The first time I played Head over Heels, I had just purchased it on cassette – a format that must seem so alien to kids the same age now that I was back then – and purchased it at a car boot sale, another slowly dying institution. I was full of excitement because of how much I had enjoyed the excellent Batman tie-in that the same developers had released a while earlier. You see, back n the 80s, isometric puzzle adventures were big business and hugely popular. Bernie Drummond and Jon Ritman were considered the big hitters in this genre, and Head over Heels has always been considered the jewel in their gaming crown.
Retro heads have been clamouring for this kind of well executed remake for years, and I am pleased to say that the alliance of Rusty Pixels and Ogre Games have done a fine job with this, even if Head over Heels Deluxe still features the type of gameplay that was and still is very much of its time, and will not be intuitive for some modern gamers. I guess the mileage people will get out of this is going to be dependent on their love of the original.
Head over Heels Deluxe places you in control of the titular duo , whose nicknames are play on their Latin-sounding actual monikers of Headus Mouthion and Footus Underum, as well as their unique abilities in the game. Head is a vaguely canine-looking chap with a shiny blue schnozz and has the skillset of being able to jump higher and also pepper enemies with doughnut projectiles from his wacky shooter. Heels is more nimble but cannot leap as high, but the tradeoff is he is able to pick certain environmental objects up and move them around for the duo to climb on. At the beginning the pair are estranged from one another but in the times when they are reunited they can team up, unlocking new abilities.
The visuals have been overhauled, but the core structure of the game has been retained. Rather than smooth scrolling you take on the adventure one room at a time. The movement and physics of jumping requires real precision and new players unfamiliar with this kind of isometric setup may struggle to get used to the way it operates. Head over Heels Deluxe also adds a whole new set of freshly conceived rooms to explore, and the new mechanic of collecting chickens hidden around the labyrinthine world in order to unlock extra lives. This is entirely optional but gives the game some additional longevity. I cannot for the life of me fathom why chickens were chosen to be the collectible currency, but hell, why not? This is after all a game in which there are enemy robots who seemingly have the facial features of King Charles.
Other cool quality of life additions for 2025 are included, such as a very clever difficulty selection mode that as well as issuing you with extra lives to play with, also makes the structure of the game slightly more palatable with easier jumps and less obstacles. I really liked that commitment as it does make what is a very taxing affair more relaxing.
Fans of the original will love Head over Heels: Deluxe, as it is not only faithful to the source material and doesn’t seek to mess around with it too much, it has enough new content and tweaks to actually improve upon the original. It won’t be for everyone, this is very much a hard as nails old school affair and with a play style that will seem alien to some modern players, but don’t let that put you off – this is part of gaming history and a very important title from the 8 bit era that deserves your respect. It also has a price that is very much on-brand for the era and worth a punt with your pocket money. And best of all you don’t have to sit and wait for the tape to load.
