The Headliners

About

The Headliners is a multiplayer action adventure game with a horror theme. It was developed by KAFI and was released on January 30, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

The Headliners is a tense cooperative adventure where you and up to seven teammates play as journalists capturing gripping photos amid a city under siege by mysterious creatures. Explore dangerous streets, buildings, and alleys of a chaotic New York, choosing what moments to document as survival hangs in the balance. Success depends on snapping headlines that earn you the means to continue your perilous journey.

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89%

Audience ScoreBased on 4,641 reviews

humor516 positive mentions

stability79 negative mentions

Unique and fun gameplay that is especially enjoyable with friends.
Hilarious moments and chaotic situations create a memorable experience.
Regular updates from developers show commitment to improving the game.

Game can be buggy, with issues like disappearing photos and lag.
Repetitive gameplay and lack of variety in maps and monsters can lead to boredom.
Difficulty spikes and punishing mechanics can frustrate players, especially in solo play.

humor
519 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
99%
1%
The humor in this game is a standout feature, with players consistently highlighting its chaotic and absurd moments that lead to laughter, especially when playing with friends. The combination of horror elements and comedic situations—such as taking photos of teammates' hilarious deaths—creates a unique and entertaining experience. Overall, the game is praised for its ability to generate laugh-out-loud moments through unexpected interactions and funny character animations, making it a great choice for group play.
- “It's chaotic, ridiculous, and humorous, all while being thrilling.”
- “One second you’re laughing your ass off coordinating shots and yelling over each other, and the next you’re panicking because some absolutely unhinged monster of nightmare proportions is sprinting at your group trying to wipe you off the map.”
- “The mix of horror and dark humor keeps every session unpredictable and the way the game forces you to take risks for the best shots makes for some chaotic moments that will have you in tears laughing.”
- “Quality is not my style; it's not fun, it lags during co-op, and it crashes. My computer is very strong, and one more thing: it would be fun if I played with a lot of friends, but I'm alone, so yeah, it's not funny.”
- “You hardly notice them, and it's supposed to be funny, but it's just stupid.”
- “Taking photos instead of filming is way more boring and not funny at all.”
gameplay
231 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
62%
8%
The gameplay is characterized by a unique photo-taking mechanic that combines horror elements with cooperative multiplayer fun, making it particularly enjoyable when played with friends. However, many players note that the gameplay loop can become repetitive after a few hours, with some mechanics feeling unbalanced or underdeveloped. While the core concept is praised for its creativity and humor, there are calls for more content and refinement to enhance the overall experience.
- “A very fun gameplay loop where you run into random horrors and take the best photo possible as your heart races with adrenaline.”
- “The gameplay emphasizes timing, positioning, and coordination, making teamwork essential, as encounters are tense and occasionally chaotic.”
- “The gameplay masterfully blends creativity and survival, rewarding daring and well-timed shots.”
- “Gameplay is a bit boring after an hour, as it's the same stuff, just bigger and bigger requirements.”
- “Most of the time runs feel slow and empty, and the gameplay loop doesn’t really evolve past 'find danger → take picture → extract.' The fun burns out quickly, and it starts to feel repetitive after just a few sessions.”
- “The gameplay loop is fairly straightforward: get in the chopper, enter a building, snatch pictures then get out into the chaos-filled streets back to the chopper.”
graphics
110 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
68%
6%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting significant performance issues, including lag and crashes even on low settings, which detracts from the overall experience. While some appreciate the stylized art and immersive atmosphere, others criticize the lack of optimization and variety in graphics settings, making it unplayable for users with lower-end systems. Overall, the visuals are seen as charming but inconsistent, with calls for better optimization and more adjustable settings to enhance gameplay.
- “Visually, the game opts for a clean, stylized aesthetic that makes it both accessible and surprisingly tense when monsters appear.”
- “I love the graphics and art style of this game (especially compared to the two others I mentioned above) - it's bright, it's colorful, and it's interesting - yet still manages to feel menacing.”
- “The 'dessert' of graphics and sound design was decadent, with lush visuals and an immersive soundtrack that really made the game feel like a 'full-course meal'.”
- “My computer is a high-end computer, but I had to run this game on the lowest graphics settings and turn my volume up just so that I could hear the game over the fan.”
