News is an important entity in our world, and Headliner proves it. The way things are presented by News Media, can and will change the world. People might not want to believe it but it is true. Headliner is a game about a young newsperson doing what they think is right even if that means kowtowing to the man. Headliner is all about stamping news articles. The player starts the game on the main character’s first day. They meet their boss and are thrust into stamping news articles. At first, it seems lackluster, but the world soon begins to open up. The player might be alone while at work, but once they are off the clock the world is their oyster.
Players will accept or reject articles and then head out for the night. It’s important to select articles based on their content, and imagine how people reading them, would react. This game is all about perception and the world will change depending on what Novi News tells them. The Headliner might have a seemingly easy job but things aren’t all they are cracked up to be. There are forces at work that want to change how the world works. Any article could be the article that leads the world to chaos.
The articles are surprisingly long at times. They put a lot of work into making sure these articles could change people’s perceptions. I applaud the writers for making such thought-provoking articles for a game. Most of them make the player think and that is what this game wants. It wants people to adjust how they view the world like the characters in this game. It might help change our world if people take its message to heart.
Once the Headliner leaves the office they can interact with several people. The player will first encounter Evie, an immigrant trying to make her way in this crazy new world. There’s also Justin the player’s a brother, an up and coming comic out to live his best life. Then there’s Rudy a store owner, who just wants to do well by his young daughter Ava. These people may all seem sunny at first, but they each hide their secrets. Players can discover them or let them stay hidden depending on what ending they want to go for. Choices will change their lives for the better or worse. Yes, this game has multiple endings, and the world can be changed for the better or worse, again choices matter.
Player’s will continuously be able to interact with these people as they play through the game. They will also be able to interact with more characters as the game continues. Players will even unlock more characters to interact with as they clear the game. Beating the game for the first time unlocked a new cop character who lead me on a case to stop a murderer. It’s worth playing this game through to see what will happen next. The latter playthroughs will show that the world seems to reset itself. Player’s will maintain the same apartment throughout the whole game. This means they won’t have to buy the decorative items again. This will help the player change how their games end. There are often choices in the game with paywalls so having all the cash might save someone from an untimely demise or punishment.
I wasn’t expecting the game to slap my hand for the choices I made in my earlier playthroughs. It was challenging for me to adjust my way of thinking. Had I made the wrong choices? It’s interesting to have a game tell me I was doing something wrong. It made me think and I changed how I was stamping. It made me realize that every little choice in life can make a difference and it was rather refreshing. The game is mostly 2D with the main character running down a street. The characters are drawn and show a shocking amount of emotion. It’s nice to see them in their fully drawn version as their other form is unappealing. I think the art style works for the game and I have to say I enjoyed seeing what the characters looked like. Players will need to connect to the internet if they want to see how they completed the game. It’s a strange thing to require the internet as the player should be able to see that anyway. Though reading the brief synopsis makes playing the game a little easier. Players can adjust their targets because they will remember what exactly their targets were for the previous run.
Headliner is a game all about a person and their own choices. These choices might seem small at times but they all lead to an ultimate end. Will the player change the world for the better or worse? Will they find love, lose people close to them, or even get thrown in jail? With the world on the line will the Headliner make the right choices? There is news to be reported what stories will the news tell? There is a world in crisis, will the player aid the Headliner for good or evil?
Disclaimer: A review key was provided.