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[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

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Game Information

Game Title: Slitterhead

Platforms:

• PlayStation 5 (Nov 8, 2024)
• PlayStation 4 (Nov 8, 2024)
• Xbox Series X/S (Nov 8, 2024)
• PC (Nov 8, 2024)

Trailer:

• Slitterhead - Story Trailer
• Slitterhead - Gameplay Trailer - SGF 2024

Developer: Bokeh Game Studio

Publisher: Bokeh Game Studio

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 68 average - 37% recommended

Metacritic - 60 average based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews


CGMagazine - Justin Wood - 5 / 10

Ultimately, Slitterhead serves as a cautionary tale of high expectations meeting harsh realities and a reminder of how even the most anticipated projects can falter in execution.

COGconnected - Jaz Sagoo - 70 / 100

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.

Capsule Computers - Claudio Meira - 7 / 10

Slitterhead delivers an intriguing horror story and fast action, but its exploration sections feel watered down, lacking in player agency.

Checkpoint Gaming - Charlie Kelly - 6.5 / 10

There's a decent time to be had in Slitterhead as a blood-wielding badass dealing with some dastardly demons in the striking and grungy concrete jungle of Kowlong. The game finds a satisfying balance of empowerment and challenge as you hijack body after body to topple your foes. Similarly, it's exciting to use these supernatural powers to traverse the land and uncover mysteries across the city. The game, however, is held back by an obtuse story, a frustrating lack of apt signposting in some missions, and an adventure you never really wrap your head around in its twelve-hour runtime. It may not make a huge mark on the horror action scene, but to the select few that vibe with its freakishness, it'll be an underrated gem for years to come.

Digital Trends - Tomas Franzese - 2.5 / 5

Slitterhead is the most creative action game that I've played this year, but it's also deeply flawed.

Eurogamer - Vikki Blake - 4 / 5

Slitterhead can be a slow-burn to begin with, but once its combat clicks, this is an action horror game like few others.

GAMES.CH - Fabrice Henz - German - 74%

In some regards Slitterhead is fantastic. It offers an engaging story told through the perspective of several characters, a simple yet fun combat system that excels through the ability to possess different people at any moment and super cool monster design in the Slitterheads. Unfortunately a lot of the other aspects feel very underbaked. Stealth isn’t engaging at all and sometimes kills all the momentum the game had going, the controls are always snappy enough for what you want to do and some aspects of the presentation feel very oldschool. As a package the game is a lot of fun though and offers a glimpse into what the developers at Bokeh Game Studio are able to do in the future. That is certainly bright and hopefully brings more somewhat unique titles like Slitterhead certainly is.

Gameliner - Bram Noteboom - Dutch - 3.5 / 5

Slitterhead offers a quirky, exotic horror-action experience with flaws in dialogue and gameplay, but those who embrace its oddities will find a bizarre, twist-filled story, intense monster combat, and a true cult-classic feel from Bokeh Game Studio.

Gamersky - 心灵奇兵 - Chinese - 7.1 / 10

Slitterhead is a unique blend of horror, action-adventure and time-loop mechanics, showcasing some intriguing concepts. However, it struggles to fully realise its potential due to various limitations. The creativity is commendable, but the execution is poor.

GamesRadar+ - Jasmine Gould-Wilson - 4 / 5

Part sci-fi body horror, part thrilling detective yarn, Slitterhead is a story of humanity versus monstrosity in a city where both are plentiful. Bokeh's debut release bravely takes strides to manipulate, challenge, and evolve how we play horror games, and while some of these risks do not pay off as well as others, Slitterhead's sheer creative ambition is impossible to ignore.

GamingTrend - Henry Viola - 60 / 100

Slitterhead is the perfect definition of a game that doesn't know what it wants to be. It falters in both the action combat category as well as the horror genre, resulting in a middling experience overall.

Hardcore Gamer - Michael Murphy - 3.5 / 5

Bokeh Game Studio's Slitterhead shows a lot of promise in terms of its unique possession action gameplay, direction, music and overall plot. It’s fun, electric and unlike any other game. New IPs are the lifeblood of the industry and the game is a key example of keeping that saying alive. The reliance on narrative tropes, graphical inconsistencies and dialogue-heavy exposition, however, do keep the title from reaching the heights it seemed destined to climb.

