Part 2: Act 2
UPDATE 
Act 2 (Baldurdash | blip.tv | Youtube | Download)
ACT 2
Here’s where the real game begins. Like I said, I tend to think of Act 1 as an extension to the intro cutscene. This one on the other hand lets you move around freely and actually see what the game’s really about. As you might expect, the game still holds your hand through this level, which is good, since later on things will get pretty ruthless.
Practice area: As the name implies, this is where the game introduces its mechanics. The practice rooms with Headcase and Hangman are pretty nice, but Beau’s always drives me insane. It’s also cool that you can skip this section entirely if you’re already familiar with the game. Mandatory tutorial sections are a royal pain in the ass in games in general, I hate it if you can’t skip those. Of course, you’re rewarded with secret bonus points (hereafter referred to as SBPs since I’m a sucker for initialisms) when you beat them, so there’s that.
Toys n the hood: This is where the game really kicks off and what a start it is. You have free movement, loads of new heads to try on enemies and a lot of mechanics to play with. This is a long chapter, one of the longest in the game. It also has more SBPs than any other stage, but they are all relatively easy to find. Not that you need them at all, they’re just there for flavor. And points.
But yeah, this is such a great level. The colours are lively and the music is pretty joyful. I love all the stuff that’s going on in the background and use of props. That’s pretty much what makes this game for me: tons of small details. You can see they went to great lengths to make this game pretty and unique. The fact that there’s a split path just adds to that. As for the name, many chapter names are puns or wordplays on culture items – and more specifically Western ones, since they changed most of the names from the original. This level also introduces you to the basketball minigame, which is the bane of my existence. It’s entirely optional, of course, and at 5 shots it’s not too bad. But it’s gonna get worse. Oh yes. So much worse. And you damn well better write those numbers down if you’re going through that crap. I forgot to do that so many times I start to blubber just thinking about it. We'll see later what the reward is for dealing with them.
Mad Dog and Headdy: Keymasters are Dynamite Headdy’s area bosses. They’re the lackeys of Dark Demon and they all carry a key of some sort. The game never really explains that (well, the international version doesn’t anyway), but we’re going to see them in use later. Mad Dog is the first one we have to take down. S/he’s a balloon dog with googly eyes and as easy as you might expect from a first actual boss. The best strategy is obviously to use Warhead, since you can just walk under the weak spot at the end of his tail and stand there while Warhead does all the work, but of course Slammer head works wonders as well. Just don’t get Melon Head and you’ll be fine. Getting the SBP is a pain, since it can take several minutes (or 10 seconds) for Mad Dog to drop Bino. This will be a recurring thing in boss fights. I wish they’d made some sort of timelimit for that. Like drop the thing after 5 minutes, it’s not like the boss would take you that long anyway.
Heads this episode (in no particular order)
Lots of heads in this one. I meant to spread them out more evenly, but Act 2 just throws them in your face all the time and I just couldn’t resist.
Pig Head- Pros: Shoots rapid fire homing projectiles from your snout. What’s not to like?
- Cons: Can’t grab Hangman.
Vacuum Head- Pros: Sucks in everything on the screen, whether it’s an enemy or a bonus.
- Cons: Doesn’t work on bosses or minibosses / can’t grab hangman.
Slammer Head- Pros: Deals 2-3 times the damage of your vanilla head. Can take bosses down in seconds.
- Cons: None whatsoever.
Super Head- Pros: Run faster, shoot longer.
- Cons: Somewhat difficult to control.
War Head- Pros: Fires constantly in all directions and does all your work for you; most enemies have 1 hp, so it will simply kill everything you bump into.
- Cons: None.
Protector Head- Pros: Vanilla Head + Fireball barrier.
- Cons: The barrier sucks.
Lotsa Heads- Pros: Three vanilla heads instead of one. Goes through enemies instead of stopping.
- Cons: Zip.
Spike Head- Pros: Enables wall climbing.
- Cons: Doesn’t allow spelunking? I don’t know.
Ticker Head- Pros: Freezes time.
- Cons: Only lasts for a few seconds.
Sleepy Head- Pros: Replenishes your health.
- Cons: You'll wake up if someone bumps into you... But I guess that’s not entirely a bad thing, now that I think about it.
Liberty Head- Pros: Takes you to the basketball minigame
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- Cons: Takes you to the basketball minigame
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Pin Head- Pros: You’re small like an ant should be and can fit tight spaces.
- Cons: Ever try to kill an ant? Not exactly difficult. Actually, I don’t think you take more damage, but you’re a lot slower and your attack is really short.
Head Trip / Melon Head- Pros: Looks hilarious.
- Cons: Slows you down, disables jumping, disables attacking, disables dropping down ledges, disables fun… there’s no reason to pick this up. Don’t do it.
Characters this episode:
Heather - "The mysterious woman in Headdy's life. Just what is she doing with all those keys?"
Music: