Dynamite Headdy (Genesis)

Dynamite Headdy is an interesting, rather unique game in which you fire your head at enemies and get different heads as powerups. It also doesn't take itself very seriously.

Stage Select
On the title screen, highlight Game Start and press C, A, Left, Right, B. If Headdy says "Nice!", press Start, and you'll be taken to a stage select screen.

Animation Viewer
On the title screen, highlight Options and press C, A, Left, Right, B. If Headdy says "Nice!", press Start, and you'll be taken to a screen used to test Headdy's animations. Press left and right to switch to a different animation. Hold and A and press left or right to switch category. Hold C to freeze the animation, and press Start to leave. There are animations for his bodies and heads, though the unused powerup isn't here.

Unused Ability


Use the PAR Code and hit any HeadCase in Stage 2-2 to obtain this unused head. Unfortunately, it's useless.

Judging from the zeroes for eyes and the cylindrical button on top of the head, this could have acted like a stopwatch, with the Attack button being used to freeze time. As it is now, it's completely functionless.

Since there's already a time-freezing head anyway (which was coded before this head), it's not that big of a loss either way.

There is one remnant of this ability in the final game: The Ticker Head's HeadCase icon was originally meant for this head, as seen in the prototype ROM.

Unused Graphics
An earlier, sprite-based version of the Dynamite Headdy sign from Scene 2-2 is loaded in memory at the start of the level. The main differences are a light-blue metal pole, a flatter top, and blander lettering.

The paper stack was changed from a background elemental to a sprite when the developers wanted the stack to move when The President slams his fist on his desk. The only real difference is that the sprite is 24x24 while the background-based object is 32x32.

Unused Audio


Headdy saying "Hey!". Doesn't look like there's a place where this could've been used.



The song titled Next Stage plays at the end of a level, when Headdy is confused for a bit, and then walks off to the right (not the part where Heather appears, that part plays the theme Why, Figgy). Headdy only stays in his place for around 3 seconds, and reaches the other end of the screen, when the music fades out, in the next 5 or so seconds.

But the song goes beyond that. The main part is repeated one or two more times than what you hear normally, and on top of that, the final 4 repetitions of the main melody have less instruments each time.



Geisha Robot is the song that plays when the paradisaic background of Headdy Wonderland shatters and is replaced with Dark Demon's castle. In the US version, after staring at the castle for a bit, Heather jumps right and is caught by the Nasty Gatekeeper. At this point the song ends, after around 11 seconds. However, there's quite a bit more to the song than just that. In the Japanese version, Fingy speaks to Headdy before jumping away, and since the dialogue can be read at the player's pace, the song can be played out in its entirety. The track can be found on the Sound Test on the Japanese version, but not on the international version, which means that people outside of Japan can never normally hear the full track.

Regional Differences
The game was heavily altered for overseas release, removing and changing tons of random things.

General Changes

 * In the Japanese game, players start with 2 continues. The player starts with no continues in the localized versions.
 * After defeating a boss, collecting 10 continue icons gives the player a continue. In the international game, this takes 13 continue icons. Doesn't seem like much, but it makes collecting continues significantly more difficult.
 * All of the Boss Stage dialogue triggers from the Japanese game have been removed. The only dialogue left in the game comes from HeadCase, HangMan, and Beau.
 * An applause sound effect has been added to Headdy's victory animation.

Stage Name Changes
All stage names except for "Backstage Battle" and "Baby Face" were changed to make pop culture references / puns.

Graphics Changes
Life Light

An 'H' was added to the life bar (or life light in this case) for the American and European versions. Interestingly, upon opening the Japanese ROM with Tile Layer Pro, you will see the life light with the 'H' at around.

Head Trip

The Head Trip power-up (Buddha Head in the Japanese version) got changed from a kanji (which translates to 'Buddha') to ... a head.

This same change is present in Scene 8-3 as well.

Trademark Symbols

Due to reasons (probably the legal department), every instance of the Headdy, SEGA, and Treasure logos gained a trademark symbol in the localized versions.

The sign in Scene 2-2 had to be changed too, with the left and right sides of the signboard flattened to make room for the trademark symbol.

Other Stage Graphics

With the names of the most of the scenes in the game changed, the continue screen's tattered program sheet had to be rewritten and redrawn.

"Scene Final" changed to "Final Scene". The "Final" part uses the stage's green/red cycling palette in the international game.

This "Puppets Introdution" (sic) sign in the Cast Roll was redrawn.

Maruyama/Trouble Bruin

The character was made to look angrier, and his palette changed from purple to brown to reinforce the whole "Bear" thing. It didn't really work; people still think he's a cat. All of Maruyama's boss forms had their palettes changed as well.