IGN Deutschland - Michael Cherdchupan - German - 8 / 10

Slitterhead is a divisive horror game that will either fascinate or frustrate players. Its unique blend of action, body horror, and surreal storytelling, coupled with a haunting soundtrack by Akira Yamaoka, creates an unforgettable, albeit flawed, experience.

IGN Italy - Alessandra Borgonovo - Italian - 6 / 10

Slitterhead is an action horror game that collapses under its loop-both in terms of narrative and gameplay-and doesn't shine as much as it could have.

IGN Spain - Mario Seijas - Spanish - 8 / 10

Slitterhead is a successful experiment. It combines a cryptic and complex story within an episodic mission system that simply works. All that spiced with precise, complex and visceral combat.

Metro GameCentral - GameCentral - 3 / 10

A deeply flawed attempt to combine survival horror with Devil May Cry style action, that tries to do a dozen things at once and succeeds at none of them.

Nexus Hub - Ryan Pretorius - 7 / 10

Slitterhead has 'cult classic' written all over it with its gritty atmosphere, unsettling creature designs and old-school appeal, though it lacks polish and a satisfying combat system.

Niche Gamer - Fingal Belmont - 9 / 10

While it is apparent that Bokeh Game Studio was working with a tight budget, they knew how to stretch their dollars. Slitterhead is truly a special horror game that is sure to be a cult classic.

PC Gamer - Abbie Stone - 70 / 100

A flawed but fun action slaughterfest with a great NPC-possession hook.

PSX Brasil - Rui Celso - Portuguese - 60 / 100

Although Slitterhead has a nice story, the game makes a generic and crazy mix of Parasyte with a Beyond: Two Souls flavor. With plastered gameplay, half-graphics, a very weak battle system, and poor audio, this game isn't worth your time or your money.

Press Start - 8.5 / 10

Slitterhead offers a refreshing and unique experience that pays homage to Bokeh's pedigree while still establishing its own identity. Despite some minor flaws, the game makes great use of its weird but wonderful narrative and ingenious possession mechanics to bewitch you from the beginning. With such a distinctive sense of direction and style, Slitterhead is an incredibly strong debut that firmly establishes Bokeh as a studio to watch.

Push Square - Sammy Barker - 7 / 10

Frustrating at times but fearlessly inventive, Slitterhead is an absolute must-play if you're looking for an original take on the survival horror genre. Serving as a spiritual successor to fan favourites like Siren, Gravity Rush, and Soul Sacrifice, this haunting tale about a body-hopping spirit – who uses humans as fodder to put a stop to the eponymous enemy – is a scintillating albeit occasionally undercooked debut from Bokeh Game Studios. Repetition and an overall lack of refinement do bring it down, but you'll be hard-pushed to find a more imaginative experience this year.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun - Ed Thorn - Unscored

An action horror game I respect for trying many interesting things, but one I can't recommend by virtue of it sucking my patience dry.

Spaziogames - Italian - 6.7 / 10

Slitterhead is a graphically and structurally rather old game that fails in any way to approach either modern productions or the other glorious works of the Keiichiro Toyama. The only good cues come in the form of the ability to control different characters through possession, which make the traversal and combat dynamics varied, but the dilution and repetitiveness of certain quests tend to dull enthusiasm soon.

SteamDeckHQ - Noah Kupetsky - 3.5 / 5

Slitterhead is a mixed bag at times, but it is an intriguing and enjoyable time for the most part. The combat feels great and utilizing abilities, regular attacks, deflecting, and swapping bodies on the fly makes for a very rewarding experience. The story itself is wonderful, and the visuals exemplify the horrific nature of these monsters and how they form. It can feel a bit stiff at times, and I wasn't a fan of how the backstory was told, but it's still a great time that feels unique against the current lineup of horror games.

It is hit or miss on the Steam Deck in some areas, but it will hold for the most part. It feels great on the portable screen, especially with HDR support. Overall, this is a wonderful experience, and I highly recommend it!

The Outerhaven Productions - Scott Adams - 4.5 / 5

Slitterhead is a fun and satisfying horror combat game. It has a lot of variety in designs with plot twists that will keep you guessing after each chapter.

