Download the Head Buster translation patch (*.IPS) HERE!

The translation for this game was started by me, Chris Covell in July 2005, and completed in mid-August. I am in no way affiliated with NCS; this is just a fan translation project. Read the readme in the file above for more details.

Head Buster is a turn-based strategy game that was released in Japan for the Sega Game Gear in March 1991. Not that there's anything remarkable about this game, it's just that it's one of the few strategy games that I have ever had fun playing (Nintendo's [system] Wars series is the other.)

The game system is very simple: with your money (Gold), purchase a robot or two (up to 5) at the shop, and equip the robot for best performance on the battlefield. Different body parts and weapons will affect the robot's manoeuvrability, defensive capability, shooting accuracy, and weapon range. After positioning your robot strategically, you can target an opponent's robot and the two robots will duke it out.

There is no realtime battle system here, and no sprawling maps. The first battle takes place on a stage only 3 screens across. So, what I like about this game is its simplicity. It's a potted strategy game, but good tactics and weapon choices will mean the difference between victory and the scrap heap.

From the title screen, you can choose to start a solo game or continue by using a password.

With 2 Game Gears hooked up, you can battle a friend rather than the computer.

There are 10 stages in total. Before each stage, your opponent taunts you with a menacing remark.

When you start the game, you have 600 Gold and need to buy a robot. With 600 Gold, you have just enough to buy 4 light robots.

Alternately (and necessarily on later stages,) you can buy a couple of stronger robots and equip them with better firepower.

The robot can be equipped with many parts.

Some of my favourite weapons are the Light Sabre, Lightning, Napalm, and Double Cannon. They have rather devastating power and look very cool when shot.

However, the Light Sabre becomes much less relevant in later stages, as enemies start to attack you with maximum-range weapons. You almost never get close enough to have hand-to-hand combat at that point.

Now our robots are equipped and ready to head out onto the field. Pressing the '1' button when the cursor is over a unit shows its current equipment and hit points.

Usually our first step is to move our robots around the field.

Ridges and cliffs like the large one above can't be traversed, so they basically create bottlenecks in the map.

Different terrain is easier or more difficult for your differently-equipped robots to cross, so the maximum distance that your robots can cross will always vary.

Make your move, press the 'Start' button, and the enemy moves around too.

As is normal with strategy games of this type, each side has a turn to move and fire; and for each turn, the side that moves first alternates. This means that sometimes you can block an enemy with your robot, and sometimes the enemy can block your robot.

Check to see if any enemies' units are within your weapons' ranges, and then aim away.

Darkened regions are unreachable by your weapon. Of course, if an enemy is within a highlighted region, fire at it!

Once a target has been chosen, battle commences. Various factors, such as distance from your target, whether there are trees or hills in the way, and the type of sensor your robot has, will affect how many hits you actually get in during the battle.

If all the enemy's robots or the enemy's base station is destroyed, then the match is over and you have won!

Or if the same happens to your units or base station, the game is over for you.

You're better off restarting the game from your last password, because the small stipend you get from delivering newspapers really isn't enough to rebuild your forces.