Slitterhead is the very first project from Bokeh Game Studio, a company founded by Keiichiro Toyama in 2020 following his departure from Sony Interactive. Known for his work on Gravity Rush and Forbidden Siren, the father of Silent Hill is embarking on a new adventure with Slitterhead which promises to be a special and original experience.
During Summer Game Fest, the Slitterhead trailer attracted attention thanks to its atmosphere that was both intriguing and frightening, suggesting a promising game. After more than four years of waiting, does Slitterhead live up to our expectations?
Space Invaders: the parasites are among us!
The story of Slitterhead begins in the dark alleys of Kowlong, a fictional city reminiscent of Hong Kong, and takes place in the 1990s. The megacity, illuminated by giant neon lights, is in full nocturnal excitement. The atmosphere is mysterious, an enigmatic fog gives the city an atmosphere that is both supernatural and disturbing. Especially since the city is bloodied by barbaric crimes, mutilated corpses adding a touch of terror to this urban setting.
- Welcome to Kowlong City
We play Hyoki, a spirit in search of a host. Devoid of a physical body and having lost all these memories, this entity seeks a fleshly envelope to possess. After taking possession of a dog's body and being hungry for answers, the spirit sets out to search for fragments of memories scattered throughout the city. Capable of possessing both humans and animals, he quickly discovers that his goal is to fight and eradicate terrifying creatures, called Slitterheads, who take control of humans by infiltrating their brains.
To be or not to be?
Slitterhead's gameplay relies primarily on the use of Hyoki. Thanks to one's possession ability, one can move around the city by passing from one body to another and controlling their actions. To do this, we direct the camera from target to target in order to activate possession, which allows for fluid transitions between characters and makes exploration dynamic and immersive.
- A Slitterhead on the move
Certain faculties are essential to the success of our mission. For example, in an animal's body, odors guide us on the trail of Slitterheads. In a human host, blue lights floating in the air reveal their presence to us. We also have the vision catcher, an ability that allows us to see through the eyes of our prey and locate it more quickly. The adventure is also punctuated by infiltration and investigation sequences in order to gather information to lift the veil on the mystery of the Slitterheads.
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- Could this be Wolverine's daughter?
Throughout his encounters, the Hyoki benefits from the support of human allies, called Rare Beings. Thus, from the prologue, we meet Julee, with powerful blood claws, worthy of Wolverine, and possessing healing powers. Equipped with specific and unique combat skills, these rare Beings are also capable of communicating with the Hyoki. By taking possession of their bodies, the spirit can exploit their special skills, which prove very effective when fighting Slitterheads.
Combat against creatures is based on blood and spirit powers, which are unlocked during the adventure. Each Rare Being has a blood weapon, which must be filled with life points (PV). After several attacks, the weapon may break, causing blood loss and a reduction in the autonomy gauge. Parrying attacks is essential, deflecting them using a visual indicator, which requires good reflexes and a little concentration.
- Monstrous and captivating battles!
If successful, the creature is unbalanced, allowing an effective counterattack, while recharging the blood weapon. The “blood time” mode is then activated, slowing down time, and allowing you to execute more powerful attacks, which offers a definite advantage. If the host perishes, the soul is ejected and must find a new body within a given amount of time. After the death of the third body, it is game over.
The game is structured into short missions, at the end of which you systematically return to the main menu. Before launching a new one, it is necessary to choose two rare beings to accompany us. This choice is important because their talents can complement each other and make all the difference on the field, with certain characters being essential to accomplish specific actions. Various tabs allow you to navigate the menus to spend skill tokens, chat with the Hyoki, view past conversations and visit the dressing room to equip the cosmetic items obtained.
A universe inspired by the manga Parasyte
The story of Slitterheads and their origin immediately captivated us. The plot is gradually revealed, with a well-balanced suspense, which encourages us to want to discover more. These horrible monsters, which infiltrate the human brain, seem to be inspired by the famous manga Parasyte. The similarities are numerous, both in terms of creatures and Rare Beings and their blood weapons. This will delight fans and keep the player interested, which is a good point.
- Strange creatures are on the prowl!
