Bokeh Game Studio
Slitterheadwas the eldritch game I stumbled onto at Summer Game Fest this year . Tucked forth in a lowly cabana at the back of the event , it was a secret plan few people attending even seemed to know was there . I felt compelled to see it out before the event ended , as if I were possessed . I negociate to get an on - the - fly sheet appointment to see it on the last day of Summer Game Fest , eager to break down what I saw in its action - concentrate gameplay trailer . That decision would bring me nerve - to - side with Keiichiro Toyama , who helped create iconic franchise likeSilent Hill , Siren , andGravity hurry , and has now moved on to makeSlitterheadat Bokeh Game Studio .
We ’re in a survival of the fittest - horror renaissance now thanks to Capcom’sResident Evil remakesand standout indies likeCrow Country , but Toyama severalize Digital Trends he ’s now lean into making a full - on activity horror game . He believe that ’s what role player today favour , andSlitterheadis a result of that . With its nidus on combat , a parry digression mechanic , and a possession organization that lets player move between body during battle , it felt like I had stumbled upon a creepy hidden gem at Summer Game Fest .
A Siren spiritual successor
Although Toyama is well known for create the firstSilent Hill , Slitterheadhas more in common with the 2d repulsion enfranchisement he worked on : Siren . That serial publication was a creepy natural selection horror game where players could “ sightjack ” NPCs to learn what they can see and discover . That gameplay concept , as well as the idea of telling another ensemble tale with a lot of characters , is something Toyama and other returning developer fromSirenwant to explore more withSlitterhead .
“ InSiren , there was this grease monkey where you could sightjack and see from another ’s perspective , ” Toyama tells Digital Trends . “ The [ development ] team carries over many of those who exploit onSirenas well , so we modernized that sense of take up another ’s visual sensation , but this time around , you ’re borrowing another body or else of just seeing someone else ’s perspective . ”
I played the opening ofSlitterhead , and it immediately thrusts me into the role of a tone call up “ Hyoki , ” with piddling context to who he is . I promptly learned I could possess most be beings I saw with the tap of a release , from dogs to regular masses walk the street of Kowlong , the urban center in whichSlitterheadis set . Before long , a sexual urge prole hits on Hyoki before transform into a giant implore - mantis - like creature , one of the titular Slitterheads , and starting a chase .
In true horror game fashion , the Slitterheads ’ designs are intentionally weird , off - putting , and sometimes even phallic . Toyama says that because the enemy of this plot are mimic — monster posting as real people . They were inspired by creatures that camouflage themselves into the surround in genuine lifespan , like octopus and insects like the beg mantid . finally , Hyoki learn that some people he possess can also sense that he ’s possessed them .
From there , the pursuance for Hyoki to learn more about what it is and where the Slitterhead threat develop begin . Toyama would n’t tease much aboutSlitterhead’sbroader story , only reinforcing what the opening of the game shows and that the big mystery of the game is discovering what the Slitterhead actually is . Dissecting the complex narration of game likeSilent HillandSirenis part of their appealingness , and I ca n’t wait to do that withSlitterheadonce the whole secret plan is out .
Possessed to play more
One thing I did get a well-defined compass on during my playtime is thatSlitterheadis much more of an action game than a survival repugnance plot . Because player are a look , a majority of gameplay is centered around possession . Players can hop between consistency while run from Slitterheads ; one disturbing set piece of music had me skip off a construction as one individual and possess another before that consistence reach the ground to get aside in time .
WithSlitterheadandUnknown 9 : Awakeningboth showing up at this year’sSummer Game Fest show , 2024 is shaping up to be a amazingly fruitful year for games with possession mechanics . finally , I had to defend a Slitterhead headland - on , and it became a full - on action game . The people I possessed create a blood weapon to attack opposition with . There ’s also a deflection counterpunch system , although I did n’t get a handle on its timing during my time with the demonstration .
masses stand around every combat arena , and it was up to me to flip between them before the person I was controlling died . If the player dies in someone ’s organic structure three times or stays out of a soundbox for too long , it ’s game over . Toyama tells me that there are around 10 “ oddment reference ” players encounter duringSlitterhead’sstory that are much good at scrap . I learned that thespian will eventually unlock ability that can be used in engagement , like turning a body into an exploding time bomb calorimeter that deals damage . The inclusion body of abilities like that means that players must constantly be switching body .
Toyama admits the greatest challenge in creating this arrangement was making players need to keep moving between bodies instead of just fighting as one character . Enemies take more damage from behind , so I determine one of the best strategies was to aggro an enemy with a normal human and then switch to a rarer eccentric to do a lot more impairment from behind .
And do n’t worry : While players can possess cad , Toyama enunciate they ’ll never have to do that during combat .
Action horror over survival horror
I did findSlitterhead’scombat to feel a piddling loose overall . The attacks that required diversion could ’ve been indicated clear , and the natural action was n’t nigh as fluent as a game likePhantom Blade Zeroor a fun variety of slow likeDemon ’s Souls . Nevertheless , I am fascinated at why Bokeh Game Studio took a more action at law - oriented focus withSlitterheadrather than make a survival revulsion game likeSilent HillorSiren . Toyama had a shocking answer about that .
He secern me that he believes “ some people distance themselves from a secret plan because it ’s horror - drive or survival - driven . ” When he looks at the indie game he like and the games younger players gravitate to , they ’re mostly action - focussed . As a resultant role , he decided to makeSlitterheadan action repugnance biz rather than a survival revulsion one because he need “ a unsubtle section of users to come in and enjoy ” Bokeh Game Studio ’s first claim when it launches subsequently this year .
I do n’t entirely concord with that persuasion , as the succeeder of indie games likeFive Nights at Freddy’sandCrow Country , as well as bigger plot likeAlan Wake 2 , show that there is participant demand for survival repulsion . Still , I apprise that Toyama is n’t just replay his capital bang and is crafting a Modern sort of horror plot , unlike anything he or anyone else in the secret plan industry has made before . I ’m happy I was one of the favorable few have to trySlitterheadat Summer Game Fest this class .
Slitterheadwill launching for PC , PS4 , PS5 , and Xbox Series X / S on November 8 .
