“I’m Keiichiro Toyama, CEO of Bokeh Game Studio,”he wrote (via machine translation). “Slitterhead, released in November 2024, was the first game we released. We faced the question: ‘Could we truly make a game by launching this studio, with this team, using this approach?’ By confronting that question and shaping it into a single work, we finally feel we’ve reached the starting line.”

“The core of Bokeh Game Studio’s approach to creation is very simple – be original. We won’t create something that anyone else could make. This doesn’t mean we seek to be bizarre – it means we never stop asking ‘why are we making this?’ and ‘why are we the ones making it?’ and constantly look for expressions that only we can achieve.”

Further in his open letter, Toyama also confirmed that his new project is still in early stages of development, which means that there will be plenty of ideas developed and discarded as the team figures out just what kind of game it will be.

“Currently, our entire studio is working on a new project,” he explained. “It’s not an easy path because we’ll be going through trial and error from the initial stages. However, this allows us to deeply engage with the core of the work, where our choices and struggles will directly shape the game’s form.

“Being involved from this phase promises to be an experience beyond compare. We look forward to evolving this project further alongside you. We sincerely await your application.”

Toyama confirmed that he had been working on a new project back in July 2025.In an interview, he noted that, while he couldn’t reveal too many details, the new game would fall in line with Bokeh Game Studio’s goal of working on different ideas.

“I can’t reveal the exact details, but we have started working on our next title,” said Toyama. “In the beginning, we wanted this to be a studio where we could do many different things, like implementing the ideas of younger generations and even working on more light-hearted projects.”

“Once again, we have to pour in all our efforts as a studio and prove that we are up to the task. We are currently working towards that goal. However, we’re still in the beginning phase, so I believe we’ll be able to reveal more details [about the new game] somewhere in the future.”

His last project, Slitterhead, was released on PC, PS4, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S back in 2024. Toyama commented on the game’s status as a “cult favourite” despite the lack of overall mainstream success. Ultimately, he found himself happy with how the horror title turned out.

“As for how long we’ll be able to continue, it becomes a difficult topic especially if we take my age into consideration,” he said. “However, I believe that moving forward, I also have to pass the baton to the next generation. As a studio, we’re still midway to reaching our goal.”

“I can’t reveal the exact details, but we have started working on our next title,” said Toyama. “In the beginning, we wanted this to be a studio where we could do many different things, like implementing the ideas of younger generations and even working on more light-hearted projects.”

“Once again, we have to pour in all our efforts as a studio and prove that we are up to the task. We are currently working towards that goal. However, we’re still in the beginning phase, so I believe we’ll be able to reveal more details [about the new game] somewhere in the future.”

As for Slitterhead, Toyama commented on it ultimately turning out to be a “cult favourite” despite not seeing too much mainstream success. He does note, however, that Bokeh Game Studio wasn’t chasing commercial success with the title. Rather, he was ultimately happy with how the game generally turned out.

“As for how long we’ll be able to continue, it becomes a difficult topic especially if we take my age into consideration,” he said. “However, I believe that moving forward, I also have to pass the baton to the next generation. As a studio, we’re still midway to reaching our goal.”

Slitterhead was released back in 2024 on PC, PS4, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. The game revolves around body horror aesthetics, melding together a scary atmosphere with high-impact action. Some of the creepy monsters that players would have to deal with were revealed in a trailer just a few months before the game’s launch.

Leading up to its launch, Toyama had previously revealed that Slitterhead was originally envisioned as an open world game. However, budget concerns led to the decision that ultimately turned the game into its mission-based structure that we got.

“One decision we made early in the game was that we originally wanted an open-world setting for the game, but it wasn’t reasonable with the budget,” he said. “That decision worked well, boxing in the missions and progressing through the storyline.”

For more details about Slitterhead, check out our review, where we gave it a score of 7 out of 10. We praised the core premise of the game as well as its core gameplay mechanics and fun combat, while criticising its rough storytelling, repetitive gameplay, and visual and technical hiccups.

If you are interested in checking Slitterhead out to see what makes it a “cult favourite” type of game, a demo for the horror title was released back in December. The free demo includes the first chapter of the game, as well as the ability for players to carry over their save data into the full game if they decide to pick it up.

The demo includes the first chapter and save data transfers to the game. For those who enjoy the demo and want more, Slitterhead is discounted on the PlayStation Store, Steam and Epic Games Store thanks to ongoing Holiday sales, retailing for $34.99. Unfortunately, since there’s no sale for Xbox, Series X/S players will have to settle for full price.

Directed by Keiichiro Toyama, who created horror classics like Silent Hill and Siren, Slitterhead is about Hyoki, who roams the streets of Kowlong in pursuit of the Slitterheads. Though lacking a form, he can possess humans known as Rarities and use their unique abilities to fight back. Check out our review of the game here.

