‘Headliners’ Gets the Front Page Scoop, but Also a Feature in the Funny Pages (Review)

No matter how many goofy multiplayer games are on the market, there’s always room for more. Games like Content Warning and Lethal Company have kept me and my friends occupied for more hours than I could count. Now, a new competitor is entering the fray. Headliners doesn’t push the envelope further than its predecessors and inspirations. But it does offer a surprisingly gory and hilarious take on the genre. The great combination of terror and hilarity fits it well, and it deserves a spot on the front pages.

‘Headliners’ Has Three Goals: Get In, Get Pictures, and Get Out

It’s hard to describe Headliners without comparing it to both Lethal Company and Content Warning, as it’s almost a greatest-hits compilation of the two. The inspiration is clear; combine the open map with entranceways into smaller — more terrifying — locations, much like Lethal Company. But add in the photo gimmick and review capability from Content Warning. While it’s very similar to these two games on the outside, it does have enough uniqueness to make things devolve into absolute debauchery faster than you may expect.

My crew and I had a 10-minute time limit and a simple goal. Surpass 1,500 points, or lose your Press Pass. If we lost three times, it was game over. If we passed this goal, we’d see an increase in the total number of necessary points, go to a new level, and have three more chances to make this happen.

You’d think that Headliners would be easier in a group of 4, especially if someone found the perfect picture to bring in tons of points. But the developer, KAFI, thought ahead. If photos are too similar, they won’t count toward your overall point total. That made each match a bit more intense, as we would need to constantly be putting ourselves in danger to get the best pictures possible. And more often than not? Putting ourselves in danger leads to amazing results.

Despite the Lo-Poly Art Style, the Environments Look Quite Good

While the character models are rather basic, the monster designs and the environments look all-around much nicer. However, the characters aren’t without their quirks. Small details, like their eyes following their partners and their mouths moving during proximity chat conversations help the world feel more alive than some of Headliners‘ compatriots. We were all genuinely shocked the first time we saw our mouths moving, even if it was just an added detail.

After exploring outside, we would head into glowing green doors, with plenty of creepy crawlies that go bump in the night behind them. Some would crawl through vents, attacking and then quickly retreating for another dirty hit. Others would vanish, only to reappear and blow one of our team members apart. Thankfully, we could grab the camera and snap additional photos, with our dead bodies adding points to the multiplier. Yes, there’s an added incentive to screw over your friends. And yes, we utilized this whenever possible.

Headliners does a great job of mixing hilarious moments with jumpscare terror to keep everything feeling fresh. Even when we got stuck in a room due to an NPC blocking our way out, we were still laughing while trying to figure out how to leave. We had enough passes to get through to the next stage, but it was still a terrifying moment, brought to a head by a monster ripping said NPC apart in front of our very eyes. Yes, Headliners is quite the gory affair, but isn’t that what we’ve grown accustomed to in the news today?

Nothing Can Prepare You for the Pure Carnage That Is About To Ensue

Headliners isn’t afraid to get messy, either. Characters, both playable and NPCs, can get ripped apart by these creatures. And we could use that for the sake of content. Even after I got exploded by a rampaging creature, it was the perfect time to get a photo taken to celebrate the occasion. Even if someone died during the mission, they’d be miraculously brought back to life after it was complete. No need to worry about going on a one-person excursion if the last run didn’t go well.

What Headliners does have to offer compared to its contemporaries, however, is limb removal. That’s right; you can get your arms and legs chopped off by these creatures. And before you ask, yes, you can also pick them up and pose with them. The first time someone stepped on a landmine on accident and became a fine mist was shocking, hilarious, and brutal. And I loved it. The sound of pure shock and awe that escaped from the crew was deafening, and the laughter that followed suit was equally as loud.

Is Headliners perfectly polished? No, not in the slightest. I could move cars around by running into them. Multiple times, I would get attacked by something and have no idea what had hit me. And the first time we tried to spawn in, one of our members just… disappeared. No clue where they went, honestly. Did it detract from the fun at all? Absolutely not; it’s janky and goofy fun. Perfect for late-night gaming sessions with your friends. In a game like this, glitches are the least of your worries.

We Spent Equal Time Screaming in Terror and Laughing Our Heads off in ‘Headliners’

No matter if we all found ourselves on the receiving end of a giant monster attack, or if we were all just hanging out trying to get the goofiest picture, Headliners is front-page material. While I’m still not sure if it’s more The New York Times or The National Enquirer, it’s still worth jumping into. Especially if you’ve grown tired of playing those other games.

There’s enough here to keep things feeling fresh for a while, and as long as KAFI keeps adding new material? It seems like we may have a new Pulitzer Prize winner on our hands. And the award for the most bloody and disgusting photo goes to: HEADLINERS!

Verdict: Recommended

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Headliners will be available on January 30, 2025, on Steam. Codes were provided for the sake of review. Reviewed on PC.