$19.99PAPERHEAD Cute cardboard, brutal underneath
Run and gun through a nightmarish research facility, sketching bombs into existence with a magic pencil.
Is PAPERHEAD worth it?
PAPERHEAD is worth it if…
- you like fast movement shooters where speed comes naturally, not from practiced tricks
- you want a shooter that doesn't take itself too seriously but still has a story worth following
- you enjoy horror atmosphere mixed into your arena fights
- you want a challenge: even genre veterans find it genuinely difficult
- you have played DUSK or ULTRAKILL and want something with its own look
Screenshots
Combat that moves as fast as you do
This is a shooter built around speed. You dash, jump high, toss enemies into the air and come down on their heads like an Italian plumber with a grudge. Kicking an exploding barrel across a room works exactly as well as it sounds. The shotgun handles the rest.
Every weapon has a job, so the whole arsenal stays in rotation instead of one gun carrying you. It is brutal, gory and quick, and it is hard: even veterans of fast shooters call it a real challenge. Fights come in dense waves, and clearing a packed arena feels great.
A pencil that rewrites the world
The magical pencil is both weapon and tool. Sketch a bomb, then kick it at whatever deserves it. Draw a door where there was none, then kick that down too. Or write something rude on a wall, no reason needed.
The pencil also draws you deeper into the story. The setting is a cute cardboard world gone wrong, an abandoned research facility full of documents and recordings that slowly reveal what happened there. A built-in lore map collects what you find and doubles as a guide to the enemies hunting you. The horror side is real: dark corridors, things you barely spot before they reach you, and a story that keeps you curious about the next reveal. The cardboard look makes the meat underneath land harder.
How long is the campaign?
Is it actually scary, or just gory?
Both, at different moments. The sound design and music shift the tone between feeling unstoppable and feeling like anything around the corner could kill you. Dark rooms hide enemies you can barely make out. Then a fight starts and the fear gives way to speed.
Can you play it solo?
Yes, it is a singleplayer game from start to finish: a story campaign plus a survival mode. There is nothing to coordinate with anyone, just you, the pencil and a lot of cardboard.
What is the music like?
Industrial and high-energy, closer to classic DOOM-style soundtracks than quiet ambience. It is a big part of why the combat feels so punchy, and the soundtrack is one of the things players single out most.
