise screen-filling fireball that King Dark Demon likes to cheaply slide offscreen and shoot at you]].
85	* IntangibleMan: Empty Head, which reduces Headdy to a white outline with no color inside. Rather one-sided, as you can still attack enemies but their attacks go right through you. Still vulnerable to NonLethalBottomlessPits and [[spoiler:damage from hitting Heather in the fight with the Nasty Gatekeeper]].
86	* {{Intermission}}: The bonus game is presented as an intermission of the puppet show the game is set in. Headdy steps outside to shoot some hoops each time one happens.
87	* ItsAllUpstairsFromHere:
88	** Act 5, which consists of one really tall tower.
89	** Hangman's practice stage, natural since Hangman's usually used to pull you up.
90	** The second-to-last stage has a constant rising floor, lots of walls that can squish you, and Maruyama's last vehicle.
91	* KamehameHadoken: Dark Demon has a beam attack that fills most of the screen. It's so big that the only way to avoid it is to use the Pin Head to become small enough to duck under it.
92	* KillerTeddyBear: [[PunnyName Trouble Bruin]] is a cutesy bear puppet, and also Headdy's most recurring foe. Trouble Bruin takes control of a variety of killer machines by attaching his head to them.
93	* LargeHam:
94	** Trouble Bruin in the Japanese version. Full stop.
95	** All versions have Dark Demon with his EvilLaugh and his take on ThisCannotBe.
96	* LethalLavaLand: Act 3, Scene 1 resembles a deep, underground cave with flowing lava below all the platforms. Subverted in that it ends with Trouble Bruin bursting through the background and pulling Headdy backstage, where the rest of Act 3 takes place. Also subverted in that the lava, like everything else in the game, is fake.
97	* LongSongShortScene:
98	** Trouble Bruin's theme plays when he enters a scene. In the Japanese version, it continues to play during the storyline, but in the other version, there is no storyline, so the only way to hear it in full is through the sound test. The song uses a couple of voice samples that aren't anywhere else in the game. Also the music that plays when King Dark Demon's castle is revealed, which is similarly cut short in the international version.
99	** The track that plays when you first fight Trouble Bruin is only heard during that fight, and since he goes down in two hits, you’ll only hear the first 30 seconds of the track and never hear the part that plays after it before it loops around.
100	* LosingHorns:
101	** A rare non-GameShow example: when your game is over by losing all your lives (because you chose to give up, blacked out without earning any continues, or used up all your continues)... you get the "confirm selection" sound, followed by an electronic groan sound (so a Type A, then).
102	** Baby Face does it too in his last form (Grampa Face?). If his hand manages to grab you before you can finish him off, he makes a "Wah-wah-wah-waaaaah" noise, then appears to ''die of old age'' before exploding the usual way.
103	* LosingYourHead: Usually Headdy's head snaps right back to his body, but it can be snagged by "Venus Headdy Traps".
104	-->'''Headcase:''' Don't lose your head, Headdy!
105	* LostInTranslation: Due to most of the dialogue being removed, the English version appears to be lacking in plot or context.
106	* MadeOfExplodium: Most enemies make an explosion with a distinctive high-pitched sound. End-of-act bosses shower debris upon defeat, and you get a continue for every 13 shards of debris you collect.[[note]]In the Japanese version, you get an extra continue for every 10 shards of debris you collect from defeated end-of-act bosses.[[/note]]
107	* MarySue: Possibly invoked in the Japanese version, where it is revealed that [[spoiler:King Dark Demon was originally Smiley, an animate award that was supposed to be presented to the "greatest puppet", but instead interpreted this to mean that he was to ''become'' the greatest puppet, leading directly to his StartOfDarkness and transformation into the evil king.]]
108	* MeaningfulName: Bruin's name is Dutch for brown, which is his coloring, but also a StockAnimalName for bears. This is not the case in the Japanese version where he is colored purple and named Maruyama.
