Henry Halfhead Review (PS5) – A Full Heart
You can’t beat a rich sandbox with a refreshing concept. Not quite the ones with expansive open worlds, but those that are curated to be silly in. Games like Untitled Goose Game, Lil Gator Game or A Short Hike come to mind when I think about Henry Halfhead, but above all else, this is an unabashed tribute to the games of Keita Takahashi.
The bold block colouring, the understated but expressive art style and the overwhelming charm are a few of Henry Halfhead’s surface attributes to be something akin to games like Katamari Damacy. However, there’s no feeling more similar than when your logic and creativity collide to create intentional moments that put a smile on your face. On that basis alone, Lululu Entertainment have crafted a delightful sandbox to mess around in.
What I didn’t expect, though, was to be Josh Half-tear by the end of it. Henry Halfhead doesn’t explore aspects of life with a new lens, but it hammers home the importance of it in a moving way. At just a few hours long, depending on how thorough you are in the levels, you won’t believe how invested you’ve become with Henry; I suppose that’s just a testament to the quality of its gameplay and story. Ready to go full-head into this review?
Glass Half Full
Henry Halfhead has you playing through Henry’s life from infancy to old age. Outside of being literally nothing but half a head, Henry doesn’t have an extraordinary life. He has a relatively normal, albeit mischievous, time at school, he then has a pretty standard but boring job, and he also has the harsh reality of washing and folding his clothes – despite not wearing any.
No, instead of wearing clothes, he possesses inanimate objects. Chairs, toys, work equipment, if it’s there in the level, chances are you can become it. All of this is wonderfully narrated by one of the devs. The narrator is obviously the game’s storyteller, but they’re also the insight into Henry’s thoughts and motivations, allowing a broader context for your often nonsensical actions.
It’s like David Attenborough narrating one of his docuseries; there’s almost an earnest sense of discovery with every action you perform. Not necessarily trying to make sense of it all, but understanding nonetheless. It’s a lot of what makes up the heart of Henry Halfhead. You create the moments for gameplay and are welcomed with a bit of storytelling to accompany your actions. It’s a great feedback loop to get you sifting through things to do, some that may not necessarily progress the story. Instead, it fills the blanks of your own story with Henry in an empathetic way.
Get It In Your Head
Through the narration, you’re given tasks to do that’ll progress the level you’re on. For example, in the opening of the game, you’re just a baby in a cot, but it’s explained that Henry can be quite restless. So, in the untraditional fashion of becoming items, he makes his way out. Then, you’re told about Henry’s fascination with creating, so you’re then embodying an xylophone and some pencils to draw and play some music.
The controls are also simplistic and intuitive. Going near items will show a prompt for you to possess it, or similarly, if there are a few and you want to be specific, you can hold ‘Circle’ and select with the analogue stick to select which object you want to be. ‘Triangle’ also allows you to wear certain items you’ll find across the levels, too.
And so it goes on like that. It’s all very vernacular stuff, had Henry been a fully formed being. But it’s this narrative quirk that ties into the gameplay, exuding absurd curiosity. As a player, you’re just eager to find all the things you can possess, what each item’s function is, and whether it pertains to a greater environmental puzzle, as well as actually finding puzzle pieces and putting them together.
I suppose my main criticism is that it never expands or becomes more ambitious in terms of its scope. It’s all about possessing over 200 everyday items and using your contextual real-life knowledge to apply them in-game. Every item also has a realistic set of physics, which is part of the puzzle solving too. Smaller items traverse quicker and jump higher, but are often insignificant to the wider gameplay.
The Better Half
Some items may even be stored away, so you’re then going through the furniture like ripping off a cushion from a couch to find what you’re looking for. Thankfully, despite its limited breadth of some of the more fantastical things to do, the game is just the right length to end on a high. It also has co-op, which I didn’t get to try, but I can only imagine how much more silly stuff you can get up to as a pair.
Henry Halfhead is overall a delight. I’ve played a handful of these short-scale high-concept games this year, like Time Flies and to a T and Henry Halfhead is up there with the best of them. Despite not expanding the concept to something greater, the narrative and themes necessitate a human approach to something otherwise otherworldly.
And with a great low-poly art style, showing off how vibrant Henry’s world is. As well as a limited but boppy soundtrack that’s rivalling to a T’s Perfect Shape as video game song of the year, Henry Halfhead is a game full of heart and tons of fun.
Henry Halfhead will release 16th September 2025 for PlayStation 5 (review platform), Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam.
Developers: Lululu Entertainment
Publisher: Lululu Entertainment, Popagenda
Disclaimer: In order to complete this review, we were provided with a promotional copy of the game. For our full review policy, please go here.
If you enjoyed this article or any more of our content, please consider our Patreon.
Make sure to follow Finger Guns on our social channels. Twitter, Facebook, Twitch, Spotify or Apple Podcasts – to keep up to date on our news, reviews and features.