Slitterhead Demo & Holiday Sale now available!!!🔥

【🎮DEMO🎮】
Slitterhead Demo is available on all platforms now!
Play the first chapter including tutorial and your save data will carry over to the full version if you purchase it.

【🎄HOLIDAY SALE🎄】
Holiday sale is now live… pic.twitter.com/QiowvRaqLn

— Bokeh Game Studio (@BokehGameStudio) December 20, 2024

Slitterhead is set in 1990s Kowlong, a fictionalized version of Hong Kong, and sees you playing as Hyoki, a mysterious spirit with no body or form of its own, but capable of possessing nearly anybody they get their eyes on. In rather tropey fashion, Hyoki’s memory is foggy as the game starts out, so you don’t get much information on your past or backstory, but you do know that your mission is to find and eliminate terrifying monsters known as Slitterheads, who have been leaving a trail of mutilated bodies and grisly murders throughout the city.

"It’s not without its issues, and it certainly isn’t a game that I’d recommend to anyone without any caveats- but if you can look past its issues, there’s a very different and interesting gaming experience on offer here."

Slitterhead is very much not a story-focused game, and it shows. Its narrative premise is certainly a fascinating one, as is its Hong Kong-inspired setting, but though the game does broach some intriguing ideas from time to time, it very rarely actually pulls at those threads in any meaningful way. More often than not, the plot serves to allow Slitterhead’s gameplay mechanics to shine, with the actual storytelling usually taking a backseat. From clunky writing to rough cutscenes to low production values all around (more on that in a bit), the game doesn’t really make a strong impression in the narrative department.

Of course, one might argue that that’s not the point. I kicked this review off by calling Slitterhead one of the weirdest games I’ve played in recent memory, and by stressing that that is very much in the game’s favour. That comes first and foremost from its gameplay ideas. By putting players in the shoes (so to speak) of a formless body-swapping spirit, Slitterhead embraces a core gameplay loop that feels entirely unlike anything else out there, and though it does feel more than a little rough around the edges, the pros definitely outweigh the cons here.

Swapping in and out of bodies and taking control of different NPCs is at the center of Slitterhead’s gameplay experience, and that’s true for nearly every part of the game. Take the combat, for instance- on face value, it works like a rather straightforward action game with a focus on melee mechanics, dodging and parrying, cooldown-based abilities, and what have you, but the game puts an interesting spin on the proceedings by encouraging players to never remain inside one body for too long. Every time you possess a new body, you gain a temporary boost in your attacks and combat efficiency, which means the game keeps encouraging you to keep swapping between different bodies.

"Swapping in and out of bodies and taking control of different NPCs is at the center of Slitterhead’s gameplay experience, and that’s true for nearly every part of the game."

Similarly, traversal and navigation encourage players to never remain in control of any one NPC for too long. Standing in front of a locked gate that you need to get past? Simply find a character on the other side to take control of. Need to extract information from an NPC that isn’t feeling to talkative? Find a different character to speak to them as that they might be willing to share more information with. Need to make your way to a building’s rooftop but can’t find a normal way to get up there? Simply hop from body to body on balconies and terraces to eventually make it up there.

Slitterhead does an admirable job of taking its core hook and finding unique and interesting ways to make it a central part of the gameplay experience. From combat to traversal, the body swapping mechanic always remains a core part of the moment-to-moment loop, which is why the game feels as unique as it does. That, in turn, works out in the game’s favour, because that uniqueness helps compensate for some of the gameplay issues that do plague Slitterhead.

Chief among those issues is how rough the game feels. Pretty much a textbook example of a “diamond in the rough”, Slitterhead can feel like quite clunky at times. Movement is often a bit too jerky (thanks in no small part to the animations), but it’s the combat where these problems are at their worst. Generally, regular attacks, parries, and blocks feel pretty tight and responsive, but often, the janky movement can make your actions feel a bit too imprecise and lethargic, which is just never what you want in an action game like this one.

Slitterhead also suffers from a feeling of repetition from time to time. The game does try to alleviate concerns in this area by letting you play as a number of different characters, which, of course, does bring in a certain level of variation (though not too much, since the general moveset of the humans you control largely remains uniform). There are also a number of more powerful and special humans known as Rarities to possess, who come with their own unique abilities and attacks, from a girl who unleashes melee attacks with Wolverine-like claws to a biker who blasts away at enemies with a shotgun. With enemy variety not being up to scratch, however, combat encounters can start feeling monotonous after a while. It’s good, then, that Slitterhead’s unique USP never quite loses its charm, even as the rough implementation of some of those ideas can let the game down a little bit from time to time.

"If you’re the sort of player that can put up with the jank and the rough edges – of which Slitterhead has no shortage – there’s a rich vein of gold waiting to be tapped into here."