109	* MoneyMauling: The TrueFinalBoss of the game attacks Headdy by tossing money at him.
110	* MoodWhiplash: Act 7 starts off as a BreatherLevel completely devoid of any enemies, with a light, friendly tone. The boss at the end of the stage is also fairly straightforward, with Heather helping out. Then, after the boss is defeated, the background breaks away to reveal an ominous hellscape with King Dark Demon's castle looming overhead. ''Then'', the boss captures Heather before getting up for a much more intense round two, with music to match.
111	* MoreDakka: War Head continually fires projectiles in all directions, and [[UnexpectedShmupLevel Act 6's]] extremely bizarre Feather Head allows you to vomit a constant stream of tiny birds from your mouth as an attack. Also see SpreadShot.
112	* MurderousMannequin: Wooden Dresser, a giant wooden mannequin, is a boss character who uses costumes that give her various powers to try and kill Headdy.
113	* MutuallyExclusivePowerUps: Aside from his normal head, there are over a dozen different heads Headdy can put on, each of which grants him a different special ability. Almost all of these can be switched for another head whenever you're near Headcase, revert to the normal head after a fixed time, can be canceled at any time, and revert to the normal head at the end of a Scene, but a few work differently: Pin Head lasts until the end of the Scene and can only be canceled by switching to another power-up; Head Trip expires after a time limit but can't be canceled and, since you can't shoot it, can't be switched; Bomb Head reverts as soon as it explodes; Liberty Head is really just the way you enter the bonus game; Air Head, Rocket Head, and Feather Head remain for the duration of [[ShootEmUp Act 6]] and cannot be canceled, although you can still switch between them.
114	* NintendoHard: Well, at least in the international versions. Some levels really test your ability not to smash the control through the screen.
115	* NoFourthWall:
116	** Played with, in that the characters are well aware that they're puppets in a puppet show, but aren't as obviously aware that they're characters in a video game. This is also how Trouble Bruin makes his first entrance -- by pushing the backdrop ONTO Headdy, signaling the first boss fight.
117	** At one point, while you're passing through a fairly normal area, Trouble Bruin ''punches through the backdrop'' and drags you backstage.
118	** The secret final boss of the game? [[spoiler:[[VisualPun The Boss]] of Konami]].
119	* NonLethalBottomlessPits: Falling off the screen doesn't kill Headdy, instead launching him back upward while damaging him some.
120	* ObstructiveForeground: During the third phase of the boss fight with Baby Face, a giant hand pulls down a curtain made of panels in a checkerboard shape that cover the fight underneath them. This form of the boss fires a lot of lasers, so this curtain can make them more difficult to see coming.
121	* OhCrap:
122	** For the first Act 7 boss, if Heather gets into position to throw a key at the Gatekeeper a little too late, she'll try anyway, but the Gatekeeper will get out of the way in time, sending Heather into this trope as she scrambles to get the key back.
123	** After what looks like a BreatherLevel in 7 you beat an easy boss then suddenly the background turns dark, revealing the enemy's castle, evil music starts playing, and the Nasty Gatekeeper arrives.
124	* OneHitKO:
125	** A [[HarderThanHard cheat]] turns Headdy into this (though there is a glitch: in stark contrast to most side-scrollers, bottomless pits are the only thing in the game to ''not'' be lethal, even when the cheat is on). Without the cheat, nothing instantly kills Headdy for most of the game. Then the late-game introduces the concept of getting squished, and runs with it at the start of Act 9.
126	** The Vacuum Head lets you do this to any enemy on-screen.
127	** If the Bomb Head explodes before Headdy throws it, it immediately costs him a life.
128	* OnePasswordAttemptEver: After the credits have rolled, a screen appears where you could enter a 4-digit password on a keypad. You only get one shot at entering the password (which changes for every playthrough). Completing the basketball minigames reveals the password number by number.
