The Game Awards 2021 hosted the world premieres of several games. However, the reveal trailer for Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama's latest game, Slitterhead, may have taken some by surprise. From its eerie horror setup to its visceral action pay-off, this title appears to be drawing on a mixture of past horror games. However, two inspirations come through especially clear: the Silent Hill franchise and the ever-evolving Devil May Cry series.
Slitterhead's reveal trailer begins by introducing a man wearing the clothes of an office worker walking down a darkened street. A woman emerges from an alley wearing a short pink dress, but as soon as the man turns toward her the woman's head splits open, revealing an enormous toothy maw. Blurry camera shots and silhouettes hint at a horrifying transformation as she prepares to attack the fleeing man. The game's realistic but horrific art style is reminiscent of ex-Devil May Cry artist Tatsuya Yoshikawa's previous work, but it also seems to help unify these two very different tones.
Psychological Horror and Over-The-Top Action
Silent Hill is one of the best-known psychological horror series out there. Its unsettling approach to everything from the layout of the titular town to facial animations has led the franchise to make its undisputed mark on history. Devil May Cry, an over-the-top and often cartoonishly violent spectacle fighter, is about as far from that as it's possible to get. However, the two series are both notable for creative monster designs, thick atmospheres, and very memorable characters. The difference is that while Silent Hill wears its terrifying monsters and mind-bending setting on its sleeve, Devil May Cry is a fairly straightforward action game despite being partly inspired by Resident Evil.
Devil May Cry uses Dante's larger-than-life attitude to reassure the player and keep them from taking the horrors he's facing too seriously. In-universe, this is also the explanation for why Dante jokes around constantly: it keeps him from showing fear. However, what's been shown of Slitterhead appears to be taking the opposite approach. Rather than use humor to encourage players to focus on the action over the horror, this title appears to be using absurdist body horror to evoke utter terror. This is pretty far from P.T.'s cerebral approach to horror, but not every horror game needs to be P.T.
Horror Action Can Work
In the past, some developers have tried to add action to the Silent Hill franchise. This hasn't worked very well given the foundations of Silent Hill, but the concept of action-packed horror games can work. The issue is that a fast-paced game that demands quick reflexes and a sharp tactical mind has very different demands from a slow-moving, atmospheric title that focuses on playing the player. With its thick, uncomfortable atmosphere and fast-moving enemies dripping with body horror, Slitterhead could be the best of both worlds.
What has been shown of Slitterhead confirms the monsters are swift, but player characters seem to be pretty fast as well. While it's unclear if the player will be inhuman like Dante, they have been shown manipulating blood, making tremendous leaps, and going head-to-head with the towering, spider-like creatures. The result is an instant adrenaline rush that has gamers looking for their next target and sitting on the edge of their seat. Add in the creature designs, which evoke the best of Silent Hill's monsters and real-life urban legends, and Slitterhead appears set to combine two fantastic games into one.
Slitterhead is currently in development.