Info about Slitterhead: Official game description: 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. Roaming the vibrant neon-lit cityscape, players must seek out allies among humans known as "Rarities," infiltrate and track dangerous organizations, and engage in battles harnessing the power of blood. As the suspenseful drama unfolds, delve into the mystery behind Hyoki's existence and the appearance of the Slitterheads. Bodiless "Hyoki" Exposes the Demons Nesting in the Red Light District --------------------------------------------------------------------- The entity called "Hyoki" finds himself wandering amidst the chaos of Kowlong, plagued by the enigmatic monsters known as "Slitterheads" which mimic humans. Though bereft of all memories, he holds one resolute intention: to eradicate every last Slitterhead. Infiltrating the city, he sets out on a mission to hunt down the Slitterheads masquerading within human society. Possession-based High Speed Action ---------------------------------- Devoid of physical form, Hyoki's ability allows him to possess and control human bodies at will, turning the people wandering the city into his pawns. With this power he can slip through barriers, assume the identity of specific individuals, and infiltrate dangerous areas and organizations. By rapidly switching hosts, he can also traverse the city at high speed. Thrilling Combat Using the Power of Blood ----------------------------------------- While human bodies are fragile, Hyoki can burn their life force, turning blood into weapons to confront the ferocious Slitterheads. Even when critically wounded, he can continue fighting by switching hosts efficiently. By possessing "Rarities", specific humans who share high sync with Hyoki, he is able to unleash even more powerful attacks and activate various abilities. The cooperative relationship with these "Rarities" holds the key to uncovering the deepening mysteries in the city of Kowlong. Release date: 8 Nov, 2024 Categories: Action-adventure, Real-time Combat, Character Progression, Single-player Story, Body Horror, Possession-based Gameplay, Stealth Gameplay - Hardware Profile: No data Feature extractions: - Community Price: No data - Playtime Metrics: No data - Time-to-fun: No data - Player Archetypes: No data Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category. Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews. What players like: - Unique, enjoyable, and innovative experience (weight 0.96): The game delivers a unique and enjoyable experience through its innovative gameplay mechanics, distinctive art style, and engaging atmosphere. Many reviewers highlight its originality and ability to stand out in a saturated market, making it a memorable title. - Excellent art direction and atmosphere (weight 0.85): The game's art direction is excellent, creating a vibrant and detailed urban nightmare setting inspired by Kowloon Walled City. The environments and atmosphere are well-crafted, immersing players in a unique and stylish world. - Creative and detailed monster designs (weight 0.82): The game features creative and detailed monster designs, often drawing inspiration from aquatic life and body horror themes. These designs contribute to the game's unique visual style and unsettling atmosphere. - Unique and rewarding combat system (weight 0.8): The combat system is a highlight, featuring a unique possession mechanic that allows players to swap bodies and utilize different abilities. The parrying system, while initially challenging, becomes rewarding as players master it, adding depth and strategy to battles. - Compelling and bizarre story (weight 0.79): The game features a compelling and bizarre story with unexpected twists, drawing comparisons to titles like 'Parasyte' and 'Siren'. The narrative's depth and engaging plot progression motivate players to uncover the mysteries within the game's world. - Nostalgic yet fresh feel (weight 0.79): The game evokes a sense of nostalgia, reminiscent of classic PS2-era titles, while also feeling fresh and new. This blend of old and new appeals to players who appreciate both retro gaming and modern design sensibilities. - High-quality and atmospheric soundtrack (weight 0.79): The game features a high-quality soundtrack, with many reviewers specifically praising the work of Akira Yamaoka. The music enhances the game's atmosphere and overall experience, ranging from suspenseful ambiance to catchy industrial metal. - Well-executed possession mechanic (weight 0.78): The possession mechanic is well-integrated into both the gameplay and the story, with smooth transitions between hosts. Playable characters feel distinct, with unique abilities, encouraging experimentation to find preferred combinations. - Similar to the 'Siren' series (weight 0.68): The game shares thematic and mechanical similarities with the 'Siren' series, particularly in its horror elements and sight-jacking mechanic. This connection appeals to fans of the 'Siren' franchise, offering a familiar yet distinct experience. - Enjoyable despite its flaws (weight 0.26): Many reviewers found the game enjoyable despite its flaws, praising its sincerity and creative ideas. The game's unique charm and engaging qualities often outweigh its technical limitations. Common complaints: - Excessive repetition and reused content (weight 0.83): The game suffers from significant repetition due to reused levels, enemy types, and mission structures. Players are often forced to replay the same content to progress