WarHead

WARHEAD is an old-school side-scrolling arcade shooter built specifically for Nintendo Game Boy Color.

Inspired by the pressure, pacing, and visual readability of classic shooters, WARHEAD throws you into a brutal industrial cyber-war deep in space, where massive mechanical structures, hostile fleets, and screen-filling bosses stand between you and survival. The goal is simple: push forward, destroy everything in your path, and stay alive long enough to reach the end of the stage.

This version is an early development demo, but it already represents the core direction of the project. The game currently features fast horizontal scrolling action, a playable campaign structure, multiple enemy types, boss encounters, score and lives systems, stage transitions, Game Over flow, and original music and sound effects designed for real Game Boy hardware. The current build is targeting Game Boy Color only, with visuals and gameplay built around actual CGB limitations rather than modern retro-style abstraction.

The artistic direction of WARHEAD focuses on a harsh futuristic military aesthetic: industrial megastructures, angular silhouettes, dense mechanical environments, and strong visual contrast. Every asset is designed around controlled 4-color palettes for Game Boy Color, with a strong emphasis on readability during fast action. The project aims to feel aggressive, intense, and unmistakably handheld, while still pushing for a dramatic sci-fi atmosphere.

At the moment, the demo includes the title screen, active gameplay, enemy waves, player shooting, collisions, explosions, HUD systems, boss fights, stage clear flow, credits, and two playable levels in the current campaign structure. This is still an in-progress build, so many things are expected to evolve over time, including enemy variety, level design depth, visual layering, pacing, and overall polish.

WARHEAD is being developed with a strong focus on authentic hardware-minded design: stable performance, clear sprite work, controlled screen readability, and gameplay that feels immediate and uncompromising. This demo is a first public step toward that larger vision.