Official Review Computer

Slitterhead GBAtemp review
Computer

Name: Slitterhead
Item: Slitterhead
Rating: 6.8
Author: Prans

Product Information:

Release Date (NA): November 8, 2024
Release Date (EU): November 8, 2024
Publisher: XSEED Games (North America)
Developer: Bokeh Game Studio
Genres: Action, horror
Also For: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S

Game Features:

Single player

Local Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

Co-operative

Slitterhead is the debut title from Bokeh Game Studio which is headed by Keiichiro Toyama, the creator of Siren, Silent Hill, and Gravity Rush. This supernatural action-horror game introduces inventive mechanics and a novel mystery to unpack. Should you possess a copy?

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Wandering spirit Hyoki finds itself in the bustling streets of Kowlong, with no recollection of its past. What it does know is its sole motive: eliminate all Slitterheads. The latter are worm-like parasites that feast on the brain of their human hosts, take their appearance and infiltrate society to propagate.

Hyoki’s mission leads it to partner with and possess high-affinity hosts, known as ‘Rarities’; and they end up investigating the underground world and secret organisations. What will they uncover and will they survive the onslaught of Slitterheads?

A possessive experience across Kowlong

Slitterhead’s main location, the fictional city of Kowlong, is likely inspired by the Kowloon Walled City. It replicates its densely-populated areas, with tight passages and stacked residential areas. It makes for an interesting setting, although you do explore other areas with Hyoki.

This game’s soundtrack adds to the eerie presentation. It is composed by Akira Yamaoka, who is also behind the soundtrack of Silent Hill. The haunting soundscape enhances the horror atmosphere by pairing with the grotesque body horror visuals that Slitterhead isn’t ashamed of depicting.

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Having a wandering spirit as the protagonist is an interesting approach. You don’t play as a traditional hero but can possess multiple characters, even regular NPCs, to progress. It's similar to Watch Dogs: Legion's “play as anyone” mechanic but better executed. This is because Slitterhead does involve some main characters, each with their own background and personalities. They range from a sex worker to an agile homeless man upon whom Hyoki stumbles upon during its investigation. Including an actual cast with this possession-based mechanic gives players more agency to learn about their past and motivations during their dedicated missions.

However, the chemistry of the main cast often feels underdeveloped. This is especially the case between the Rarities, rather than with Hyoki. It would be interesting to see how they get along and how their relationship evolves, considering that they come from different walks of life. This leaves interactions less impactful than they could have been.

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What’s also noticeable is the poorly animated NPCs. Their movements often feel stiff and their facial expressions are jarringly bland. This stands out as you do have to possess NPCs quite often and they don’t feel as polished as the main cast or the detailed environments you find yourself in.

Environments are also notably limited. While you do take different missions with different objectives, you will, over the course of this 15 hour game, revisit the same areas over and over.

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Blood-soaked gameplay

Before diving into this game, I was expecting it to be a survival horror, akin to Silent Hill. Slitterhead does start off with a vaguely horror premise but it evolves into more of an action-horror type game. I found this to be a welcome surprise, especially considering the novel mechanics it brings to its mission-based progression.

In this game, Hyoki’s unique ability to possess and control people really takes centre stage; making it integral to the gameplay. You control human hosts to navigate the city as well as to engage in combat. Slitterhead doesn’t want you to get attached to a single character as you’ll inevitably switch to another one whether it’s to progress across barred-off areas or because the former host perished in combat.

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Slitterhead’s real-time combat is literally a visceral experience. Hosts can use their blood to form weapons or use abilities, a mechanic that heightens the tension as each attack drains their health gauge. This creates a delicate balance: use too much blood, and you risk losing your host quicker; hesitate, and you might fall prey to the Slitterheads. You’ll also want to replenish your health around blood pools but this leaves you vulnerable to attacks, adding an interesting layer of tension during the fast-paced encounters.

There’s also a layer of strategy involved in combat. You’re encouraged to use random NPCs as expendable hosts to weaken enemies or escape when surrounded; but die too many times and you won’t be able to revive. You’ll have to juggle between managing your human resources, hopping between weaker hosts and Rarities who each have special abilities and are more potent in a fight.

