The Game Awards 2021 was a pretty good event for those who loves horror games. Remedy Entertainment finally confirmed that it’s making survival-horror titleAlan Wake 2,Gun Medai revealed a new game adaptation ofThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre,and Bokeh Game Studio introduced the world toSlitterhead.Each of these games has potential, butSlitterheadhas a unique advantage in that it’s tied to Keiichiro Toyama, the creator ofSilent Hill.While Toyama may not have written the majority ofSilent Hillgames, his psychological horror concepts were crucial to establishingSilent Hill’s identity, as well as defining the future of horror games in general.
It’s great to hear that Toyama is getting back into horror withSlitterhead.He’s made a few horror titles in the years since he createdSilent Hill,butSlitterheadstill looks like a compelling step in a new direction, taking players to a city inspired by Hong Kong that’s populated by horrifying monsters that disguise themselves as humans.Slitterheadisn’t shy about containing a lot of action, in contrast tohowSilent Hillprefers survival horror,but Toyama’s latest comments on the game make it clear thatSilent Hillfans could still really enjoySlitterhead.
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Although Toyama has made it clear thatSlitterheadis far too early in development to speak on a lot of its gameplay details, he didprovide some notes onSlitterhead’s horror elementsin a recent conversation with IGN. For one thing, he established some core themes ofSlitterhead: life, death, and decay. Toyama says thatSlitterheadwill explore these central themes through not just gore and physical horror, but from more immersive and potentially psychological angles.Silent Hill’s focus on the fear of the unknown and close examination of the protagonist’s own mind could live on through these strong central themes inSlitterhead,which could carry the game into a very specific, unique horror atmosphere.
Toyama has explained one coreSlitterheadconcept that speaks to the game’s unique approach to horror. He mentions that the game’s monsters can disguise themselves as humans, meaning the player has to snuff them out while travelling throughSlitterhead’s dense city. In other words, inSlitterhead,it’s possible that any and every unnamed NPC that players pass could be a threat waiting to strike.Silent Hillfans are no stranger to stumbling blindly through the foggy titular town, never knowing for sure when danger might appear next.Slitterhead’s concept of disguised enemiescould be a great way to refresh that principle ofSilent Hill.
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Aside from these concrete details on the game, the broader, more nebulous potential withinSlitterheadshould speak toSilent Hillfans.Slitterhead’s elusive monsters are already creative, but Toyama has promised multiple other mechanics that have never been seen before, meaningSlitterheadcould be another innovative title in the horror genre.Silent Hillfamously helped horror gamesexplore more psychological themes, so with Toyama leading its development, there’s hope thatSlitterheadcan similarly break new ground for action-oriented horror games. One could argue thatSlitterhead’s biggest draw is simply its potential to be something wholly new.
Hearing about Toyama’s new project does introduce some pangs of sadness forSilent Hill,whose fate remains uncertain. Ever since Kojima and Konami parted ways,resulting inSilent Hills' cancellation, there’s been no sign of a franchise revival. Still, in a sense, that’s all the more reason to be excited aboutSlitterhead.Even ifSilent Hilllies dormant for now, its impact can be felt in the many horror games that have released since then and looked to it for inspiration.Slitterheaddiffers fromSilent Hillin a lot of departments, but odds are that it’ll feel at least a little bit like the originalSilent Hillwith Toyama at the helm.