These palette changes affect some of the game's enemies and a boss as well, leading to some interesting color choices. Pink frogs, anyone?

The Spider Phantom / Super Finagler's laser graphics were changed as well. The exact reason for this change is unknown, but it is not palette-related.

Rebecca/Mons Meg

Rebecca was originally a toy doll, but was changed to a robot.

Yayoi/Gatekeeper

The character was changed from a geisha to a generic robot.

Title

 * "Press Start Button" lost its Button, and the copyright became a little less lengthy.


 * "Configuration" is no longer abbreviated, and "Cancel" is the more descriptive "Cancel Head" in the international builds.
 * As stated above, on the Japanese version, it's possible to hear the entirety of the track Geisha Robot, either in-game or on the Sound Test, as track (despite only starting after 10 seconds of silence in the latter). This track is missing from the Sound Test in the international release.
 * Another entry that's erroneously missing from the international version's Sound Test is the "generic enemy destruction" noise; number on the Japanese Sound Test.
 * The hidden Stage Select works differently between versions.
 * In the Japanese game, only the first part of each stage can be selected (1-1, 2-1, etc.)
 * In the international game, this restriction was lifted, so the player can start at any part of the game.

Stage Differences
Scene 1-1


 * Maruyama's light orbs are harmless, but Trouble Bruin's orbs are not!
 * The number and pattern of the orbs released after he crashed into the wall was also changed.
 * Maruyama creates 4 small orbs that fly off to the right, and 3 large orbs that bounce to the left.
 * Trouble Bruin creates 6 (well 8, but two of them go off-screen quickly) large orbs that bounce up high, then spawns 2 more that bounce to the left.

Scene 3-1

The lone HeadCase in this area, located in the Flying Soldier arena, has been removed.

Scene 5-2

The boss fight here is significantly more difficult in the international game.
 * Maruyama has just 4 hit points in the Japanese game. Trouble Bruin has 8 HP!
 * His attack pattern was changed as well:
 * Maruyama has a predictable pattern. He will cut part of the tower 3 times, charge at Headdy, then repeat the cycle.
 * Trouble Bruin, on the other hand, seems to be completely random as to when he'll cut the tower or charge at Headdy. Combined with the doubled HP, this can make the fight take much, much longer to complete.

Scene 6-1


 * The first wave of enemies in the Japanese version is a lone Back Speeder / Flying Shark. In the international build, there are five of them.
 * The Japanese game has a second wave of Jayron / Hover robots. This was taken out of the international game.
 * The claw carrying the Sky Jaws / Sky Battleship moves at a lethargic 1 pixel per frame in the Japanese game, making the intro to this mini-boss take 14(!) seconds. This was thankfully doubled to 2 pixels per frame.

Scene 6-4

Before the boss, each power-up appears on a separate screen in the Japanese version. They're all grouped together on one screen in the localized version.

Scene 7-1

In a rather infamous difficulty change, Izayoi / Nasty Gatekeeper's HP was nearly doubled from 9 to 17 HP.

Scene 8-3


 * The flipping HangMen at the end of the stage take longer to flip in the Japanese game.
 * Japanese: 180 frames (3 seconds)
 * International: 120 frames (2 seconds)

Scene 8-5

Rever Face / Twin Freaks is another boss that underwent difficulty tweaks.
 * The actual weak point was changed. Rever Face's hitbox is his entire ear. Twink Freaks's hitbox is just the center of the ear.
 * To make up for the smaller hitbox, his HP was reduced from 33 HP to 17 HP in the localized game.

Scene 9-3


 * Dark Demon's HP was nearly doubled from 9 HP (Japanese) to 17 HP (International).


 * With all of the dialogue removed from the boss stages, the pre-ending scene had to be reworked.
 * In the Japanese game, Smily (the yellow badge) is revealed to be a badge to be awarded to the greatest puppet: Headdy. Smily happily attaches himself to Headdy's face as Fingy watches on.
 * In the international game, Heather looks at Headdy as hearts fly out of her like a Belmont candle. Heather happily attaches herself to Headdy's face as Smiley watches on.

Ending
In the international game, Headdy's with Heather as she leaves, and he even waves her goodbye. He's not here in the Japanese game.

So where is he?



Headdy's too busy trying to pry Smily off of his face. He briefly succeeds, only for Smily to gleefully reattach himself.

Headdy was never heard from again.

Bonus Game
The objective was made much clearer in the American and European versions of the game. 'Sub Game' was changed to 'Bonus Game'. Also, the 'Intermission' graphic was reduced in size, and has no gradient.

All three of the messages here were changed as well.

Cast Roll
Almost every single character in the cast roll received a name change: