The Game Awards are one of the most anticipated events of the year in the gaming industry not only to honor that year's best games, but also as a time when many developers reveal their newest projects to the masses. The 2021 edition of the annual award show was no different as major franchises like Alan Wake and Sonic the Hedgehog revealed new titles alongside many others. Among the plethora of reveals and trailers was the reveal of Bokeh Game Studios' Slitterhead, an upcoming horror game with plenty of behind-the-scenes ties to Konami's popular Silent Hill series.
The first look at Slitterhead gave a fans a taste of what the supernatural horror game has in store as the trailer depicted seemingly normal humans transforming into grotesque, spider-like creatures. The debut game fo Bokeh Game Studio was announced to be directed by one of the developers' founders, Keiichiro Toyama, known for his work on the Siren franchise as well as the first Silent Hill game. Now, Bokeh Game Studio has announced another veteran of Silent Hill, composer Akira Yamaoka, will be joining the Slitterhead team.
A recent video on Bokeh Game Studio's official YouTube details how Yamaoka came to join the fledgling studio for its upcoming title. Yamaoka discusses his first experiences working with Keiichiro Toyama on the first Silent Hill game and how he felt Toyama had been a "creative savior" to Yamaoka during his early years working in the games industry. Yamaoka goes on to talk about how he had felt drawn to the game after Toyama had first approached him, feeling like he was "the only one who could work on it" due to his past experience with the director.
Throughout the 11-minute video, Yamaoka speaks about his creative process when making music not only for Slitterhead but how his process affects his creative style. He stresses the methodology he uses for creating game soundtracks that resonate with the visuals being presented to the players, while stressing the sense of "misalignment" that he uses to create a sense of unnerving and fear within players.
The announcement of Slitterhead was welcome news for Silent Hill fans as the classic Konami horror franchise has laid dormant for several years. Following Konami shelving the franchise's would-be ninth installment in Silent Hills following the studio's controversial split with director Hideo Kojima, the franchise has not seen a new main-series game since 2012's Vita-exclusive Silent Hill: Book of Memories. While fans may still be waiting some time for the return of the Silent Hill franchise, Slitterhead looks to carry on Silent Hill's legacy with many of the faces that made the first game a success.
Slitterhead is currently in development with no confirmed platforms or release date.