We’ve just had the chance to walk through the twisted streets of Silent Hill again in Silent Hill 2’s remake, but with Slitterhead we’ll swiftly get another opportunity to carefully tread through streets unknown, albeit in a more action-orientated experience. Slitterhead is hotly anticipated, not least because the game is being developed by industry icons with decades of horror game experience, but also there’s a sense of ‘what the hell is going on’ from the game’s trailers and video previews.
Developers are Team Silent Alumni
Yep, this probably hasn’t passed you by: Tokyo based Bokeh Game Studio Inc. was founded by Keiichiro Toyama, Sato Kazunobu, and Junya Okura, the haunted minds behind iconic horror series’ Silent Hill and Siren with the latter also working on Gravity Rush. Terror runs through Slitterhead’s DNA thanks to this trio’s experience, with Toyama’s ‘battle-action’ moniker for the upcoming title evidently imbued with Gravity Rush’s physics defying action.
The premise
Taking place in the dense, cluttered, neon-lit city Kowlong, Slitterhead tasks you with eradicating the streets from a shapeshifting threat. The eponymous parasitic monsters have invaded, and they’re disguising themselves as ordinary citizens. You’re a shapeshifter too though, able to possess humans at your will to combat the lurid Slitterheads in a The Thing vs The Thing-type matchup. As Slitterhead progresses you’ll discover the mystery behind your existence plus learn the origin of the Slitterhead’s appearance. Of note, Slitterhead is not an open world game. Instead, gameplay will comprise a more traditional – possibly linear – mission structure.
Kowlong – in detail
A steaming network of atmosphere and intrigue, Slitterhead’s Kowlong is imaginary; conjured out of the mind of Keiichiro Toyama and his interest in the former walled city of Kowloon. Demolished in 1993, the Kowloon Walled City was a lawless place whose legacy has seeped into a host of media, from anime mainstay Ghost in the Shell to more recently the subterranean slums of Stray. Toyama notes in Bokeh Game Studio’s 10-minute primer Kowlong Express: Bringing Forgotten Fragments into Slitterhead that Kowloon, whilst being a place of chaos, also exhibited order in its construction. Its design was dualistic, with neon frontage flanked by dirt and alleyways, disorder Toyama reads as mystery lurking out of sight.
Hyoki
Boundless entity Hyoki descends on Kowlong just like the Slitterheads, and although this spirit is bereft of memories, he holds one intention: to eradicate every last one of these monstrous shapeshifters. His mission has him assuming the form of Kowlong’s ordinary citizens much like the Slitterheads, but – whilst arguably morally grey – his intentions appear to be well-meaning. As we’ve already said though, playing through Slitterhead’s narrative promises to reveal more about bodiless Hyoki, his origins and the reasons behind his purpose.
Possession system
From Slitterhead’s Steam page: Hyoki is “devoid of physical form”, his ability allowing him to “possess and control human bodies at will, turning the people wandering the city into pawns.” We see this power in action during Slitterhead’s trailers, a yellow beam emitting from host to host, granting Hyoki power to dissolve through barriers, infiltrate otherwise untraversable areas, and warp through Kowlong’s streets at high speed. Some nifty combat manoeuvres see him flick between multiple humans as they take on one of Slitterhead’s more substantial monsters in tandem.
Combat with the power of blood
Hyoki will engage in battle by harnessing the power of blood, exhumed from the spent life force of burned human bodies. During battles, a host’s blood – functioning more or less like your possessed human’s HP – can be consumed to generate Blood Weapons. Blocking and counter striking via the game’s Deflect technique will prove vital actions for survival, as will routinely swapping between hosts when the fragile humans reach their body’s breaking point. Blocking too much with Hyoki’s Blood Weapon will eventually cause it to shatter, whereas successful counterattacks will restore their durability.