TheSixthAxis - Steve C - 6 / 10

Slitterhead is destined to be a cult classic, though mainly because of what it could have been, as opposed to what it is. The combat is functional but feels dated and gets boring before the end, the dialogue sections are unvoiced and feel cheap as a result, and the loop of finding and then fighting enemies through various forms soon becomes unfortunately one note. I enjoyed immersing myself in the world of Slitterhead but the game itself feels too much like a relic of a bygone era than a new title by industry giants.

VGC - Jordan Middler - 2 / 5

Slitterhead isn't very good, but it is very interesting. In an age of remakes, sequels and safe bets, it's heart-warming to see something that's so clearly such a singular vision. We're disappointed that vision is sold short by basic combat and a focus on the game's ugly characters, but we're glad it exists and would welcome more attempts like it.

WellPlayed - James Wood - 8 / 10

Bokeh Game Studio's debut horror title is a game entirely out of time with its genre contemporaries and all the more wild, compelling, and beautiful for it. Satisfying combat and a generational eye for tone and design collide in the year's strangest beast.

Worth Playing - Chris "Atom" DeAngelus - 6.5 / 10

If you can get past the jankiness, Slitterhead has a certain quality that makes it oddly compelling. Everything from the plot to the gameplay and the graphics is a strange combination of insanely dated and bizarrely structured. It's a bizarre, shambling mess of a game that has a flavor all its own, but it never quite manages to come together into something cohesive.

ZTGD - Ken McKown - 6 / 10

Slitterhead is unique. That is the biggest compliment I can give it. There are things here that I love. The mood of the game, the music, and the concepts. It just doesn’t mesh well into a cohesive experience. It feels stuck in the past, which is fine in some instances, but when it comes to its crimes, it really drags it down. I promise I will never forget this game, and it is included in Game Pass, so definitely give it a whirl if you subscribe, but at full price, I might wait a little while to take the plunge.

 

[Tsaki]

rip

 

[emivita]

Slitterhead... more like SliMEHead. I'll probably buy it when it's $20 or below just because it's Toyama.

 

[RagnarokIV]

Looks kool

 

[justiceiro]

Ooof, a lot of b horror games this year.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

But Sony should have kept Japan Studio open...

This and GenDesign not releasing a game since 2016 proves otherwise. Astro Bot also proves otherwise.

 

[Elios83]

But Sony should have kept Japan Studio open...

This and GenDesign not releasing a game since 2016 proves otherwise. Astro Bot also proves otherwise.

These realities just prove how pointless it was to pour money in such projects.

 

[Schmendrick]

ouch....or...oof

 

[tommib]

Slitterhead review

There will be blood.

www.pcgamer.com

It’s a 7 game. Perfect. I’ve been replaying Shadows of the Damned on the switch and it’s one of my most enjoyable experiences of the year. I have more and more fun with these out there games than all the other crap.

Thanks, Japan. Again.

 

[consoul]

In an era of countless remakes and generic low risk formulaic games, I want to play new IPs that aren't a safe bet.

I want to see more games going out on a limb and trying something different even if they fall. I'm glad Toyama doesn't make games targeting the broadest audience. He makes weird games that won't appeal to most people. Good.

Day one.

 

[SNPlayen]

Itchy trigger finger slitters

 

[Unknown Soldier]

This game gets those ratings and garbage shit like Concord gets 7+

Game reviewers are trash

 

[tommib]

Is any one in Europe able to pre order it on PSN?

 

[GrayChild]

In an era of countless remakes and generic low risk formulaic games, I want to play new IPs that aren't a safe bet.

I want to see more games going out on a limb and trying something different even if they fall. I'm glad Toyama doesn't make games targeting the broadest audience. He makes weird games that won't appeal to most people. Good.

Day one.

Exactly.

I'm betting this will spawn dozens of generic YT essays about its "hidden genius" and "paving new grounds" for the industry, with physical copies reaching astronomically high prices on eBay due to the "historical significance" of the game.

 

[tommib]

Slitterhead review - singular and unapologetically strange

Strange but singular, Slitterhead can be a slow-burn to begin with, but once its combat clicks, this is an action horror game like few others.

www.eurogamer.net

4/5

 

[Draugoth]

Big Oof, i imagined it would be like this after the first trailer

 

[Giallo Corsa]

As expected really, although, I'm curious about the score differences between the PC, Xbox and PS5 versions...

