Slitterheadis a new horror experience releasing in the near future that fans of the genre might want to keep an eye on. Despite being the first game from developer Bokeh Game Studio,Slitterhead’s premise and development team have many horror fans excited.
At a glance,Slitterheadmay seem like just another new game trying to get a boost in sales by debuting around spooky season, but a cursory look at its development proves that’s anything but true.Created by Keiichiro Toyama, the mind behindSilent Hill,Slitterheadfeels like another horror classic waiting to happen. Taking control of a bodiless entity named Hyoki, players will possess humans in order to defeat grotesque monsters in the neon-lit fictional Japanese city of Kowlong. Only a few glimpses have been given ofSlitterhead’s Story, but the major game mechanics have gotten players excited to jump in when it arrives on November 8.
Possessing Humans for the Greater Good
The major mechanic behindSlitterheadisHyoki’s possession ability. In his natural form, Hyoki is represented by a ball of light that floats around the city, but in order to interact with people and the environment, players must take a physical form by inhabiting the body of one of the city’s many residents. While seemingly just a basic ability, the developers have found countless ways for Hyoki’s possession to play different roles throughout the game.
Hyoki will need to push his ability to its limits in order to find and defeat the many Slitterhead enemies hiding around the city’s red-light district. As shown inSlitterhead’s gameplay trailer, the fast-paced style of the game might involve using bodies recklessly. While it may be simple enough to choose a host and walk around the city, sometimes, faster travel is required. In a stand-out moment from the trailer, Hyoki can be seen quickly swapping from body to body in a parkour-like segment high up in the city skyline. Jumping from person to person appears to be a way for players to move faster while still being able to interact with the world around them.
Hyoki Can Possess other Creatures
In the last moments of the trailer, a new mechanic is revealed that has the potential to turn the game on its head. After leaving a human host,Hyoki possesses a dog in the streets, showing that it’s not just humans he can control. This revelation opens doors for all kinds of gameplay moments, though it’s unclear how involved this part of the mechanic might be. No other animals have been spotlighted yet, but if dogs are available, it stands to reason that other creatures may be as well.
A Combat Experience Unlike Any Other
WhereSlitterheadreally seems to stand out is in its combat. By combining typical hack-and-slash mechanics with Hyoki’s possession, Bokeh Game Studio allows players to control the battle in a whole new way.Hands-on previews ofSlitterheadhave revealed that the combat is somewhat basic at first, with Hyoki using his host’s blood to create typical weapons in order to fight slitterheads. But where it begins to stand out is when other NPCs appear around the fight, allowing players to swap hosts on the fly. This allows for quick reversals in the fight, such as baiting enemies with one body, only to appear behind them to gain the upper hand in another.
Turning the Tide with Rarities
Another standout combat inclusion is what the game calls ‘rarities.’ These are people who Hyoki resonates with better than others.Rarities may hold some story significance, but they particularly shine in battle. Supposedly, these humans will be able to grant Hyoki with extra powerful attacks, such as enhanced agility and Wolverine-like claws to use as weapons. Between rarities, humans, and animals,Slitterheadis using its possession mechanic to the fullest, both in and out of combat. With such a unified gameplay design, and a powerhouse horror creator behind it,Slitterheadis looking to become one of the standout scary games of the year.
Slitterhead
WHERE TO PLAY
Set in the densely cluttered streets of “Kowlong,” filled with obscurity and chaos, this battle action-adventure game casts players as the “Hyoki,” an entity devoid of memory and physical form. His only motive is to eradicate the monstrous beings known as “Slitterheads” crawling around the city, disguising themselves as humans.Roaming the vibrant neon-lit cityscape, players must seek out allies among humans known as “Rarities,” infiltrate and track dangerous organizations, and engage in battles harnessing the power of blood. As the suspenseful drama unfolds, delve into the mystery behind Hyoki’s existence and the appearance of the Slitterheads.
