Highlights
- Slitterhead, by Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, is a unique horror game set in a city overrun by parasitic creatures.
- The game focuses on extreme body horror and features a possession mechanic, where players can use citizens as living weapons.
- Slitterhead’s standout body horror elements could set it apart from other horror titles and make it a memorable entry in the genre.
Slitterhead is an upcoming third-person horror-action title and the debut project by developer Bokeh Studio. With its neon and rain-soaked version of a Japanese city draped in perpetual night and overrun by parasitic supernatural threats, Slitterhead looks to be one of the more unique horror experiences slated for this season. Horror games have been having a great run over the past year or so, from the AAA sphere to excellent indie titles, and Slitterhead is set to be one of the latest and most intriguing for this year.
One item of particular note is that Slitterhead is the vision of original Silent Hill creator, Keiichiro Toyama. And in a confluence of events, the Silent Hill 2 Remake being developed by Bloober Team will also be releasing later in 2024, both in a close window to each other. Other anticipated horror titles like The Casting of Frank Stone and the Until Dawn Remake will likely offer competition in a packed season as well. Based on what has been shown about Slitterhead so far, though, one major component in the form of its extreme body horror stylings could help it rise above the rest, and thus should be what it leans into the most.
Slitterhead
will release November 8, 2024
, exactly one month after
Silent Hill 2 Remake
.
Related
Slitterhead Might Be the Closest Thing to a Ghostwire: Tokyo 2
From what can be seen so far, Slitterhead’s look and vibes strongly invoke those from 2022’s psychological horror action title, Ghostwire: Tokyo.
Slitterhead’s Body Horror Should Be Front and Center to Put it Ahead of the Pack
Slitterhead’s Setup and Body Horror Designs
Slitterhead will place players in the role of Hyoki, “an entity devoid of memory and physical form” in their struggle against the invading monsters (the titular Slitterheads) that are unleashing chaos in the city of Kowlong. A big feature also shown off was Slitterhead‘s possession mechanic, wherein Hyoki can hijack the bodies of everyday inhabitants, and, according to the official description:
…Burn their life force, turning their blood into a variety of weapons to confront the ferocious Slitterheads. Further, Hyoki can take control of “Rarities,” specific humans who share high sync with Hyoki, and through them, he will be able to unleash even more powerful attacks and activate various special abilities.
In the trailer, Hyoki can be seen jumping into and out of various people, tracking and battling the creatures through Kowlong’s twisted urban landscape. Slitterhead‘s combat mechanics also seem to resemble Stellar Blade‘s in some ways, itself a recent title that had a menagerie of otherworldly monsters, though in a cyberpunk post-apocalyptic future. Slitterhead then might need to rely on its own collection of outlandish, unsettling monstrosities and sense of style to distinguish itself against the field of adjacent horror titles.
How Slitterhead Could Set Itself Apart Through its Standout Body Horror Elements
As per the plot setup, Slitterhead‘s vision for its body horror seems to work both ways, as both Hyoki makes use of it by possessing unsuspecting citizens and turning their own bodies into living weapons, while the Slitterheads are apparently doing the same, and the conflict between them forms the core of the story and action. The various disturbing creatures on display in Slitterhead‘s official gameplay trailer show a lot of promise in their gruesome creativity, and thus have the potential to give it the edge over the slate of other forthcoming horror titles.
Along with the Slitterheads themselves, and depending on how elaborate some of the “blood/body” based weapons and abilities will be, fans could be presented with some truly off-putting but memorable monsters and body horror scenes throughout the experience. While its main competition might fittingly be the Silent Hill 2 Remake due to the proximity of their releases and Toyama’s connection to both, if it is able to differentiate itself positively via them, Slitterhead could wind up being one of the latest and greatest games featuring body horror, and a fantastic entry in the genre overall.
Slitterhead
Slitterhead is a horror game from Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama and new developer, Bokeh Game Studio. It is set in a world overrun by deadly parasite-like creatures.
- Released
- November 8, 2024
- Developer(s)
- Bokeh Game Studio
- Publisher(s)
- Bokeh Game Studio