129	* PlotCoupon: Each of the five Keymasters holds a key, all of which are necessary to approach King Dark Demon's castle.
130	* PoisonMushroom: Head Trip (Buddha Head in Japanese), a massive head made of metal which slows you down a lot and prevents you from jumping or shooting, and it makes strange faces too. It can't be canceled. It has a distressing tendency to show up during boss fights.
131	* PostDefeatExplosionChain: Bosses, minibosses and some pieces of scenery seem to have invisible explosive charges planted on them which activate when the object they're attached to is damaged enough.
132	* PowerupLetdown: Certain head power ups can become more of a hindrance if they are collected at a bad time.
133	** Vacuum Head is great for clearing away enemies and sucking up items but must be discarded if you need to do anything involving shooting your head to proceed, which is most of the time.
134	** Pig Head fires homing projectiles and is therefore similar to Vacuum Head but you can't get items either.
135	** Super Head's enhanced mobility will often send you flying into enemies or other hazards.
136	** Bomb Head makes you unable to do much of anything except avoid stuff while you're waiting for it to explode.
137	** War Head will sometimes lead to certain things being hit before you want them to.
138	* ProductPlacement: For itself. Billboards reading "Dynamite Headdy: Now on sale!" can be seen in the background during some of the early stages.
139	* PublicDomainSoundtrack: The Nutcracker plays during the Mad Dog Boss fight complete with an orchestra and composer playing the music in the background.
140	* PunBasedTitle:
141	** Most of the levels in the international version are puns of popular movies (e.g. [[Franchise/StarWars Stair Wars]]), and TheDragon that looks like a cat but is really a bear is called "Trouble Bruin".
142	** Trouble Bruin. Seems there's always [[DontExplainTheJoke trouble brewing]] when he's around.
143	** The two puppets composing the puppeteer boss were named Marrio & Nettoh (''marionette'') in Japanese.
144	** Two Haniwa (those Japanese statues who are the basis for Cactuars in Final Fantasy) enemies were named Honeywan I and II.
145	** Headcase is a case that holds your head power-ups.
146	** Beau uses an arrow to assist, a pun on "bow and arrow".
147	* QuadDamage: Slammer Head, which does twice as much damage per hit as the regular head.
148	* RecurringBoss: Trouble Bruin, a bear (although he looks more like a cat, really) who also has a detachable head but instead uses it to control a wide variety of strange attack vehicles, [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Eggman-style]]. He is TheDragon to BigBad Dark Demon.
149	* RecurringExtra: A puppet called "Bino" appears at times throughout the levels. Attacking him or his likeness usually awards you a secret bonus point.
150	* ReligiousAndMythologicalThemeNaming: In the Japanese version of the game, the four puppets shown running with Headdy in Act 1 are named Matthew, Mark, Lucas, and John.
151	* RiseToTheChallenge:
152	** Hangman's first appearance in stage 2-1, is a vertical AutoScrollingLevel where Headdy must make extensive use of Hangman in order to reach the top.
153	** Scene 5-2 is another AutoScrollingLevel located on the outside of a rotating tower, where Headdy must defeat Trouble Bruin while the latter is removing pieces of the tower along the way.
154	** Finally, Scene 9-1 takes place on a rising elevator with Trouble Bruin following behind with his latest machine, the Super Finagler. Headdy must navigate the elevator shaft without getting crushed by any of the obstacles along the way, all the while avoiding Trouble Bruin's attacks.
155	* SchmuckBait: DON'T SHOOT, though one of them is a [[GuideDangIt Secret Bonus Point]]. If you're standing on the ground, you can only see the "SHOOT" part of the block (but you still see the DON'T upon jumping, so it's certainly not obvious).
156	* SchrodingersQuestion: Played with by the PIN pad at the end of the game. Tool Assisted Speedrunners have determined that you can't guess the randomly-generated number; if you haven't collected all four numbers, you will always be wrong no matter what you punch in.