Rarities
Throughout Slitterhead Hyoki will need to ally with what Bokeh Game Studio dub ‘Rarities’. These are special humans who share a high sync with Hyoki, and their possession gives him opportunity to unleash even more powerful attacks alongside various special abilities unique to each Rarity via equipped Active Skills. Some missions can only be completed with specific rarities in tow, presumably because their special skills – powerful attacks which deplete blood level, for instance – are integral for that mission’s success. What’s more, a deepening cooperation and understanding with these Rarities gives Hyoki – and thus you the player – a broader overview of the mysteries nestled deep within Kowlong.
Rarity in-depth: Julee
Fatally wounded and set for certain death until revived by Hyoki, Julee is the first Rarity encountered in Slitterhead. An enigmatic, hooded young woman, Julee’s most prominent feature in battle are her oversized blood claws which she can use to generate a deadly shockwave at her enemies. Other skills include the time-slowing ‘Blood Ripper’ and a revive ability whereby she boosts her own blood supply whilst healing any humans on the verge of death via extending an umbilical blood link.
Rarity in-depth: Alex
The mysterious Alex also goes by the moniker “The Hunter”, and he’s seen most prominently in the game’s previews donning a motorcycle helmet and shotgun. His skills include ‘Blood Well’ with a gravity field composed of blood drawing Slitterheads and ordinary citizens alike to its centre. ‘Time Bomb’ affixes an explosive device on an opponent whilst ‘Bloody Blast’ sprays a shower of blood bullets from his trusty shotgun.
Skill tokens
Rare bodies can be enhanced via collectible Skill Tokens found throughout Kowlong, enabling Hyoki to strength his bonded allies in specific areas before taking on new missions. These Skill Tokens can also be spent unlocking new skills, with this RPG-like element providing differing gameplay experiences depending on the skills you pursue. Worth noting under this point is that ordinary, non-rarity humans share non-distinct skills across the board
Detecting Slitterheads
Yes, the Slitterheads will masquerade as humans ambling Kowlong’s streets as normal, but their presence can be detected via phenomena in the city’s atmosphere, a disturbed airflow for instance. Hyoki can follow these currents if he’s on the hunt for a Slitterhead. What’s more, in a reimagining of Siren’s sightjacking, Hyoki can sightjack Slitterheads too, stealing a glance through their field of vision and guessing their location based on the scenery in their vicinity.
There will be gore
You may have noticed already but Slitterhead is set to be a bloody and gory experience. Reportedly, some early previewers have found the scarlet viscera too stomach-churning to continue. Although, of course, this may be hyperbole it’s inescapable Slitterhead contains a ton of gore and body horror.
Akira Yamaoka onboard for the game’s soundtrack
A name with substantial heft, there’s a reason Team Silent’s iconic in-house composer has featured so prominently in Slitterhead’s marketing. His soundtracks imbue the tension and atmosphere this brand of horror elicits; the murky haze and shuffling beats of Silent Hill 2, the metronomic anxiety of The Medium, the kaleidoscopic brilliance of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Yamaoka-san has a knack for encapsulating essence and character, and his involvement here is a sign of Slitterhead’s quality and an indication of the faith we should put in Bokeh Game Studio’s debut title.
Release date and platform info
Slitterhead will release on November 8th to PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X|S, plus PC via Steam. The game’s recommended PC requirements include an Intel Core i7-8700K or AMD Ryzen 5 2600X processor, 16GB of RAM, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 or AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT GPU, plus 30GB of storage space.
Pre-order and edition variations
Console pre-orders are now live, whilst the PC version can only – at the time of writing – be wishlisted on Steam. Game versions are as follows: there’s a standard edition for both PlayStation and Xbox, a deluxe edition which grants 72-hour early access, a Toyama annotated digital artbook and a copy of Yamaoka’s 10-song soundtrack. The PS5 exclusive physical only Slitterhead Day 1 Edition includes the soundtrack on CD, a 100-page art book, stickers, a custom box, plus the game itself.
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