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Slitterhead, A Flawed Horror Experience

Slitterhead is an action-horror game game made by Keichiro Toyama, the creator of Silent Hill. As soon as fans knew the creator of one of the most influential horror series was involved, they became hyped about what a new IP would look like under his direction. A peculiar game that could only be done without restraints of any kind to become its own unique thing.
Being that the case, it makes sense that Slitterhead's story is confusing and a bit convoluted, but remains an enjoyable experience in its niche where players can get immersed in a horrifying world. A budget game that can scratch that itch of wanting to play something original and innovative, rather than the twelfth sequel of an existing series.

A Double-Edged Horror Game

What makes The Slitterhead such an innovative game is its possession mechanic, where we can take control of the bodies of humans to fight Slitterheads, parasitic monsters that eat human brains. Each body comes with its limitations and skills, making for a wide array of options with pros and cons in combat. Adding in rarities, which are individuals with special bodies and powerful skills, makes the game an intense game where strategizing and knowing which bodies are disposable and which are not is key. You can even make humans explode to inflict immense damage at the cost of their lives, giving a system that is fun and interesting to play with.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3367067052
However, the problems of Slitterhead come in the combat and its visual design. The game looks dated, looking like a PS2/PS3 title. Normal characters have repeated bodies and faces, environments don't have the best textures and it plays as an old game too. Animations are rigid, lacking the fluidity they require, we get some invisible walls too, attacks sometimes won't register and foes can permanently trap you against a wall. There is also the fact that in stealth sections, the player cannot possess bodies even though that is the main idea of the game, showing that Slitterhead is flawed both in its technical and philosophical aspects.
A Gamble with Death: The Perilous Decisions of Slitterhead

Going back into the combat, Slitterhead reinforces taking risks to defeat enemies. In battle you can lose limbs, reducing your effectiveness or outright incapacitating you, while using bodies too carelessly can end in a lack of them. Skills cost HP to use, and characters such as Alex can be a high risk-high reward, being able to output huge amounts of damage by sacrificing the majority of their health. It makes for thrilling gameplay where one must take calculated risks to come ahead, and even parrying powerful enemies' blows can be suspenseful and exhilarating.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3367066457
Playing the game in its harder difficulties is a blast, and finding the best combos between rarities is fulfilling. I personally enjoyed using Alex with Anita, as Anita can summon and mind-control humans to attack Slitterheads, giving Alex time and space to charge his shots and zone out enemies. Experimenting with different team combinations and combos is encouraged in the game to find what suits you the best, and each rarity has its particular playstyles, weaknesses, and strengths.

Lost in the Labyrinth of Fear

The other main aspect of Slitterhead is the story, which is entertaining and dark in its tones, with themes of fear, resentment, indifference, and to some extent sympathy. The story has us playing as Night Owl, a spirit with amnesia that cannot remember their past. As one recruits rarities and expands their arsenal of skills, the story will tackle stories to each of the main cast. However, keep in mind that the main protagonist of the story is reduced to only two out of the eight rarities: Alex and Julee.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3367065187
As you play the game, you will make choices that will take you to one of two branches, Omega (Alex) or Alpha (Julee}. Each of the routes has its appeal, but I found Alex's to be more interesting and challenging thanks to his descent into the abyss. You will eventually be able to play both routes in a single playthrough, so don't stress over which one you pick and follow the character you like more. In my experience, doing Alex's route first ended up making the Julee route a bit boring, since Alex's gameplay is more intense and fast-paced compared to Julee's defensive style. Alex's story covers killing all Slitterheads, while Julee believes they can coexist with humans.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Slitterhead is a diamond in the rough. It's a unique game that plays like no other and has a captivating dark narrative but at the same time, its visuals and gameplay leave something to be desired, as it can become repetitive over time due to a lack of variety in boss designs. While the asking price is a bit steep, I can recommend the game as a budget experience to beat over a weekend and be delighted at the work of Toyama. If you are unsure, I would wait for a sale that puts the game to 30$ at least.


The Good
The Bad




Unique game with an original and innovative concept.
Deep combat with multiple layers, despite how sluggish it feels.
An interesting story that makes you want to keep playing it to find out what happens.




Can become repetitive over the hours, lack of bosses and foes in terms of variety.
A big asking price for a short 10-15-hour game with flawed aspects and low visuals.




7/10 GOOD
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