Looks OK but I'm gonna spend my 50 Eurodollars on something else for now, will surely grab it though when it's on sale.

Also : thanks Thick Thighs Save Lives for the OT !

 

[lh032]

not surpising

 

[Hugare]

Exactly.

I'm betting this will spawn dozens of generic YT essays about its "hidden genius" and "paving new grounds" for the industry, with physical copies reaching astronomically high prices on eBay due to the "historical significance" of the game.

lol, some of you

Any mediocre game with some unique design choice should be regarded as a "hidden gem", "paving new grounds" and etc.? "Historical significance"?

The most unique mechanic that I've seen from it is the "possession" thing that was extracted straight up from Siren, from the same director. Combat wise it seems as basic as it gets.

Seems like one of the thousands of wacky games we used to get during the PS2/PS3 era, that would be easily forgotten back then. But since now they are rare, its getting way more attention than it would normaly get.

 

[Hypereides]

This is the kind of game I imagined definitely wouldn't resonate with most modern day reviewers. Not that their scores matter in my case. I'll check it out in due time.

 

[rkofan87]

was hoping this was good but after the np review not for me.

 

[Terenty]

Braindead journo monkeys find the game frustrating? Insta buy

 

[Thief1987]

Exactly.

I'm betting this will spawn dozens of generic YT essays about its "hidden genius" and "paving new grounds" for the industry, with physical copies reaching astronomically high prices on eBay due to the "historical significance" of the game.

lol, I'm betting that no one will even remember about this game next week

 

[Hypereides]

In an era of countless remakes and generic low risk formulaic games, I want to play new IPs that aren't a safe bet.

I want to see more games going out on a limb and trying something different even if they fall. I'm glad Toyama doesn't make games targeting the broadest audience. He makes weird games that won't appeal to most people. Good.

Day one.

Applause for being willing to go against the mindless grain.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

lol, some of you

Any mediocre game with some unique design choice should be regarded as a "hidden gem", "paving new grounds" and etc.? "Historical significance"?

The most unique mechanic that I've seen from it is the "possession" thing that was extracted straight up from Siren, from the same director. Combat wise it seems as basic as it gets.

Seems like one of the thousands of wacky games we used to get during the PS2/PS3 era, that would be easily forgotten back then. But since now they are rare, its getting way more attention than it would normaly get.

These people are obsessed with their idea of what games should be. They will say they'll buy it on a forum, but the reality is that they actually won't.

 

[mansoor1980]

im buying it

 

[hinch7]

Pretty much expected review scores. The game does look fairly jank but also frankly wierd and wacky. And to be fair it does at least try to do some things different and somewhat interesting, its just execution is really bad.

Might give it a go when it goes on sale.

 

[GrayChild]

lol, some of you

Any mediocre game with some unique design choice should be regarded as a "hidden gem", "paving new grounds" and etc.? "Historical significance"?

The most unique mechanic that I've seen from it is the "possession" thing that was extracted straight up from Siren, from the same director. Combat wise it seems as basic as it gets.

Seems like one of the thousands of wacky games we used to get during the PS2/PS3 era, that would be easily forgotten back then. But since now they are rare, its getting way more attention than it would normaly get.

These games were a huge part of what made the PS2/PS3 era so memorable and unique. So once again, I'll take stuff like Slitterhead over any focus-tested multimillion dollar generic crowd-pleasing slop that gets forgotten just as easily.

 

[Hypereides]

lol, some of you

Any mediocre game with some unique design choice should be regarded as a "hidden gem", "paving new grounds" and etc.? "Historical significance"?

The most unique mechanic that I've seen from it is the "possession" thing that was extracted straight up from Siren, from the same director. Combat wise it seems as basic as it gets.

Seems like one of the thousands of wacky games we used to get during the PS2/PS3 era, that would be easily forgotten back then. But since now they are rare, its getting way more attention than it would normaly get.

Some of us like to form opinions on our own and not obey reviewers without a second thought.

 

[Punished Miku]

I already bought it a while ago. Looking forward to it.

 

[Isa]

Still day 1 for me. I knew what to expect. I bet little to no voice acting is a big downer for most people, since even having to read subtitles is too much to ask(even in anime and film). Noisy Pixel's 7 out of 10 is fair in my opinion. As mentioned in their review budget is a huge factor in the final product, but it still managed to appeal and entertain which is great. I see people praise Silent Hill 2 and remake, with combat that isn't really that great and repetitive but is serviceable, with this I assume being very similar. For me this type of game can be the sum of its parts all coming together to create a unique experience.

