Slitterheadgives players the role of a disembodied entity named Hyoki. However, while this spirit is indeed the main character, it’s not the only character players may get to know intimately and is certainly not the only character who players “control.”
Indeed,Slitterheadrevolves entirely around its possession mechanic and any random assortment of ordinary humans and special Rarities. This way,Slitterheaddoesn’t have to flesh out—pun intended—an individual human protagonist as players continuously adopt new host bodies and inhabit the same Rarities.
Horror Protagonists Often Demand a Great Deal of Complexity
It’s not fully unheard of, but horror games without a complicated or dynamic protagonist often lack a significant element that might’ve made them far stronger. That doesn’t mean the protagonist necessarily needs to have voice lines, either, asDead Space’s Isaac Clarkebrilliantly demonstrates (until the remake gave him a voice, anyhow).
Still,horror games such asUntil Dawn,Soma, orParasite Eveare perfect examples of how a title can be strengthened by a well-written and well-developed protagonist.Until Dawn, not unlike many of Supermassive’s games, even has the benefit of multiple playable protagonists who, if executed well, are more than their basic archetypal personalities would suggest.
Moreover, the recentSilent Hill 2remake is an example of a psychological horror protagonist who isn’t likable in a traditional sense and arguably doesn’t need to be because James Sunderland is grief-stricken and exists more in a moral gray area than anywhere else. That’s why, withSlitterhead’s Hyokipossibly taking more of a supporting role than the game’s actual supporting characters, it’ll be interesting to see what its interactions are like with the Rarities it possesses.
Rarities are human characters players will be able to possess (alongside normal humans), but they are stronger than the average human and are somehow “compatible” with the Hyoki. If any characters are going to be the key to progressing the story and uncovering the mysteries of Kowlong, it’s them. It’s possible that Hyoki was previously a human—maybe even a Rarity itself—before existing solely as a disembodied spirit capable of possessing living beings on a whim, butSlitterheadcan evade any of the potentially awkward stumblings of an ordinary protagonist’s hurried exposition since this is where players are introduced to it.
IfSlitterhead’s true focus is possession and how that affects gameplay, Hyoki may well be a spirit the entire game as it would make less sense to strip the possession mechanic away from players, at least before the game concludes and credits roll. This would be a huge boon, though, as technically playing as a spirit for the whole game would letSlitterheadfocus more on character development for the Rarities that players inhabit instead.
Similarly, this would allowSlitterheadto widen its storytelling scope and perhaps there are reasons why each Rarity is attuned with Hyoki specifically. It was revealed that Julee is rescued by Hyoki, for example, and Alex is also pursuing Slitterheads for an unknown reason.
But, at the moment, Rarities seem to come from all walks of life, and their histories or shared experiences can make up a bulk of the narrative while players hunt and vanquish Slitterheads. More details about individual Rarities have been delivered piecemeal and there’s already an exciting cast with diverse abilities players can attune with; depending on how the narrative unfolds alongside them, it would be great to see each Rarity flourish not only in gameplay but also in storytelling with hopefully unique backgrounds and lore tying them toSlitterhead’s gruesome events.
