At face value, the Rarity humans players possess inSlitterheadseem like they’d be scene-stealers in basically every regard. They’re each their own legitimate character and not miscellaneous husks players will swap in and out of, and they exhibit abilities and skills that differentiate them from one another inSlitterhead.
Adopting unique playstyles that then bleed somewhat into ordinary human possessions, it’ll be interesting to see which ofSlitterhead’s Raritiesbecome available for certain missions since there are bound to be players who prefer one character’s blood-soaked powers more than another’s. That said, the countless nameless humans players possess still need to maintain some semblance of significance throughoutSlitterheadif they’re going to be a foundational part of gameplay.
Combat is undoubtedly whereSlitterhead’s gameplay emphasis lies, but another exciting facet is the premise of pursuit sequences, with players and enemies being chased. One of the former types of chase sequences has already been revealed, seemingly at the beginning of the game when players are being guided through a tutorial on how to possess different individuals, including the initialpossession of a dog.
Players are soon attacked by a Slitterhead who quickly abandons its human disguise and must traverse bodies to create distance and navigate the environment. Suspense is high in this particular sequence, with humans shambling around as the Hyoki seems incapable of properly maneuvering while within them yet.
Chase sequences where players flee from a Slitterheadand traverse by possessing different bodies have the potential to be thrilling as they might be some of the only times players feel like they’re genuinely outmatched or powerless, especially when players don’t have a Rarity to inhabit. It would be fantastic if each chase fully explores dynamic and robust traversal with Slitterheads hot on their trail and intercepting them to enforce continuous possession where possible.
Even when players inhabit aimless humans in combat, they usually have enough of their peers around that players can dart between, and how tense these encounters might be far into the story will depend on how weak humans are compared to attuned Rarities. Likewise, there are alsochase sequences where players pursue Slitterheads, which hopefully don’t sap horror completely as players become the hunters in these situations. Chases where players are pursued, however, can sustain their scariness and suspense by giving players new traversal challenges to overcome while knowing they have a powerful Slitterhead after them.
A Rarity’s active skills transfer to ordinary humans as common skills, for instance, and thus it’s unlikely that regular humans are ever completely worthless in any chase or combat encounter. Chase sequences themselves could err on the side of being too action-fueled and not be as scary as they might otherwise, and yet being pursued by a menacing body-snatcher whom players seemingly can’t defend themselves against is a ripe opportunity to truly channel all the horror Bokeh Game Studio can muster.
That’d be aided further, too, if non-Rarity humans are relatively frail and struggle to effectively sprint away from Slitterheads, much less get hits in on one and have trouble making any kind of dent in their extensive health bar. Rarities are where the power fantasy of battling terrifying creatures can come in, but regular humans should feel thefull weight of horror thatSlitterheadcan provide.