 

[Hugare]

Some of us like to form opinions on our own and not obey reviewers without a second thought.

Sure, I'm the one jumping to conclusions thinking the game looks mid after dozen of reviews saying the same.

Not you guys thinking it will be considered a hidden gem or anything

Not saying it wont be, just saying to wait and see. Maybe its just mediocre and nothing more.

 

[adamsapple]

The creator doing preemptive damage control about the game being rough around the edges makes sense.

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

Applause for being willing to go against the mindless grain.

Brave, unapologetic, stunning.

 

[consoul]

They will say they'll buy it on a forum, but the reality is that they actually won't.

The actual reality: already did.

 

[tommib]

The actual reality: already did.

I can’t still pre order the fucking game in the Netherlands. So frustrating. I guess it will only be available on release on PSN. Where did you get the physical?

 

[consoul]

Where did you get the physical?

Play-Asia

 

[Kurotri]

A little rough around the edges

 

[Ribi]

Ye that sounds about right

 

[Badlucktroll]

toyama should have made a silent hill with ito, yamaoka, and bloober

 

[GrayChild]

The OG Forbidden Siren has a Metacritic score of 72. It's still not only one of my favorite survival horror games, but one of my favorite video games period.

Siren Reviews

(Also known as "Forbidden Siren") Keiichiro Toyama's Siren is a survival horror adventure title developed by Sony in the tradition of the "Silent Hill" series. Siren takes place in the Japanese village of Hanyuda, where the sea has turned blood red and the inhabitants are mutating into all...

www.metacritic.com

 

[Northeastmonk]

I was expecting the same type of scores. Mass appeal is a mixed bag anymore. Game reviews give off huge film vibes with everyone showing off their video game breakdown psychology. Sometimes I wonder if I’d ever agree about anything video game related with these reviewers.

 

[Lux R7]

The most unique mechanic that I've seen from it is the "possession" thing that was extracted straight up from Siren, from the same director.

ah! Messiah did it before:



(I know what you meant, I don't disagree, I just took the opportunity to post about Messiah)

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

One of those games where scores look exactly like the trailers. Curious to try it on deep sale which I'm sure it'll be on within six months.

 

[Aion002]

That's unfortunately expected...Toyama games are usually not for everybody and are usually janky, which makes them niche.


I like them a lot and I will definitely buy this one too eventually.

 

[MagiusNecros]

Still day 1 for me. I knew what to expect. I bet little to no voice acting is a big downer for most people, since even having to read subtitles is too much to ask(even in anime and film). Noisy Pixel's 7 out of 10 is fair in my opinion. As mentioned in their review budget is a huge factor in the final product, but it still managed to appeal and entertain which is great. I see people praise Silent Hill 2 and remake, with combat that isn't really that great and repetitive but is serviceable, with this I assume being very similar. For me this type of game can be the sum of its parts all coming together to create a unique experience.

Honestly lack of voice tends to be better for horror games as you can just pretend, imagine or make up your own voices for the characters. It's a day 1 for me because it's something fresh. Very few games have you playing as the "monster" per say. Lends to the atmosphere. Might be why I like Crow Country and Signalis a lot. It's very much show and don't tell.

But hey I was playing Monster Hunter Portable(oh boy claw grip) and a plethora of Musou games with jank controls and still have a great time. And don't get me started on how wonderful it still is to play Jet Force Gemini N64. Definitely a learning curve there. But still some of my favorite games.

The setting and concept is the main draw here and it's intriguing.

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

No woke content should be +10 on MC. I’m assuming this doesn’t have any of that.

 

[near]

WTF. Let me go cancel my pre-order. I'm glad I always let other people play games for me and tell me how to spend my money.

 

[kunonabi]

Sounds exactly like what I want. The poor quest design is concerning though since that's what ruined the gravity rush games. Still an easy purchase for me.

 

[deeptech]

See for yourself if you can, I'm really a bit embarrassed just reading some of you decided the game is shit because some reviewers didn't like it. It's shit only when you find out from your experience. I'm intrigued actually by it being weird and unique and not like something I already played.