Action, gore, detective elements, possession mechanic—Bokeh Game Studio’s debut title, Slitterhead, incorporates all these into a unique horror game package.
Coming from the reunited duo of Silent Hill creator Keiichirō Toyoma and composer Akira Yamaoka, the game has all the pedigree to turn some heads when it drops.
Slitterhead release date
Slitterhead is coming out on Nov. 8 on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store. This was officially announced during Slitterhead’s first gameplay reveal at Summer Game Fest on June 7.
From the looks of it, Slitterhead plays like a conventional third-person game. But that’s where its connection with convention ends—the rest of the game is filled with things that can only come out of an indie studio comprising original Silent Hill makers.
The trailer showcases some sort of shapeshifting mechanic: We see the player transfusing their consciousness via some sort of yellow blob from one police officer to a pedestrian—and finally, a dog at the end of the trailer. The multi-tendrilled grotesque monsters seem rather traumatizing, in true Silent Hill fashion. What’s new, though, is the player being able to eviscerate them with weaponized blood magic. Yes, we saw a sword, claws, and, better yet, a Gatling gun made from blood.
Setting-wise, debuting Bokeh’s Slitterhead and recently-shuttered Tango Gameworks’ Ghostwire: Tokyo (rest easy, Tango Gameworks) appear to be two peas in a pod: parkouring over tall structures, urban Japan, and, of course, supernatural forces galore.
Silent Hill and Siren series director Toyama founded Bokeh with former colleagues in 2020 after he departed from Sony. The rest of the Bokeh crew includes Siren concept artist Miki Takahashi, Siren character designer Kazunobu Sato, and Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka.
