As a seasoned gamer with a penchant for horror titles that leave me both terrified and exhilarated, I can’t help but feel a thrill coursing through my veins as I delve into the intricacies of ‘Slitterhead‘. Having been a fervent fan of the Silent Hill series, the return of Akira Yamaoka to compose the game’s soundtrack is a delight that sends shivers down my spine.
We’ve recently had the pleasure of revisiting the winding alleys of Silent Hill once more in the remake of Silent Hill 2, but with Slitterhead, we’ll soon have another exciting chance to navigate unfamiliar paths, although this time it will be within a more action-focused gameplay. The upcoming game, Slitterhead, is highly anticipated not only because it’s being developed by horror gaming legends who boast decades of experience in the field, but also due to the intrigue generated by its cryptic trailers and sneak peeks, leaving us wondering, “What on earth is happening?
Developers are Team Silent Alumni
Absolutely, I can’t miss sharing this exciting news: Tokyo-based Bokeh Game Studio Inc., founded by horror gaming legends Keiichiro Toyama, Sato Kazunobu, and Junya Okura, is making waves! These gentlemen are renowned for creating chilling series like Silent Hill, Siren, and Gravity Rush. The upcoming game, Slitterhead, carries the terror of their past work in its genetic code. The ‘battle-action’ label on Slitterhead seems to suggest that it will incorporate the physics-defying action that made Gravity Rush so captivating.
The premise
Set in the bustling, congested, and brightly-lit city of Kowlong, the game Slitterhead puts you in the role of eliminating a chameleonic danger that has taken over the streets. The monsters, known as Slitterheads, have infiltrated the populace by disguising themselves as regular citizens. You possess a unique ability too; you can take control of humans to fight against these deceitful Slitterheads in a battle reminiscent of two separate entities of ‘The Thing’. As you advance through Slitterhead, you’ll uncover the secrets behind your own existence and learn about the origins of the Slitterheads. Unlike some games, Slitterhead does not offer an open world experience. Instead, it will follow a more conventional – possibly linear – structure of missions.
Kowlong – in detail
In the realm of imagination, the enigmatic cityscape of Slitterhead’s Kowlong was born from the creative mind of Keiichiro Toyama, inspired by the historical walled city of Kowloon that once stood and was demolished in 1993. This lawless urban jungle has left its mark on various forms of media, including the iconic anime series Ghost in the Shell and the subterranean slums depicted in Stray. Toyama highlights in Bokeh Game Studio’s short documentary, Kowlong Express: Bringing Forgotten Fragments into Slitterhead, that while Kowloon was a chaotic place, it also showed signs of order in its architecture. Its design was characterized by a dualistic nature, with bright neon facades juxtaposed against dirt and narrow alleyways, the disorder serving as a veil for hidden mysteries waiting to be discovered.
Hyoki
A limitless entity named Hyoki arrives in Kowlong, much like the Slitterheads, yet unlike them, he lacks memories. However, his solitary goal is clear: to annihilate all of these hideous shape-shifters. His assignment causes him to disguise himself as ordinary residents of Kowlong, similar to the Slitterheads, although some might question the morality of his actions. Despite this ambiguity, his intentions seem benevolent. Nonetheless, experiencing the story of Slitterhead will likely uncover more details about the bodiless Hyoki, his origins, and the motivations driving his purpose.
Possession system
On Slitterhead’s Steam page, it is stated that the character Hyoki lacks a physical form and has the ability to take control of human bodies at will, making them into pawns. This power can be seen in action during Slitterhead’s trailers, where a yellow beam is emitted from host to host, granting Hyoki the power to pass through barriers, access previously unreachable areas, and move quickly through the streets of Kowlong. In combat, Hyoki is able to switch between multiple human hosts as they engage in battle with some of Slitterhead’s larger monsters simultaneously.
Combat with the power of blood
In the heat of battle, Hyoki taps into the strength of blood drawn from the lifeless remains of burned human corpses. This blood serves as a vital resource, transforming into deadly Blood Weapons during combat. Deflecting blows and striking back effectively using the game’s Deflect technique is crucial for survival. As the fragile human hosts tire, it becomes necessary to switch between them before they collapse. Overusing Hyoki’s Blood Weapon can lead to it breaking, but successful counterattacks will restore its power.
Rarities
In the game Slitterhead, Hyoki will forge alliances with extraordinary individuals referred to as ‘Rarities’ by Bokeh Game Studio. These special humans have a strong connection with Hyoki, allowing him to perform even more potent attacks and utilize unique abilities specific to each Rarity through their Active Skills. Certain missions can only be accomplished with certain Rarities present, possibly due to the importance of their special skills, such as devastating attacks that deplete blood level, for mission success. Additionally, as Hyoki’s bond with these Rarities deepens, you, the player, will gain a wider understanding of Kowlong’s hidden secrets and mysteries.
Rarity in-depth: Julee
Initially doomed for death but brought back to life by Hyoki, Julee is the first character resembling rarity that you meet in Slitterhead. A mysterious figure with a hood, Julee stands out on the battlefield due to her massive blood claws, which she can use to emit a destructive shockwave towards her adversaries. She also possesses other abilities such as slowing time with ‘Blood Ripper’ and reviving herself by bolstering her own blood supply while simultaneously healing humans close to death by establishing an umbilical blood connection.
Rarity in-depth: Alex
In a more conversational style, Alex, who is sometimes called “The Hunter,” is a character often featured wearing a motorcycle helmet and carrying a shotgun in game previews. His abilities are intriguing – ‘Blood Well’ creates a gravity field filled with blood that pulls Slitterheads and ordinary people towards it. ‘Time Bomb’ sticks an explosive device on enemies, while ‘Bloody Blast’ fires a shower of blood bullets from his reliable 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
Absolutely! The Slitterheads will blend into Kowlong’s bustling streets, appearing as ordinary humans. However, they can be identified by peculiar occurrences within the city’s atmosphere – irregular airflow patterns, for example. Hyoki can track these anomalies when searching for a Slitterhead. Additionally, in an innovative adaptation of Siren’s sightjacking ability, Hyoki can also take over the vision of a Slitterhead, peeking through their perspective and using the surroundings within their vision to estimate their location.
There will be gore
It’s worth mentioning that the upcoming release, “Slitterhead,” is expected to be quite intense with plenty of graphic violence and disturbing imagery. Some initial viewers have found the vivid depictions of gore and body horror to be overwhelmingly gruesome, causing them to pause or stop viewing altogether. However, it’s important to note that such strong reactions could be exaggerated for effect, but it’s undeniable that “Slitterhead” is brimming with grisly scenes and unsettling body horror elements.
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
On November 8th, Slitterhead is set to launch on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X|S, as well as PC via Steam. To run the game smoothly on a PC, it’s recommended you have 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 graphics card, and at least 30GB of free storage space.
Pre-order and edition variations
Currently, console pre-orders are active, while the PC version is only available for wishlisting on Steam at this moment. The game offers various versions: a standard edition for both PlayStation and Xbox, an upgraded deluxe edition that provides early access, a digital artbook signed by Toyama, and Yamaoka’s 10-track soundtrack. The exclusive physical-only Day 1 Edition for PS5, titled Slitterhead, comes with extras like a CD soundtrack, a 100-page art book, stickers, a custom box, and the game itself.
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2024-11-04 14:14