* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Tons, but especially the epic final boss theme, and the cast theme. Nasty Gatekeeper's theme makes for a brilliant OhCrap too. The tribute album ''Secret Bonus Point'' only makes it better. The Mad Dog boss features a stunning 16-bit rendition of the "March" from ''Theatre/TheNutcracker''.
* DifficultySpike: Act 6 is an UnexpectedShmupLevel that doesn't hold back on those unaccustomed to the genre. Followed up by Act 7, which brings gameplay back to normal, but features a difficult boss which represents the start of an overall challenging endgame.
* FauxSymbolism: The four pink puppets that appear in the intro are named after the Four Evangelists, according to the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSxQZPZJIUo Japanese ending credits]] (seen at about 2:11).
* FriendlyFandoms: It's very common for ''Dynamite Headdy'' fans to also enjoy ''VideoGame/{{Ristar}}'' as they're both two of the first games to come up when discussing CultClassic Mega Drive platformers. They also feature some similar mechanics, namely Headdy's headbutt functioning in a similar way to Ristar's stretchy arms in how they are both utilised in platforming as well as combat.
* IAmNotShazam: Some people, like [[https://youtu.be/tHs-2XDtl5c this reviewer]], assume that the ''Dynamite'' in the title is the protagonist’s name and not a descriptor. The protagonist’s name is the second word in the title, Headdy.
* SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound:
** Dark Demon's [[ThisCannotBe "I CANNOT BELIEVE IT"]] upon beating a boss.
** Two voice bits: one telling you, "You got a secret bonus point!" and "You got another try!" upon getting another continue.
* PortingDisaster: The UsefulNotes/GameGear version, and by extension the [[NoExportForYou Brazil-only]] UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem backport based on it. Cutting levels to fit the smaller cartridge space is understandable — reworking the bosses that made the cut in ways that completely forgot to account for the fact that the player is ''[[FakeDifficulty actually supposed to be able to defeat them]]'', less so. This is most noticeable with Spinderella and Dark Demon: for the former, it's almost impossible to expose her weakpoint without taking damage in return (not to mention [[GuideDangIt the game gives no indication]] of ''how'' to expose it), while for the latter, in a complete inversion of the Genesis/Mega Drive version, you are given your choice of powerup, and only '''after''' they're gone are you shown which attack you will need it for, rather than being given the chance to plan ahead (and worse, the way Pig Head works in this version means if you pick it you're stuck until it runs out, since it automatically destroys other powerups before you can grab them and can't be cancelled out manually).
* QuirkyWork: It's a game set in a puppet show, starring a puppet with a detachable head. The weirdness is especially high in the Japanese version, which contains robot kabuki performers, a gigantic doll firing EyeBeams, a bright purple bear with a fixed grin (referred to as Maruyama in Japanese, he's called Trouble Bruin in English), and bizarre dialogue.
* SpiritualSuccessor: To another Treasure game, ''VideoGame/McDonaldsTreasureLandAdventure''. Both games feature platform-grabbing mechanics, and some elements of the graphics and music are similar.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db2liODhhtc "Schumacher Fly"]] is a soundalike of the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boIq-ep5A9g opening theme]] of ''Anime/{{Gunbuster}}''.
* ThatOneBoss:
** Baby Face, the boss of the UnexpectedShmupLevel who in one phase puts you through [[BulletHell laser hell]] while repeatedly reaching up to grab you with a hideous hand. The last phase [[ZeroEffortBoss on the other hand...]]
** The Nasty Gatekeeper is introduced by having the level's friendly background fall piece by piece and shatter like panes of glass. Then, the Nasty Gatekeeper comes in and captures Heather, and goes right on to attacking Headdy while heavy metal plays. This boss fight is also a DifficultySpike and is especially difficult to improvise against for new players; the Nasty Gatekeeper's weakness is its face, which it keeps covered except for a brief period after it launches a claw at you - and when you hit it the boss drops a bomb that, unless you ''immediately'' get out from under it, will hit you with a wall of flames. The claw also has laser accuracy unless you catch that [[spoiler:it locks onto your ''head'' instead of your body]].
** Twin Freaks is an AdvancingBossOfDoom through a course filled with spikes and walls that Headdy can be crushed against for a OneHitKO. Machines on the course allow you to flip the whole thing upside-down, giving you the choice between a red, invincible, quickly-advancing boss, and a green, slower, vulnerable boss who constantly shoots erratically-moving enemies out of its ear. Except it's not much of a choice, as you'll be flipping the stage ''very frequently'' to bypass obstacles that are only surmountable in one orientation or the other.
* ThatOneLevel:
** Act 8, Scene 3. "Fun Forgiven" isn't too hard; it has the game's first potential of being squished, which is a OneHitKO, but careful movements can keep the risk of that to a minimum. Then at the end, it has a bunch of Hangmans flipping in and out of usability with spike pits below. Unless you know what you're doing, this part can be despairing to get through.
** Act 5, Scene 2, "Stair Wars" can be a troublesome level for some, since trying to hit Trouble Bruin while attempting to rise up a tower where the screen is auto-scrolling is certainly easier said than done. There's also a lot of potential for fury if Bruin randomly decides to do the move that ''doesn't'' put him in danger a bunch of times in a row.
** Act 9, Scene 1. "Fatal Contraption" refers to Trouble Bruin's new machine, but should be referring to the [[LiftOfDoom rising platform]] Headdy stands on. It's mostly reasonable in terms of skill required, but through most of it, in stark contrast to the rest of the game, one mistake will squish Headdy, killing him instantly and taking him back to the start of the scene. Picked up the Head Trip? Yeah, you're dead. Raised the wrong ceilings where the brown rock enemies hang out? Oops, you've trapped yourself. Didn't jump at ''just'' the right time for that zig-zag run with the spikes hanging above? Headdy will jump backward when hit by the spike, and get squished. That's not all of it either.
* ViewerSpeciesConfusion: A lot of people assume that Trouble Bruin is a cat, this also helped out the assumption because of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHgunseaWVY his theme song]] supposedly containing the word meow in it. He’s actually a bear, which isn’t helped that [[InformedSpecies his ear shapes are more like a cat’s ear than a bear’s.]]
* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: As expected from Creator/{{Treasure}}, ''Dynamite Headdy'' delivers some of the best spritework ever done of the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis (including some nifty pseudo-3D effects), and the game has little to no slowdown, no matter how frenetic and busy the screen gets.
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