- “Even if you turn the graphics settings to the lowest, you'll still see some FPS drops no matter how good your PC might be.”
- “The graphical optimization is very, very bad, like worse than Roblox.”
story
100 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
89%
3%
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth and engagement, with many players feeling that the missions become repetitive and uninspired after a short period. While the gameplay allows for personal storytelling through player-captured photos, the overall narrative is seen as minimal, lacking a cohesive plot or character development. Some players express a desire for a more structured story mode or additional narrative elements to enhance the experience.
- “You never feel safe, even when things seem under control, and that constant pressure turns every run into a story you’ll be quoting later.”
- “The game quietly builds tension and moral conflict, especially through its subtle storytelling and evolving cityscape.”
- “It’s one of those experiences where you feel completely immersed in its world and can’t help but be captivated by the unique blend of storytelling and gameplay.”
- “It's not very hard to complete the first 20 missions, but to be honest, my friend and I felt we had seen everything the game had to offer after those 20 missions and about 9 hours of gameplay.”
- “After several hours, players may start to notice repetition in the monster encounters and mission structure.”
- “For a densely populated city that's under attack by monsters, it feels pretty dead a lot of the time (lack of humans and soldiers) until way too late into the mission time when more monsters show up, and then you might get a taste of the broader battle going on.”
stability
88 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
1%
90%
The game's stability has received mixed feedback, with many players reporting frequent bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, such as invisible walls, audio issues, and crashes. While some find these glitches add a humorous element to the experience, others feel they detract significantly from enjoyment, especially in critical gameplay moments. Overall, the game is considered to be in a rough state, with many players suggesting it needs further polishing and optimization, particularly since it is still in early access.
- “Knowing how much 2 devs did for this game too definitely makes me appreciate it more, and the game was not buggy at all which was impressive especially for a new release.”
- “Added bonus that the game runs great and should work on lower tier hardware just fine.”
- “It runs great and plays great for day one.... can't wait to see what happens in a week or even a month.”
- “The game's buggy, has a poor feel to it (way too many invisible walls and janky movement) and feels like an inconsistent asset flip.”
- “This game has a very interesting, and very fun idea, but it seems very buggy and not polished.”
- “Game is buggy getting into lobbies, my friend kicked me on accident when trying to adjust player sounds and even after both of us restarted our games and went into an entirely new session it refused to let us join together in the same lobby again.”
optimization
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
54%
27%
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting frequent lag, crashes, and performance issues even on capable hardware. While some updates have improved performance slightly, the overall experience remains marred by stuttering, frame drops, and inadequate graphical settings, leading to frustration among users. Many reviewers express hope for further optimizations to enhance gameplay and stability.
- “The game has good potential if they get the performance issues down.”
- “I do hope that the game will be optimized further as this game itself is still new.”
- “With further optimization, bug fixes, and the introduction of new features, there is certainly potential for this to be a party game I could recommend on more than a once-or-twice-off experience.”
- “Another update that improves performance would be appreciated because even with a fairly decent PC and the lowest graphics settings, the game still lags and crashes at times, which can ruin a round and force you to lose all of your inventory items.”
- “The game is poorly optimized, leading to lag, crashes, and on later levels when an intense behemoth monster spawns in, the game repeatedly crashes no matter how many times you relaunch or rejoin.”
- “Pretty fun game, but optimization is so bad it is borderline unplayable.”
replayability
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
50%
8%
Overall, the game exhibits a mixed level of replayability, with many players enjoying its co-op dynamics and random elements that keep each session fresh. While some reviews highlight significant replay value due to the game's fun mechanics and potential for future content, others note limitations in replayability, particularly for solo play and a lack of progression features. The consensus suggests that playing with friends enhances the experience, making it more enjoyable and replayable.
- “This game has great replayability just due to the amount of randomness that can come from the monsters and environment around you.”
