Mini Review: Henry Halfhead (PS5)

Henry Halfhead spells it out in the name, really; you play a character named Henry, and he’s the top half of a head.

In this fun little biographical adventure, you take control of this guy, following his life all the way from a curious baby all the way through to adulthood.

The other thing to know about Henry is that they have the ability to possess hundreds of inanimate objects, and their days are spent hopping between radios, frying pans, and flower pots.

There are set objectives in this unusual setup; as a child, you might need to pack their bag for school, or maybe adult Henry needs to make some breakfast before heading to work.

It’s all quite loose for the most part, allowing you to toy with each small stage and all the props it contains. What’s nice is that objects interact how you’d expect. For example, electronics need to be plugged into the wall before they’ll operate, knives will cut food items, and you can scribble on surfaces with pencils and paintbrushes.

Accompanying the adventure is a narrator, who will comment on certain things you do and give you a vague idea of what you should do to advance the story. Between the voiceover, the simple visuals, and the playful way you connect with the world, the sense of whimsy and charm is not unlike the work of Keita Takahashi (Katamari Damacy, Wattam, to a T).

While you can play it alone, we enjoyed it most in local co-op, where two Henrys can cause mischief together. The nature of the game’s design lends itself quite well to two-player chaos as you follow the narrative.

The game is very straightforward and only a couple of hours or so in duration, which is all the time it needs, really. It’s a joyous little thing while it lasts, but smartly ends before it runs out of new things to show you.