the story or find collectibles, leading to a tedious and unrewarding experience. This issue is compounded by unskippable cutscenes and dialogue. - Outdated character models/animations (weight 0.14): Character models and animations are often criticized for looking outdated and unappealing, with some reviewers comparing them to PS2 or PS3-era graphics. NPCs are described as stiff and lifeless, further detracting from the game's visual presentation and immersion. This is likely due to budget constraints. - Lacking or poor voice acting (weight 0.13): The game suffers from a lack of voice acting, with many dialogues only featuring grunts, mumbles, or subtitles. This absence of full voice acting detracts from the story's immersion and can make it difficult to connect with the characters. Some reviewers also found the English voice acting to be out of place. - Limited enemy variety (weight 0.12): The game features a limited variety of enemy types, with many being reskins of the same basic models. This lack of enemy diversity makes combat encounters feel repetitive and uninspired, diminishing the overall gameplay experience. Bosses also suffer from this issue, often sharing the same base design. - Overpriced for the quality (weight 0.07): The game's price is considered too high for its scope, production value, and overall quality. Reviewers often point to the low-budget presentation and outdated graphics as reasons why the game doesn't justify its asking price. This makes it difficult to recommend the game, especially compared to other titles in the same price range. - Underwhelming, dated graphics (weight 0.06): The game's graphics are frequently described as dated and underwhelming, with some reviewers comparing them to older console generations. Despite running on Unreal Engine 5, the visuals fail to impress and lack polish. This contributes to a feeling that the game is unrefined and visually unappealing. - Limited settings and poor UI (weight 0.04): The game lacks detailed graphics settings and customization options, limiting players' ability to optimize performance or tailor the visuals to their preferences. The UI is also criticized for being cumbersome and poorly designed, making it difficult to navigate menus and adjust settings. - Poorly designed boss fights (weight 0.04): Some boss fights and shrine challenges are poorly designed, featuring small spaces, unfair enemy attacks, and frustrating mechanics. These encounters often feel unbalanced and can lead to a frustrating experience for players. The final boss fight is specifically called out as being particularly bad. Gameplay feedback: - Strategic body-swapping central mechanic (weight 0.31): The core mechanic revolves around possessing various characters, including enemies and NPCs, to utilize their unique abilities in combat, traversal, and puzzle-solving. This body-swapping allows for strategic gameplay, such as using hosts as bait or decoys, and is central to both combat and exploration. - Parry-focused combat, unique character skills (weight 0.2): Combat emphasizes a timing-based parry system and utilizing the unique skills and abilities of different characters ('Rarities'). Players can upgrade these characters and combine their skills to create synergies, encouraging experimentation and strategic team composition. - Mission-based, linear level design (weight 0.16): The game features a mission-based structure with linear levels, often involving time loop elements. Chase sequences and stealth sections are present, but the level design can feel restrictive, limiting player freedom and exploration. - Playable characters, skill upgrades, resources (weight 0.06): The game features a variety of playable characters ('Rarities') with unique skills and abilities that can be upgraded. Combat skills often consume blood (health), while support skills use spirit, creating a risk/reward dynamic. The game also features item collection, including outfits and skill points. - 'Sight-jacking' mechanic, Siren-inspired (weight 0.04): The game incorporates a 'sight-jacking' mechanic, similar to the Siren series, allowing players to see the world from the perspective of enemies or other characters. However, some reviewers found this mechanic to be underdeveloped or less impactful than in its inspiration. - Incomplete story, limited voice acting (weight 0.02): The story feels incomplete and lacks proper setup, with important lore points delivered without voice acting. Characters have no dialogues beyond grunts or short phrases. Performance notes: - Inconsistent game performance and optimization (weight 0.13): The game's performance is inconsistent. Some players report smooth gameplay even on older or low-end hardware, while others experience stuttering, frame drops, crashes, and bugs. Optimization appears decent overall, but experiences vary significantly depending on hardware and settings. - Specific game-breaking bugs (weight 0.02): Several reviewers encountered specific bugs, including game crashes on certain levels, DXGI errors, and getting stuck in specific locations. These issues can be disruptive and prevent progress. - Good Steam Deck performance (weight 0.01): The game runs well on the Steam Deck, providing a positive handheld gaming experience. However, some reviewers noted that small UI text can be difficult to read on the device's screen. - Stuttering fixable via settings (weight 0.01): Some players experienced initial stuttering that could be resolved by adjusting graphics settings, such as