Slitterhead Review – Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Slitterhead Review

Keiichiro Toyama is a legend in the industry, with a body of work that speaks volumes. Primarily known for his horror masterpieces, Silent Hill and Siren, he also breathed life into the PS Vita with one of its standout titles: Gravity Rush. Toyama’s creations consistently push boundaries, and his latest release, Slitterhead, seems no different. As the debut project from his Bokeh Game Studio, will this return to horror recapture the chilling magic of his past work or take us somewhere entirely new?

You play as Hyoki, a metaphysical entity with no memory of its past. Confused and disoriented, you begin to possess nearby individuals, slowly uncovering fragments of your own history and the looming threat of Slitterheads—body-snatching creatures infecting civilization. This marks the beginning of a quest to save humanity, taking you across the neon-lit streets of Kowlong in search of these deadly invaders. Although you have no physical form, you gain insight into its identity through interactions with Rarities, individuals who upon possession, reveal unique powers. As a result, these become allies and their story intertwines into the main narrative. Meanwhile, antagonists are given depth through contextual cutscenes, enriching the mystery that drives each chapter. What starts as a simple plot evolves with layers of intrigue, creating a strange and compelling tale full of twists.

Time to Take Over

At the forefront of the game is the possession mechanic. With unfathomable freedom, NPCs that litter the streets are a vehicle for your journey. As imposing creatures threaten the weak and harmless public, you must unite civilians in order to restore order. Leaping between bodies allows you to improve the impact of strikes which feeds into a frantic combat system. In addition to this, you can also use the body-swapping system to evade strikes, quickly jumping to a different character to attack while the enemy focuses on your previous avatar. Characters have health so you need to consider this while you zip around from player to player. Although the human you control can die, you can still possess someone else after their sacrifice. However, only a certain number can die when under your influence so you will need to be careful to not over-commit during fights.

Rarities stand out during combat. Each unique character has specific abilities that will help you overcome the array of menacing threats that you’ll encounter. Some are adept at range fighting while others excel at melee. Combining these with the standard NPCs adds variety to the otherwise clunky combat. It’s an engaging system that helps the game to find its own voice in a crowded genre.

Although you can quickly escape your foe’s gaze by switching players, you can also go head-to-head and rely on parrying. Enemies will launch an attack and you must counter this by holding guard and aiming in the direction of the strike. This is clearly signaled with a visual cue and the creature’s animation. At first, it can be a little difficult to grasp the timing, however, when this clicks, you’re left with a fantastic system that captures the weight and impact of strikes combined with the intensity of one-on-one encounters.

Spirited Away

The spirit is also used in other interesting ways which adds an interesting twist to standard mechanics. For example, chasing down a Slitterhead as they desperately try to escape capture leads to a thrilling pursuit through the streets. However, rather than simply sprinting, you can inhabit civilians to quickly get from one side to the other. This also allows you to explore the environment. While levels are linear, some branching paths hide secrets. You can use your ability to venture up buildings, surpass gates and much more, giving you the freedom to discover hidden routes, secret items, and lore scattered throughout the environment.

In addition to combat encounters, at times, you’ll need to stealth past patrolling enemies. Although quite basic with simple player detection, it adds variety and provides a different method of tension. During these segments, you can plan your route and scurry past foes with the use of your spirit. You can also observe the surroundings or possess characters to reach your objective. It’s great to see Bokeh Game Studio use its central mechanic in innovative ways that help elevate the experience.

Death by Design

Keiichiro Toyama’s signature design permeates the entirety of the game. The grotesque creatures that you hunt showcase his twisted imagination. Starting with human bodies with demented craniums, these soon evolve into imposing, nightmare-induced creatures. While disgusting and disturbing, the array of NPCs doesn’t capture the same ideology. These are quite bland in comparison with simple textures and a lack of polish.

Slitterhead takes an innovative concept and places it at the forefront of the adventure. The possession mechanic leads to a frantic combat system that encourages you to quickly switch between characters to fight formidable foes. This bleeds throughout acting as a method of traversal and stealth. Although a little clunky and lacking polish, the game manages to deliver a truly unique experience that will resonate with fans of action and horror.

***A PS5 code was provided by the publisher***