A Buggy-Full Mind

Manage the head offices of a broken brain in Headspun.

- Robert Zak

The revival of FMV games has been fascinating to witness, in large part because today’s takes on the genre are far more accomplished than the ultra-compressed blotchfests that typified its first wave in the ’90s. From Sam Barlow’s clever found-footage puzzlers to more traditional choice-driven adventures like Late Shift and The Bunker, there’s plenty to show that, against all odds, live-action video has some artistic merit in videogames.

Headspun is another twist on the genre, casting you as the boss of Cortex, a company headquartered inside the mind of Theo, a man emerging from a five-week coma after a car accident. Theo’s memories are scattered all over his subconscious, most of Cortex’s employees are dead, and it’s up to you, CEO Ted, to get his brain back in order. This manifests as a management game in which you rebuild the company, interposed with live-action video of Theo’s convalescence in hospital.

Your avatar Ted symbolises the dour and often outright dickish side of Theo’s psyche. Ted wakes up from his own coma to find Cortex in ruins following the accident, albeit kept in some semblance of order by his business partner Teddy, who represents Theo’s creative, romantic side. The game progresses in 24-hour days, with time passing whenever you engage Theo in mini-games.