Never in my wildest dreams, I thought I’d see a combination between Prototype and Silent Hill, but here we are. Summer Game Fest graced us with the reveal of Slitterhead, and despite how janky it looks in certain scenes, it is one of the games I’m most excited about. If it is what I think it is, instead of focusing on one character, I can just jump between the poor citizens of Kowlong to fight necromorph-like creatures. So, basically, we’re talking about the survival-horror version of Watchdogs: Legion, and I’m ready for it.
As I kept watching the trailer, my reactions went from “interesting” to “what the @#&! am I watching?” to “I’m ready.” It was a 2-minute rollercoaster ride that I didn’t think would leave me wanting more. But it did. And yes, I know some might focus on how clunky the combat looks and how certain animations feel a bit “old-school.” But that’s exactly what I want. In a way, that’s the essence of survival horror. The tanky controls, the over-the-top combat, the need to use whatever you can find to beat a monster. Instead of breaking a crate to find some ammo, I can hop between humans to fight.
While Slitterhead is still months away, Summer Game Fest gave us a glimpse at what we can expect.
Set in the densely cluttered streets of “Kowlong,” filled with obscurity and chaos, this battle action-adventure game casts players as the “Hyoki,” an entity devoid of memory and physical form. His only motive is to eradicate the monstrous beings known as “Slitterheads” crawling around the city, disguising themselves as humans.
Slitterhead’s Steam page.
This short description of the game’s protagonist intrigues me a lot. We’re not some blonde special agent guy or a boulder-breaking soldier. We’re something I guess akin to a symbiote just wanting to exterminate creatures while using humans. That’s quite the concept. Furthermore, the weirdness of every foe reminds me of why I fell in love with all of Silent Hill‘s creatures, even if that statement sounds weird.
Beyond that, the neon-lit streets of Kowlong seem like the perfect battleground for some supernatural shenanigans. Ever since Ghostwire: Tokyo, I’ve been craving other urban survival-horror experiences, and Slitterhead might provide gamers with that. Contrasting the modern with the bizarre is something that a few games manage to nail down. Now, we can only hope we’ll get some hands-on playtime soon on this game. Speaking of, our on-site team at Summer Game Fest is ready to bring you all the juicy bits from this weekend-long event.
