Slitterhead can be a little janky, but its distinct mechanics and neat way of presenting the story make it stand out as a novel game that truly tries its own thing. The combat can be a bit wanting, but the atmosphere goes a long way in making it stand out amongst its peers.
Credit: Bokeh Game Studio
Slitterhead
Developer: Bokeh Game Studio
Price: $50
Platforms: PS4, PS5 (reviewed), Xbox Series X/S, and PC
MonsterVine was provided with a PS5 code for review
Before trying Slitterhead at PAX earlier this year, I knew almost nothing about it beyond it being the next project from Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama. Now that I’ve been playing it for review, I found myself getting quite sucked into the dark and bizarre world that the game presents. There are definitely some rough edges to the gameplay, but I found the positives to outweigh the awkwardness.
The core concept of Slitterhead has you possessing NPCs as a form of spirit eventually named Night Owl. You can possess any sort of person (and even the occasional animal) at pretty much any time, with this mechanic coming in handy for both combat and, interestingly, navigation. At times, you’ll need to swap between people to get out of locked rooms or past blocked hallways, or to blend in in a certain area. There’s a lot of creativity put into how possession is used, which was one of the most impressive aspects of the game to me.
Credit: Bokeh Game Studio
Combat is a little rough, though it has its highlights. Controlling regular individuals feels more clunky than the named Rarity characters, who each have their unique attacks and abilities. Regular folks use bloody maces to swing at Slitterhead’s titular foes, which can be a bit slow and clunky.
“The story of Slitterhead is presented in an intriguing way, with story missions being divided up by a menu that allows you as Night Owl to speak with the different Rarities about story events and their personal lives.“
Rarities have their special powers and weapons and are far more instrumental to the story. Fighting and parrying enemy attacks as Rarities is typically enjoyable, though it gets a bit repetitive as the game goes on. Being able to switch between people on the fly makes combat more interesting though, and getting all sorts of different Rarities does help make fighting feel a bit more fresh at times.
Credit: Bokeh Game Studio
The story of Slitterhead is presented in an intriguing way, with story missions being divided up by a menu that allows you as Night Owl to speak with the different Rarities about story events and their personal lives. It’s a pleasant way to break up the action while filling out the world and characters with neat details, which makes the main narrative beats more enjoyable. Without going into details, there’s also a bit of a time loop mechanic that makes the story missions stand out a bit more, which I didn’t expect.
This is also where you can strengthen your Rarities in several ways, which is especially handy given you normally get to pick which two you want to take on missions. I was happy to be able to focus on the Rarities with preferable playstyles for me, though it’s certainly worth investing in all of them for missions that require each.
Credit: Bokeh Game Studio
I quite liked the bizarre designs of the different Slitterheads, which often look like Lovecraftian bugs or octopi. Fighting them using bloody weapons or by using your blood as a projectile makes for a gnarly atmosphere as foes (and your body, at times) are hacked up into bloody bursts. It’s a vibe that I really dig, and it makes the world feel much more grimy and gritty.
The Final Word
Slitterhead may be a bit rough around the edges, but the core concept and story are intriguing enough to make this worth trying. There really aren’t many games like this, and I recommend it to anyone who has an interest in strange and dark titles.
MonsterVine Rating: 3.5 out of 5 – Fair