157	* ScoringPoints: The game has both regular points and Secret Bonus Points. Both do absolutely nothing and are only displayed at the end of an Act, so it's easy to forget they exist, save for the "500" point pickups that appear in some levels and the announcement when an [=SBP=] is earned.
158	* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: If Headdy gets a GameOver without any continues or if "Give Up" is selected on the continue screen, a sign reading "Bye Bye" is dropped onto Headdy and he'll make a break for the exit.
159	* SequelEscalation: Parodied during the BossBanter before the OptionalBoss in the Japanese version. [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall Headdy will have none of it.]]
160	-->"Gwahaha! That scene was a huge success! Regrettably, we haven't prepared the next scenario yet, but it'll be even more spectacular... ...maybe something like completely blowing up the puppet world!! Heady, my boy... I'll have you desperately fighting for your life again next time! Gahaha!"
161	* SequelHook: Inverted with the secret final boss. [[spoiler:The CEO of Konami tells Headdy that he wants to make a sequel, putting Headdy and his world in even greater danger to raise the stakes, but Headdy beats him up to ensure that a sequel will never happen.]]
162	* ShouldersOfDoom: Dark Demon has what appear to be green ''statues'' sprouting from the shoulders of his costume. ''Animated'' green statues.
163	* ShoutOut: In addition to the many SciFi-related puns the international version gave to level names (e.g. "[[Film/MadMax Mad Mechs]]", "[[Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay Terminate Her Too]]", etc.), the bosses are called ''Keymasters'', and one of them as seen below is the ''Gatekeeper''. [[Film/{{Ghostbusters1984}} Who ya gonna call?]]
164	* SmartBomb: Bomb Head, which doesn't harm you unless you're still wearing it when it goes off but does colossal damage to every enemy on the screen.
165	* SoundTest: This and a button configuration are all there is in the options menu. Useful for players of the international version who want to hear the full versions of songs that only play during cutscenes and are cut short without the Japanese version's dialogue.
166	* SpreadShot: Lotsa Heads fires three heads instead of one. Air Head is the approximate equivalent for [[UnexpectedShmupLevel Act 6]], firing bullets in three directions at once. Air Head is also the only shmup head that allows you to face backwards.
167	* SprintShoes: Super Head doubles Headdy's speed, as well as doubling his jump height and head-firing radius.
168	* TheStinger:
169	** After the credits, Headdy will get one chance to enter a four-digit code on a numeric keypad. In order to learn the code, the player must have completed four bonus stages throughout the game. If the player manages to punch in the right code, they get one last boss fight before the game ends for real.
170	** Also played straight in the ending cutscene where [[SequelHook Trouble Bruin takes control of the ruined castle]].
171	* StockAnimalName: Bruin is Dutch for brown, and a lot of bears in Dutch fiction are named after their brown coloring. This is somewhat weird because Trouble Bruin was originally colored purple and had a different name.
172	* TakeThat: The Japanese version has a secret ending that lashes out against SequelStagnation and CashCowFranchise: [[spoiler:Headdy meets the creators of the game, who say they can't wait to make a sequel so they'll get more money by destroying Headdy's world even more! Headdy beats the crap out of them to ensure that there will never be a sequel and thus his world will be eternally safe]]. This is also a bit of a meta-reference, since Creator/{{Treasure}} are notoriously averse to sequels.
173	* ThemeNaming: Headdy has a detachable head. Heather has detachable fingers.
174	* ThisCannotBe: "[[LargeHam I CANNOT BELIEVE IT!]]" (said by Dark Demon after beating most Keymasters)
175	* TimeStandsStill: The Ticker Head freezes everything except Headdy for about eight seconds.
176	* TimedMission: Beau's training room. You have 80 seconds to destroy all the dolls in the targets (each of which requires multiple hits and is only vulnerable while the target is open) to earn a secret bonus point.
