Papa Needs a Headshot is a Weird Western Steampunk Mashup Not to be Missed

Sometimes your inbox just feels like Xmas. Particularly when the unexpected tumbles on through, which was the case recently in discovering a reveal trailer and details for the oddly-titled Papa Needs a Headshot from Vercial Games and Phew Phew Games. This thing is all kinds of crazy, and we're saddling up for it.

Take a gander over yonder at it:

The premise for the game is in the title, and feels like the sort of twist any good Western story could be built around, but the whole art style and some of the wording in the official information we got suggests there's other strings here, from a narrative setup perspective.

Step into the boots of a lone and stoic cowboy with a metal prosthetic arm and a vengeful spirit. In Papa Needs a Headshot, you see the world through his eyes: a neutral good gunslinger carved out of grit and the relentless rage against the man who made him.

Our press release info tells us the game will utilise "environmental warfare" as one of its key pillars, where "every battle rewards clever observation and layered thinking". Thanks to the Cowboy's prosthetic arm, you'll also have Force-like push and pull powers while the game looks like it'll rely on a deep physics system for dynamic encounters and gunplay. 

Additionally, we'll obviously face bosses and big cinematic moments, which means this is a fully fleshed out game-world with a lot to explore from a story perspective.

The word "carved" is repeated a few times in the game's description also, as well as the idea of seeking "vengeance against your own kin", while the idea of killing your dad is one thing, the use of the phrase "the man who made him" also stands out. Now, take a good look at the game's visuals and try not to see a kind of marionette aesthetic and, well, we think there might be a twisted spin on Pinocchio taking place here. Though that is entirely our own stretch on proceedings.

You can Wishlist the game here, but it's still a ways off with "Q2 2026" the target release date. Whether that's in Early Access or as a full drop is something we'll be chasing up. In the meantime, get a load of a handful of screens (grabbed from the trailer) in our carousel below and stay tuned for more on this pretty exciting looking weird western steampunk mashup.