- “That balance between working together and subtly competing keeps every run exciting and replayable.”
- “Another great addition to the co-op horror genre, the emphasis on capturing moments really makes the game infinitely replayable.”
- “But it is deeply flawed, and it won't give you the same thrills or replay value as Lethal Company before it.”
- “No replay value, upgrades nonexistent, no progression, literally pointless gameplay except for 'funny moments'.”
- “There is no real replayability.”
atmosphere
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
35%
9%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and chilling qualities, enhanced by strong sound design and creative environments like neon-lit streets and dark hallways. Players appreciate the blend of tension and humor, with the chaotic presence of monsters contributing to a sense of unease. While some critiques mention a lack of depth in certain areas, the overall consensus highlights a captivating atmosphere that keeps players engaged and returning for more.
- “The environments—neon-lit streets, abandoned subways, crumbling buildings—create just enough atmosphere to put you on edge without sacrificing visual clarity.”
- “What really stood out was the atmosphere—everything felt super creepy, from the dark hallways to the unsettling sounds in the background.”
- “The sound effects complement the atmosphere beautifully, enhancing key moments without overpowering the gameplay.”
- “No atmosphere, just tons of particles and bloom that is trying to cover up the bad AI art pictures on the walls.”
- “With games like Content Warning and Murky Divers, I felt the style of the game's art overshadowed the desolate atmosphere of the world; not a bad thing, they just prioritize one over the other.”
- “The atmosphere is crazy and the audio is chilling.”
grinding
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
58%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and time-consuming, often requiring significant effort for minimal rewards. Many reviews highlight the repetitive nature of activities like monster hunting and farming, which can lead to burnout, especially when playing solo. While it may be enjoyable in a group setting initially, the lack of a meaningful leveling system and the artificial difficulty increase contribute to a frustrating experience over time.
- “There is nothing more to see and now it is only a high score grinding fest.”
- “Likewise, it becomes tedious when you and your friends have to keep doing the same thing over and over again, with the difficulty artificially padded by increasing the score requirement and number of spawning monsters.”
- “Tedious with no real leveling system to make it worthwhile.”
monetization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of the game has been criticized as a rushed cash grab, lacking the creativity and polish seen in other titles within the horror co-op genre. While some players appreciate its potential, many feel it suffers from poor execution and insufficient advertising, leading to a perception of laziness in its development. Overall, the game's monetization strategy has left a negative impression, with hopes for future updates to improve the experience.
- “In its current state, it feels like a very poorly rushed cash grab on the current horror co-op titles without any of the creativity or love that makes the others in the genre stand out.”
- “It's an incredibly lazy application of all of the above, in what I hope isn't just a quick cash grab.”
- “Definitely feels like a buggy 'content warning' cash grab.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The music in the game is praised for its incredible quality and immersive nature, enhancing the overall experience. However, players express disappointment over the limited amount of music and the lack of essential volume controls, such as individual sliders for music, sound effects, and voice chat, which detracts from the multiplayer experience. Overall, while the soundtrack contributes positively, improvements in audio management are needed for a more balanced gameplay experience.
- “I must say the music is just incredible!”
- “The 'dessert' of graphics and sound design was decadent, with lush visuals and an immersive soundtrack that really made the game feel like a 'full-course meal'.”
- “There's also very little music, which is also disappointing.”
- “I would like to see individual volume sliders for SFX, music, ambiance, and for each person in your group.”
- “Main request: release the ambiance as a soundtrack.”
emotional
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players report experiencing significant emotional turmoil while engaging with the game, describing it as "emotionally violent" and causing feelings of confusion and frustration. The unpredictable nature of gameplay elements, such as random number generation and collision issues, contributes to a sense of psychological distress, leading some to feel disillusioned enough to take a long break from the game.
- “What we got instead was emotional whiplash and psychological damage.”
- “We were still trying to understand what the hell was happening while one guy already owned half the board and the other two were stuck in jail getting emotionally mugged by the RNG.”
- “Because it’s not broken, it’s just emotionally violent.”