disabling Vsync and motion blur. This suggests that the game's default settings may not be optimal for all systems. - No ultrawide support (weight 0.01): The game lacks ultrawide monitor support and is locked to a 16:9 aspect ratio. This limitation may be disappointing for players with ultrawide displays. - Controller is recommended input (weight 0.01): The game is designed primarily for controller use, and mouse and keyboard controls are not recommended. This suggests that the control scheme may not be well-optimized for PC players who prefer mouse and keyboard. - Annoying enemy pop-in (weight 0.01): Despite the city's low population density, some players have noticed enemy pop-in, which can be immersion-breaking. This suggests that the game's optimization could be improved to reduce this issue. - Magnifier bug with PS controller (weight 0.01): A specific bug causes the Windows Magnifier to activate during combat when using a PS controller, leading to stuttering and visual obstruction. This issue is specific to a particular controller and software combination. - Basic models for many NPCs (weight 0): The game uses basic character models, likely to compensate for the large number of NPCs the player controls. This design choice may have been made to optimize performance, but it could also contribute to the dated look of the game. - Runs well on low-end PCs (weight 0): This point is hyperbolic and lacks specific details. It is likely an exaggeration and does not provide constructive feedback. Recommendations: - Recommended for niche tastes (weight 0.31): The game is frequently recommended for players seeking unique experiences, especially those who enjoy niche Japanese games, body horror, or titles reminiscent of '90s/'00s cult classics like *Siren*, *Silent Hill*, or the *Parasyte* manga/anime. Reviewers emphasize that its appeal lies in its distinctiveness and willingness to take risks. - Adjust difficulty for better experience (weight 0.28): Some reviewers suggest adjusting the difficulty settings to improve the gameplay experience. Some suggest normal difficulty for pacing, while others recommend hard difficulty to master combat. Some reviewers also requested an easier difficulty or combat skip feature. - Good ideas, poor execution (weight 0.27): Some reviewers felt that the game had good ideas that were held back by poor execution. Some reviewers specifically mentioned cutscenes, while others suggested that an open-world design and better graphics optimization would greatly improve the game. - Good for Toyama fans (weight 0.03): The game is recommended for fans of Keiichiro Toyama's previous works, such as *Siren* and *Gravity Rush*. Some reviewers were disappointed despite being fans, while others found it a good entry point to his work. - Strongly negative opinions exist (weight 0.02): Some reviewers express strong negative opinions, calling the game 'trash' or 'dog shit'. However, one reviewer advises against watching reviews from the Russian segment, claiming many criticisms are unfounded. - Fantastic AA game (weight 0.02): Some reviewers consider the game to be a fantastic AA title and one of the best of 2024. These reviewers feel that the game succeeds in what it was trying to achieve. Other player notes: - Kowloon Walled City setting (weight 0.15): The game is set in a fictionalized version of Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong during the 1990s. This setting contributes significantly to the game's unique atmosphere, reminiscent of Hong Kong cinema and retro-cyberpunk aesthetics. - Unique, experimental, 'janky' experience (weight 0.14): The game has a unique, experimental, and somewhat janky feel, setting it apart from typical AAA titles. It embraces its weirdness and aims to find a niche audience that appreciates its unconventional approach. - Lower budget, new studio (weight 0.03): The game is perceived as having a lower budget, being the first title from a new studio. Despite these limitations, the developers' expertise and vision are evident. - Control spirit, possess humans (weight 0.02): Players control Night Owl, a spirit-like entity (Hyoki) with the ability to possess human bodies. This mechanic is central to the gameplay and story, as Night Owl hunts monsters known as Slitterheads by inhabiting different hosts. - Non-linear story, time loop mechanic (weight 0.02): The game features a non-linear narrative with a time loop mechanic, where players revisit the same three-day period to alter events and progress. This mechanic adds depth to the story and requires players to pay close attention to details. - Gore, body horror, violence (weight 0.02): The game contains significant amounts of gore, body horror, explicit violence, mutilation, and depictions of psychological abuse. This content is intended for a mature audience. - Limited voice acting, gibberish (weight 0.02): The game features limited voice acting, with in-game scenes primarily using grunts and gibberish. Full voice acting is reserved for CG cutscenes, which may affect immersion for some players. - Soundtrack by Akira Yamaoka (weight 0.01): The game features a soundtrack composed by Akira Yamaoka, known for his work on the Silent Hill series. This adds to the game's atmosphere and overall vibe. - Excessive tutorials, control prompts (weight 0.01): The game has an issue with excessive text tutorials, even repeating ones. Additionally, players need to manually switch between controller and keyboard/mouse prompts in the settings. Emotions: No emotions}