Review: Headhunters

Headhunter is a fun and addicting game for the iPhone and iPod Touch that finally lets you fulfill your dream of tossing around shrunken heads. The app is clean, polished and easy to pick up and play.

The basic idea of Headhunter is to flick your shrunken heads into the air and land them on one of several ledges. Landing heads on these ledges will award you points and the more points you have, the better. If you land three heads of the same type on a ledge, you will unlock a new head to add to your collection. Yes, you can actually collect shrunken heads!

Launching your heads in the air is simple. All you have to do is tap and hold on a head and drag your finger backwards for power. The more you pull back, the harder the head will launch. Then, set the angle by moving your finger up or down. Releasing your finger will launch the head toward the sky. Tilting your device left or right will guide the head toward a ledge. If you miss your mark, you can tap your finger below the head to emit a magical burst that will give it an extra boost upward. If your head falls off the starting location, you will lose a head and a chance to beat the level.

Each level is timed, so accuracy is critical. To win the level, you have to land a predefined number of heads onto ledges.

Game controls work very well in Headhunter and the integration of the accelerometer adds a nice element to the gameplay. Graphics are also done beautifully and really enhance the whole experience. My only complaint comes with the sound and music. There is no music in the game and the sound effects are of low quality, which take away from the gameplay a bit. The sounds are just weak and don’t seem to fit what’s happening on screen.

Overall, Headhunter is a fun app that will offer a few hours of addictive gameplay. You’ll feel the urge to continuously unlock new heads to add to your collection. It’s a unique idea that I believe succeeds in being a fun experience on the iPhone and iPod Touch. I strongly recommend checking this one out.