177	* ToyTime: Due to the nature of the game's setting, all areas have a little bit of this, if only in the enemies (the [[BossBattle Keymasters]] are so named because they are giant wind-up toys, and plenty of {{Mooks}} have smaller keys), but the toy theme is especially strong in Act 2.
178	* TrickBoss: The Gatekeeper seems like an unusually easy boss for her place in the game, as she only has two, fairly telegraphed attacks and you don't even have to attack her yourself. After defeating her at first and revealing the ominous castle in the background, though, the Nasty Gatekeeper shows up and continues the battle.
179	* UnexpectedShmupLevel: Act 6 forgoes the platforming that the rest of the game is based around in favor of an auto-scrolling flying level in which Headdy can use one of three different heads to fly through the sky and shoot at enemies.
180	* TheUnfought: Heather beats one of the bosses for you; you never get to fight or even see her. Trouble Bruin also has a machine that you never fight because a Keymaster falls on it.
181	* UnintentionallyUnwinnable:
182	** If you're on the top-right corner of the screen after Baby Face, and you skip the tally screens as fast as possible, Headdy will not have enough time to go to his spot, and will stop midway, locking the game. You can also kill Clothes Encounters off-screen by landing the final blow with the Super Head. This would almost make the game unwinnable, if it weren't for the fact that, around 4 minutes later, everything returns to normal. Videos here: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar7f8bkVCyE]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElviLLHDY_Y]]
183	** In the level Toyz N' the Hood, you have to catch a nearby platform to be able to climb a wall. As seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXcm-96t87o here]], if you bring the platform too far away from the ledge or the other platform, you won't be able to continue. You can't move the platform again, and, provided you killed the only enemy around, you can't kill yourself, forcing you to reset the game.
184	* UseYourHead: For combat, picking up objects, grabbing ledges, climbing walls, operating machinery, flying... pretty much everything that's not walking and jumping, really.
185	* UniqueEnemy: When you see one, there's a high chance you get a Secret Bonus Point for killing it.
186	* VideoGameCrueltyPunishment: The Nasty Gatekeeper will unleash an unavoidable attack against Headdy if you hurt Heather during the battle.
187	* VisualPun: The OptionalBoss if you get the complete code is indeed a boss, but now it's [[spoiler:a '''corporate''' boss]].
188	* WarmUpBoss: The first fight with Trouble Bruin, especially in the Japanese version where the balls of light don't do damage, though he's not a danger in the international version either given he has 2 HP and you will have at least 14. Mad Dog, the boss of Act 2, probably counts as well; she has more health and a variety of attacks, but compared to the rest of the game, still a cakewalk, especially with all the goodies Headcase brings to the fight.
189	* WallCrawl: Spike Head grabs onto any surface as if it is Hangman and pulls Headdy's body along with it. The body doesn't stay there, though; it falls back down once it's been pulled. Repeated shots allow you to climb walls or cling to ceilings.
190	* WeaponsThatSuck: The Vacuum Head sucks in any items and enemies on the screen. It cannot be fired, though.
191	* WingdingEyes: Headdy's eyes become hearts whenever Heather blows a kiss in his direction.
192	* YourHeadASplode:
193	** Whenever Headdy loses a life, his head explodes during his DeathThrows.
194	** The Bomb Head turns Headdy's head into a Cartoon Bomb. The head can be thrown onto the ground in front of him, and after several seconds, the bomb will explode, dealing massive damage to any enemies within the explosion's range. Be careful though, as the bomb can explode before Headdy throws it if he takes too long, which will instantly cost him a life.
195	* ZeroEffortBoss: You can't lose to the last stage of Baby Face, the [[ClippedWingAngel old man]]. If he ''does'' catch you... he dies of old age without doing any damage at all to you, and you win the fight. The only reason to try to avoid the hand is [[spoiler:to earn the Secret Bonus Point that appears if you deal enough damage to the old man head]].

Context VideoGame / DynamiteHeaddy