Headbangers in Holiday Hell

About

In "Headbangers in Holiday Hell" , you must defend humanity's right to reject Christmas celebrations as Santa's craziest minions attack. This twin-stick roguelite action game features a colorful arsenal of heavy metal-themed weapons and procedurally generated levels, combining the styles of "Zombies Ate My Neighbors" and "Beavis & Butthead" comedy. Your crime of non-conformity has landed you on Santa's naughty list, and it's up to you to fight back with the power of heavy metal.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

80%

Audience ScoreBased on 90 reviews

gameplay10 positive mentions

optimization1 negative mentions

The game features enjoyable pixel art and a fitting heavy metal soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
Gameplay is fast-paced and fun, providing a light-hearted way to relieve stress during the holiday season.
The upgrade system allows for customization of weapons and character stats, adding a layer of strategy to the gameplay.

The game becomes repetitive quickly, with similar level designs and enemy types that lack variety.
There are no rebindable controls, which can be frustrating for players who prefer customized settings.
The game suffers from technical issues, including crashes and glitches that can disrupt the gameplay experience.

gameplay
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
62%
9%
The gameplay is described as fun and challenging, featuring fast-paced, top-down shooting mechanics that allow players to engage without overthinking. Unique mechanics, such as using water and toasters for strategic attacks, add variety, though some players feel that the overall gameplay lacks depth and variety to maintain long-term interest. While the controls are generally solid, the absence of clear explanations for certain mechanics and the underwhelming voice acting detract from the experience.
- “On one hand, the gameplay is fun and it's pretty challenging.”
- “There are a few unique mechanics such as being able to spill water on the floor in houses then drop toasters on the water to electrocute any elves who come too close, or turning on TVs to distract elves so you can take out a group of them with a well-aimed exploding gas container.”
- “It is fast-paced and for me it is challenging, but I strangely like shooting elves. What I love about the mechanics is the fact that when I am shooting them, they stop shooting me - this creates this illusion of safety (until another elf comes by) and it eases my anxiety of the need to be moving fast and dodging all the time.”
- “While in the game this was inspired by, Zombies Ate My Neighbors, you used unique AI and mechanics to create themes for levels; none of that is present here.”
- “Gameplay is... you guessed it... really mediocre console/arcade style top-down shooting.”
- “Certain mechanics weren't clearly explained.”
music
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
57%
10%
The music in the game is primarily rock and metal, with many players finding it energetic and fitting for the gameplay, though some describe it as generic and not particularly intense. While the tracks are enjoyable and memorable, there are suggestions for incorporating more thematic elements, such as Christmas tunes, to enhance the experience. Overall, the music is considered a highlight, contributing to the game's charm and appeal.
- “I find the pixel art charming (I especially like Lemmy posters you sometimes see in the houses), the metal music tracks are suitably energetic and theme-fitting, and it's generally quite fun to mow down scores and scores of elves.”
- “Art style and music on point, not too long but it is challenging and it will make you come back for that quick easy daily pleasure!”
- “Awesome music, can't get it out of my head.”
- “There is very little to like about this game, really only grabbing your attention if you enjoy shooting up elves, with very generic, low-effort metal music playing in the background.”
- “I can usually tune it out, especially with the music up louder, but it's still a little annoying.”
- “However, I'm kind of surprised they didn't incorporate any elements of Christmas tunes or sound effects into the music since the gameplay fuses the two genres together anyways.”
graphics
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
45%
13%
The graphics of the game feature a retro pixel art style that some players find appealing, though many criticize it for being outdated and lacking customization options. While the visuals are described as solid and reminiscent of classic games, the overall quality is seen as low, especially for a PC title, leading to a mixed reception among users.
- “Awesome Christmas-themed retro shooter with solid quality pixel art style.”
- “It is definitely a nicely done game and I love the pixel art graphics.”
- “With this game drawing some inspiration from Zombies Ate My Neighbors, the graphics in HHH look pretty good.”
- “A choice was made to use obsolete, decades-old retro pixel 'art' as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
- “There's no option to change the resolution for the game or customize the graphics settings.”
- “There's no way for gamers to improve the low-quality graphics.”
story
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
62%
13%
The game's story is criticized for lacking proper flow and plot, as it relies on repetitive procedural generation instead of thoughtful level design. This approach detracts from the overall narrative experience, leaving players wanting more depth and coherence in the storytelling.
- “Let me tell you a story.”
- “I go into great depth about the story, graphics, audio, gameplay, and other noteworthy things I feel need to be mentioned.”
- “The game features no proper level design or game/story flow/plot, as they opted to try to use samey repetitive procedural generation algorithms as a substitute for adding such content to the game, to avoid doing the important job of level/map design.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as hilarious and reminiscent of 90s comedy, blending heavy metal elements with absurd scenarios like crazed violent elves. Players find it engaging and fitting for the holiday season, highlighting its innovative take on classic themes.
- “A throwback to Zombie Ate My Neighbors that innovates on the formula, adds a lot of awesome heavy metal, 90s humor, and crazed violent elves.”
- “Funny and involving, needless to say: perfect fit for these next weeks!”
- “So hilarious.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The game's optimization is generally acceptable, with controls and shooting mechanics functioning adequately; however, the voice acting, particularly for the main character, has been noted as lacking in performance quality.
- “Getting to actually play the game, it controls fine, the shooting mechanics are... alright... but one thing that immediately stood out to me was the underperformance of the voice actor for the main character.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
The game is noted for its short duration yet high replayability, encouraging players to return for multiple playthroughs.
- “Short but highly replayable.”
- “The game lacks significant replay value, making it feel repetitive after just a few playthroughs.”
- “Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to dive back in; the replay value is disappointingly low.”
- “Despite its initial charm, the game offers minimal variations in gameplay, leading to a lack of replayability.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of games created with Gamemaker Studio is frequently criticized for leaning towards retro pixel shovelware and cash grabs, suggesting a focus on profit over quality and innovation.
- “Gamemaker Studio is often used to make retro pixel shovelware and cash grabs.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is frequently criticized, with players reporting numerous glitches and crashes that detract from the experience, compounded by its already challenging difficulty level.
- “Not just due to its obnoxious difficulty level, but also because of glitches and crashes.”

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