The tracking via possession mechanic is essential for tracking Slitterheads across the megacity, using quick and easy movement, avoiding dangers or obstacles, and reaching heights, such as rooftops. Possessing the passers-by is a successful and entertaining experience, almost exhilarating. Responsiveness is there and we take pleasure in going from a dynamic and robust young man to a vulnerable and slow grandmother, adding a fun diversity that we savor.
Additionally, the real-time combat is both enjoyable and fluid, with the camera generally following the action well. They effectively exploit the mechanics of possession and the abilities of rare beings, offering interesting and varied strategic approaches depending on the characters used. Each protagonist has a tutorial to familiarize himself with him as well as training rooms. Meeting these exceptional personalities also arouses our curiosity, encouraging us to discover their skills as well as their personal stories, which enriches the narrative.
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- Bosses transform brilliantly!
Furthermore, the modeling of alien creatures is a great success. Whether humanoids or giant insects, such as octopuses or praying mantises, the variants are interesting and their metamorphoses provide dynamism and interest and their animations are effective.
Musically, Slitterhead benefits from a talented composer, Akira Yamaoka, renowned for his frightening and immersive soundtracks, notably in the Silent Hill game series. We particularly appreciated the opening theme which captures the very essence of the title, immersing the player in the dark and enigmatic universe of Slitterhead.
- The time of the Cerberians
The pangs of repetition
However, Slitterhead constantly tells us what to do, taking us too much by the hand. The characters keep giving indications, leaving little room for reflection, which is a shame. In addition, the missions follow one another and are similar, according to a repetitive pattern, to the detriment of surprise, thereby creating a certain weariness which gives the impression of always doing the same things and which quickly reveals the limits of the game.
- Julee is one of the chosen ones
The title generally lacks rhythm, with its omnipresent tutorials which interrupt the action, its static conversations with restricted sound effects and which are obligatory, otherwise you will be blocked from progressing. The infiltration scenes are certainly a good idea, but they are brief and not very captivating, with characters who automatically crouch, signaling their beginning too obviously. Recurring chases often follow identical routes, becoming redundant and monotonous. All these elements, combined with the systematic returns to the menu after each mission, break the dynamic of the game.
In addition, the story takes place over three days and the Hyoki's temporal faculties force us to replay previously accomplished missions through several time loops. This forces us to return to the same places via the same routes and repeat the same actions, making us relive the same experiences, which further accentuates the feeling of redundancy.
- Characters as rigid as reinforced concrete!
Slitterhead's graphics are also disappointing. They are visually dated and the textures aren't very appealing, probably due to a lack of budget. The characters themselves are rigid, unattractive and devoid of facial expressions, which reinforces the old-fashioned aspect of the title. Likewise, the interiors of the buildings are often similar, consisting of long gray corridors with uninviting structures. Semi-open maps are restricted, and their exploration limited. We always walk the same streets, alleys and rooftops. And, if we try to take another path, we come up against invisible walls, which is frustrating.
Furthermore, we would have appreciated a much richer enemy bestiary. Despite some interesting transformations, notably those of the bosses, we quickly have the impression of having been around it. The few existing variants are not sufficient even though there was substance, which is regrettable.
- What's new Doctor?
Note also that the characters do not benefit from real dialogue or dubbing in French, since they are only in VOST. Additionally, the conversations with the Hyoki take place in the form of a visual novel with fixed shots, which contrasts with the rest of the work. The characters don't really speak, content with a few words and mostly grunts. This surprising choice takes us a little out of the lore and becomes boring to listen to over time. This outdated aspect highlights Slitterhead's technical weaknesses.
As for the musical themes, with the exception of the opening credits, the background sounds that accompany the menus are rather uneven. While we start with an effective introduction, it is not the same once in the menus, the music seems dated and not very diversified.
Additionally, the overall experience is marred by frequent technical issues, such as collision bugs where characters become embedded in doors. The problems with the camera, which is sometimes capricious, harm immersion, with characters disappearing depending on the angle of view, or making us pass under the scenery, with unflattering effects, which is a shame.
Slitterhead's lifespan is decent, varying between fifteen and twenty hours, including side missions.
Slitterhead has been available since November 8 on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Playstation 5, Playstation 4 and PC,
Tested on Xbox Series X, code provided by publisher
