3D render of the head-grabbing enemy model extracted from the game. — Picture taken from the game to identify this item; it remains the property of the developer.

Monsters · R.E.P.O. v0.4.0 · read from a local copy

The monster that grabs heads

Its head, torso and tongue hang on springs with sources and targets.

One monster in R.E.P.O. attacks by taking hold of a player's head: the game gives it a tongue on its own springs, eyes on springs that track targets, a staged dropkick, and separate sounds for grabbing and letting go.

What the game establishes

Its head, torso and tongue hang on springs with sources and targets. (checked against the game's own files)
The tongue has separate parts for the middle and the tip, each with a transform and a target. (checked against the game's own files)
Its eyes sit on springs and track targets through a parent transform. (checked against the game's own files)
Arriving and dying are drawn with particles and sounded. (checked against the game's own files)
A dropkick is staged in four sounds. (checked against the game's own files)
Grabbing a head and releasing it are sounded, and the release has a start and an end. (checked against the game's own files)
It breathes locally, runs and walks with light and heavy footsteps. (checked against the game's own files)
Being noticed has a local and a global sound, and being unable to reach a player has one of its own. (checked against the game's own files)
Being stunned has an introduction, a loop and an outro. (checked against the game's own files)
It has short and long noises and short and long moves. (checked against the game's own files)
The torso and head springs each keep a transform and a target of their own, and each foot has a footstep transform. (checked against the game's own files)
Its attack has a swipe sound of its own. (checked against the game's own files)
The game ships its own colour texture for the monster. (checked against the game's own files)
It keeps three head target positions — a plain one, one for following and one for releasing — with a curve of its own and a local camera for the player it has hold of. (checked against the game's own files)

In play

This monster is built out of springs. Its head, its torso and its tongue each hang on a spring with a source and a target, which is why it leans and snaps towards a player rather than moving as one rigid body.

The tongue is in two parts. The tip and the middle of the tongue have separate springs, transforms and targets of their own, so the reach can extend while the base whips about.

It watches with eyes on springs. The eyes track transforms of their own, with eye springs and targets, and there is a parent transform for what it looks at, so its gaze follows rather than snapping onto a fixe point.

It arrives and leaves visibly. There are particles for the teleport and for its death, with a sound for arriving and for leaving, so a grab that comes out of nowhere is still announced.

The dropkick is staged. There is a sound for the warning before it, one for starting it, one for ending it and one for the hit, which is why a kick can be read before it lands.

Lifting a player is a sequence. Taking a head and letting it go are each sounded, and the release has a start and an end of its own, so the moment a player is dropped is audible.

The rest of it is heard before it is seen: breathing that loops locally, running, light and heavy footsteps, a short and a long move, and short and long noises it makes on its own.

Where its head goes is kept in three places. There is a target position for the head, one for following a player and one for letting go, with a curve between them and a local camera ready for whoever it has hold of, which is why the grip can be aimed and released deliberately.

Every spring has an end in the world. The torso and the head each keep a transform and a target, and each foot has a footstep transform of its own, which is why the parts that lean and reach are anchored rather than floating.

It swipes as well as grabs. The attack has a swipe sound of its own, separate from the four the dropkick is staged with.

It also complains. Being noticed has a local and a global sound, being unable to reach a player has one of its own, and being stunned has an introduction, a loop and an outro.

What this entry does not tell you: how much damage a grab or a kick does, how far its tongue reaches, or how long a stun holds it. We have not verified those numbers, so we do not print them.

Community gameplay picture of Headgrab caught in a flashlight beam, from the R.E.P.O. Fandom wiki.

MonstersWhen a monster has youA monster exists whose behaviour is built around holding a player.

Community gameplay picture of Headgrab searching a room, from the R.E.P.O. Fandom wiki.

MonstersWhat being grabbed does to a runA player's condition is tied to the grabbing mechanic.

Illustrative community picture showing several of the monsters in the game.

MonstersEnemies and what they doThe game defines several distinct monsters rather than one enemy type.

Version and sources

A local copy of the game, read only. The grounding for each fact is listed on the technical reference pages; nothing here is estimated. Documented build: 0.4.0.