Hard Head

"Hard Head" and "Hard Head 2" were two mid-80s arcade platform scrolling video games made by SunA corporation.

The original "Hard Head", released in 1988, was also converted to the NES and was a classic platform game. Although the game contained some original elements, such as kicking a soccer ball throughout the level or demolishing walls with a hammer, its most notable features were its rather naif and kitsch appearance and graphics, its many references to (or better, ripoffs of ) other videogames and its overall being a very bizarre videogame. It was essentially a very heterogeneous mixture of ripoffs of other games, largely of doubtful taste.

"Hard Head 2", released in 1991, was a largely unsuccessful sequel, which had better graphics but looked even more kitschy.

The enemies and the level graphics looked very similar to Toki's, but what made the game really singular was the fact that the main characters remained completely naked after being hurt once by an enemy contact or projectile. In addition, the references (or rather, ripoffs) from other games abounded.

The fact that the main characters were somewhat ugly and the death animation was somewhat indecent (the main character faced the player naked, when dying) made the game appear quite embarrassing, and surely one of the most graphically bizarre videogames ever.