In the midst of Sony downsizing its acclaimed Japan Studio, some of its top talent jumped ship to explore other ventures. One such developer was Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, who created franchises like Gravity Rush and Siren while at Japan Studio. Toyama is now head of Bokeh Game Studio, which is making a bizarre new horror game called Slitterhead that was just revealed at The Game Awards.
The Slitterhead trailer at The Game Awards doesn't reveal any actual gameplay, but it does give fans an idea of what to expect from the game. It seems Slitterhead will feature humans transforming into deadly, winged, spider-like creatures that brutally murder whatever comes into their path. But unlike the protagonists of Toyama's other games like Silent Hill, it seems players won't be at a huge disadvantage when facing off against these monstrosities.
On the contrary, Slitterhead shows what is presumably the main character wielding a sword formed out of blood and performing Devil May Cry-like attacks. It seems that while Slitterhead is still firmly rooted in horror, it will have more action than fans of Toyama's previous horror game work may be used to. Regardless, the trailer should have horror fans buzzing, especially when they see its creepy last shot.
The last thing Game Awards viewers see in the Slitterhead trailer is a woman standing on a balcony, her head split open with a vertical row of sinister teeth inside. She then tucks this horrific sight away, folding her head back into its normal form. One has to imagine that her the slit in her head and the similar looks on the other monsters in the Slitterhead trailer is where the game gets its strange name from.
In the meantime, the Slitterhead trailer also confirmed another exciting detail about the game, and that is the involvement of composer Akira Yamaoka. Yamaoka previously collaborated with Toyama on the first Silent Hill game, and went on to work on the soundtrack for subsequent entries in the series. Most recently, Yamaoka worked on the Silent Hill-inspired The Medium, which was developed by Bloober Team and released earlier this year to mostly positive reviews.
Yamaoka and Toyama reuniting for Slitterhead should drum up a lot of excitement for the game in the horror gaming community. Fans may need to see actual Slitterhead gameplay to be more confident in the game, but it seems to have been warmly received so far.
Slitterhead is in development.