One of the hidden gems from the indie showcase area at GDC this year was a cute little party game called Headsnatchers. Created by developer Iguana Bee out of Santiago, Chile, the game is a fast paced, multi-player battle brawler where you not only have to rip someone’s head off, but you have to chunk it, or bowl it, or feed it to some critter lurking nearby. I met and played with the small team of developers at their booth and discussed their game as I lost my head again and again.
The game can be played locally with up to 4 players in couch mode as a fun party game, or you can play online with up to 4 people, allowing you to rip people’s heads off all over the world. There are over 25 unique levels, each with their own set of rules and methods of elimination, but all of them require you to rip off the head of your opponent. Head bowling had to be my favorite level, but this isn’t Wii Bowling, so you aren’t really trying to get a strike or pick up a spare. You just need to get that head rolling along and smashing through those pins.
Before jumping into the game, you have to pick a head. Picking your head can be an adventure in itself as there are over 100 unique heads to choose from, or you can use a visual editor to create your own. I didn’t get a chance to use the editor as their booth was pretty busy, but the online videos show it to be fairly simple, yet still had some decent features. There aren’t any advantages that I could tell ...