Some missions require specific Rarities, encouraging experimentation with different team compositions and trying out their different skills. This also forces you to level up the stats of each Rarity you’ve encountered equally. This party-based aspect makes Slitterhead feel like an RPG but with a twist.

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The ability to rapidly switch between hosts mid-combat or during pursuits is exhilarating, especially in sequences where you chase Slitterheads across rooftops in Kowlong. These moments felt reminiscent of Ghostwire: Tokyo’s urban traversal but with higher stakes due to the ever-dwindling resources.

Aside from combat, there is a fair bit of exploration in each of Slitterhead’s missions, even if they are straightforward in nature. Maps are mostly linear or sandbox in design but they offer enough freedom of exploration to find fragments of Hyoki’s lost memories or get skill points. In some cases, you might pick up on some hints that can lead you to discover new Rarities and add them to your roster. There is also an attempt to diversify the gameplay with some stealth section, which is decent but not that remarkable. This variety further distances Slitterhead from a traditional horror game.

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Slitterhead: a bold and strange, yet flawed journey

Slitterhead set out to offer something original and it does achieve that. The possession-based gameplay is engaging and ties well with the plot. Its action-horror approach set in a weird supernatural backdrop is a bold undertaking. As you progress, the story paints a more complicated picture as you learn more about the Slitterheads, their hosts and even Hyoki.

With its novel mechanics, there is a learning curve and I particularly found deflecting incoming attacks to be a challenge to master. Bokeh Game Studio does offer ample tutorials to ease the player into the gameplay; often to its detriment. I personally found the barrage of intrusive, intermittent tutorials frustrating as they interrupted the flow of the game.

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Slitterhead also stumbles with the gameplay. Even if it is engaging and original, the same areas are revisited and some encounters also feel repetitive, particularly against lesser enemies that lack the variety seen in boss battles. Missions also follow a general template that isn't that well concealed.

Then there’s the need to find Rarities in order to progress in the story. You’ll need to pay attention to hints and explore areas, sometimes with specific characters. This adds a layer of challenge and encourages exploration with different party members. However, it's not always clear which Rarity can help you in a specific mission and you’ll have to resort to trial-and-error. This isn’t exactly fun when you have to re-do missions in the same environments and face the same enemies, which don’t change much throughout the game.

I’ve also encountered technical hiccups on the PC version which crashed a few times, even post-launch. One notable downside of the PC version is that it has limited graphical settings.

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These downsides often make Slitterhead comparable to B-type horror flicks, which it might have been inspired by; but this comparison does not always put it in a favourable light. It remains a bold undertaking that delivers a fresh take on action-horror, but could have used some more polish.

Slitterhead - Story Trailer

Verdict

What We Liked ...

Interesting possession-based mechanic
Bold gameplay with some engaging, fast-paced sequences
Original supernatural setting

What We Didn't Like ...

Repetitive locations and enemy types
Barrage of intrusive tutorials
Poor NPC animation
Unlocking some party members is unclear

Gameplay

Slitterhead’s innovative possession-based mechanic is its stand-out feature, but repetitive encounters and intrusive tutorials hinder the flow of gameplay.

Presentation

Hyoki’s journey across Kowlong offers an original premise with Yamaoka’s haunting soundtrack setting the atmosphere; but poorly animated NPCs and limited environments and enemy types dampen the experience.

Lasting Appeal

While the game’s mystery and original mechanics keep things engaging, the repetitive aspects, lack of strong character dynamics and reused locations limit its lasting appeal.

6.8

out of 10

Overall

Slitterhead is a bold and inventive addition to the action-horror genre, but it offers a flawed journey in its strange universe.

Reactions: gnmmarechal, eternal, KiiWii and 1 other person

Jayinem
Nov 21, 2024

Reminds me of Ghostwire Tokyo only 3rd person.

Reactions: Prans and eternal

Reploid
Nov 21, 2024

Well, I didn't expect much

If they fix some of the bugs and quirks (limited graphics options on PC is sadly just a thing for Japanese ports) there might be something more here. As-is it doesn't look to be worth 50$ at launch.

ZeroFX
Nov 22, 2024

6.5 means worse than veilguard (8.5)

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Product Information:

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Slitterhead - Story Trailer

Verdict

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