Tug of Heads

About Tug of Heads

Tug of Heads is a wrestling game for one or two players. The aim, in the developer's words, is to protect your character's head from danger while you wrestle, and the danger is different from one level to the next: there are more than 50 hand-designed levels, and the game conditions change at every one.

Each player gets three keys rather than one, and you choose how many sets a match runs before you start. You can wrestle a friend on the same keyboard, take on the CPU on your own, or play with touch controls on a phone or tablet.

How to play

Player 1 uses W, A and D; Player 2 uses the Up, Left and Right arrow keys. The developer lists the keys but not what each one does, so use the first round to try each key and see how your wrestler responds. Choose how many sets to play, then keep your own character's head out of danger while the level changes around you.

Controls

• Player 1 — W A D
• Player 2 — Up / Left / Right arrows
• Touch controls on mobile and tablets
• Solo vs CPU supported

Tips to win

• Spend the first round of a match learning what each of your three keys does before you go on the attack.
• Look at each new level before engaging — the game conditions change every time.
• Pick a longer set count if you want the match to reward consistency over one lucky round.

Tug of Heads strategy guide

Three keys each. Player 1 wrestles with W, A and D; Player 2 uses the Up, Left and Right arrow keys. On mobile devices and tablets you can play with touch controls instead. The developer lists which keys each player has but does not describe what each one does, so the quickest way to learn is to press them one at a time in an early round and watch how your wrestler moves. Once you know your three keys, the rest of the game is about when you press them.

Protect your head. The stated aim is to protect your character's head from danger while wrestling. That makes defence an active part of winning rather than a way of stalling: keeping your head safe is the objective, and attacking carelessly can put it at risk.

Read the level first. There are more than fifty hand-designed levels and the game conditions change at every one, so a plan that worked on the last stage may not work on this one. Take a moment at the start of each round to look at the stage before you commit. The developer promises levels that will surprise you, so expect the layout to matter.

One player or two. You can wrestle against a friend or against the CPU. The CPU is useful for getting to know the levels and your keys when there is nobody else around, and the head-to-head game is where the rivalry comes in.

Choose your set count. Before the match you decide how many sets to play. A short match can swing on a single round; a longer one gives the more consistent player more chances to come out ahead. If you keep losing short matches to a friend, try a longer one and see whether the result holds.

Tug of Heads FAQ