Slitterhead also suffers from having generally low production values across the board. From an art design standpoint, there’s a lot to love here, and from the nightmare-inducing designs of the monsters you fight to the neon-drenched streets of the city that you explore, there’s plenty here that is undeniably impressive from a visual perspective. Beyond that, however, it’s hard not to notice the shockingly ugly and low-detail NPC faces, the janky movements and animations all around, the general lack of voice acting in the majority of cutscenes (and the awkward grunts and pauses that that lack of voice acting goes hand in hand with).

If, however, you’re the sort of player that can put up with the jank and the rough edges – of which Slitterhead has no shortage – there’s a rich vein of gold waiting to be tapped into here. Bokeh Game Studio’s debut outing is far from a perfect game, and its eccentricities may even turn some people off from what it’s trying to sell entirely- but I could easily see this game amassing a veritable cult following over the years. From its setting and its fascinating central premise to its body swapping gameplay core and how that’s used across the experience, from combat to traversal, Slitterhead deserves a lot of credit for not only being a rare example of a game being willing to try something new and risky, but also (mostly) pulling it off.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox Series X.

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 8^th 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.

The same was revealed by Toyama in a recent interview with VGC, where he revealed that the initial plan in the early stages of Slitterhead’s development had been to build it with an open world structure, something that the development team ultimately decided against due to the game’s lower budget. The mission-based structure that the game ultimately went with, however, ended up working well for the experience, according to Toyama.

“One decision we made early in the game was that we originally wanted an open-world setting for the game, but it wasn’t reasonable with the budget,” he said. “That decision worked well, boxing in the missions and progressing through the storyline.”

Slitterhead is due out on November 8 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

The trailer, clocking in at over 2 minutes, also shows us what some of the game’s creepy monsters will look like, alongside showcasing what appears to be a body-swapping mechanic where players will be able to switch between different characters on the fly.

While the monsters that players will fight in Slitterhead are quite grotesque on their own, the player characters can also mutate their bodies in strange ways, getting access to different weapons, each with their own combat style. Among the examples shown off in the trailer are a spear, claws, a shotgun, and even a minigun that seemingly shoots magical bullets.

First unveiled back in December 2021, Slitterhead is the first game developed by Bokeh Game Studio. The title has veterans of the genre working on it, including Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama and composer Akira Yamaoka. The game is slated for release on November 8, and will be coming to PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.

Though it’s since gone private, you can check out the gameplay  here. It showcases the player utilizing a spectral worm-like ability to possess other civilians. When the monsters emerge, they can harness special powers, like claws, blades, and even a gatling gun seemingly made from blood. One intriguing moment involves the player’s hand getting sliced off and reattaching almost immediately while still in mid-air.

These possession abilities are also used for exploration, as players can alternate between a strange grapple and shifting from one person to the next. Slitterhead will likely receive more details during the showcase or afterwards, so stay tuned for updates.

Announced at The Game Awards 2021, Slitterhead is a new project from Keiichiro Toyama, known for creating Silent Hill, Gravity Rush and Siren at PlayStation Japan before departing. Pre-alpha gameplay footage showcases different monsters players face alongside melee combat, supernatural skills and even a section where one controls a dog. Nothing concrete is known about the story or plot, though.

While technically a horror game, Toyama emphasized that it spans “multiple genres where horror is expressed” and appeals to those who don’t usually play scary games. Platforms and a release window have yet to be confirmed, but since Bokeh considers 2024 to be an “important year”, it’s possible that these could be revealed on June 7th. Stay tuned for updates in the meantime.

Don’t miss the gameplay world premiere of SLITTERHEAD, from the mind of Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama and @BokehGameStudio during #SummerGameFest live this Friday.

Catch the global livestream at https://t.co/59xiIzf5AN at 2p PT / 5p ET / 10p BST / 11p CEST. pic.twitter.com/qxTQhO9DcS

— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) June 5, 2024

Thankfully, it won’t be long before we see more. Studio founders Kazunobu Sato and Keiichiro Toyama have revealed that 2024 will be the year Slitterhead is shown off. Speaking to 4Gamer.net for its end-of-year interview with Japanese game studios (translation via Gematsu), Sato, “Bokeh Game Studio continues its hard work on the development of Slitterhead. I think next year will be a special year for the project.”

Toyama said the year would be “decisive” since “our studio’s first title Slitterhead will really begin being shown. Given that it will significantly influence our future, it will be an important year, so I would like to face it with enthusiasm.”

Slitterhead’s premise and story are still very much a mystery. While the pre-alpha gameplay showcased some melee combat, unique abilities and various monsters to battle, Toyama has stated that it “spans over multiple genres where horror is expressed.” The goal is to appeal to those who “don’t usually play horror games” with enjoyable action “yet whose concept doesn’t solely revolve around killing enemies. It conflicts the mind, making the players reluctant to enter certain fights. I want to achieve both action and drama with this game.”

Stay tuned for more updates next year (and hopefully details on a release window). In the meantime, check out some spooky concept art for Slitterhead here.