In a current interview with The Gamer at Gamescom, Silent Hill creator and director of the upcoming title Slitterhead, Keiichiro Toyama, spoke about his new horror action-adventure sport and going again to his roots of making horror.
Developed as Bokeh Recreation Studio’s debut title, Slitterhead is a battle-action-adventure sport set within the densely cluttered streets of Kowlong. Stuffed with obscurity and chaos, the title casts gamers because the “Hyoki,” an entity devoid of reminiscence and bodily type. His solely motive is to eradicate the monstrous beings often called “Slitterheads” crawling across the metropolis, disguising themselves as people. Roaming the colourful neon-lit cityscape, Hyoki should search out allies amongst people often called “Rarities,” infiltrate and observe harmful organizations, and have interaction in battles harnessing the facility of blood. Because the suspenseful drama unfolds, delve into the thriller behind Hyoki’s existence and the looks of the Slitterheads.
A Contemporary Strategy
Whereas Toyama is blissful about how the sport is popping out, he’s additionally a bit uncertain about the way it may very well be acquired:
Lots of people are confused concerning the sport at this level. They don’t actually know what it’s about. [Some players say] ‘we don’t get it’.
Toyama has all the time been looking for recent new methods to shock gamers, from the primary Silent Hill and Siren to the newer Gravity Rush sequence.
I needed to get again to my roots of making horror and having horror themes within the sport. I don’t wish to reimagine one thing I’ve already performed. One of many fundamental motives for the sport is Japanese manga, extra particularly Seinen [a type of manga aimed at adults]. They’ve horror themes and hard matters, however the characters in these works are inclined to have totally different skills and abilities, and unnatural powers that they will use.
Within the sport, gamers will come throughout a wide range of characters with distinctive powers, making a recent expertise. Toyama spoke concerning the significance of crafting a background for the protagonist, the nameless spirit, saying:
If you wish to have the gamers relate to the story, you want them to narrate to the characters within the story. In Silent Hill, the daddy’s daughter is lacking and he goes searching for her. Nobody cannot relate to that.
A Completely different Type of City
Toyama tries to use this fundamental design precept to every thing he creates and believes that creating relatable characters is essential in sport design. He tries to search out “a gimmick the place [the player] really feel relatable and may painting themselves onto the characters.” In Slitterhead, the sport director believes that having an amnesic spirit because the protagonist is “the final word instance” of this philosophy because it permits gamers to concurrently uncover extra concerning the character and the sport world.
He additionally spoke concerning the design of the fictional Asian metropolis the sport is ready in:
Loads of this [setting] relies on nostalgia and a sense of loneliness. I journey to a number of cities and a few components of East Asia have modified drastically through the years. From the 90’s to the 2000’s and 2010s, the cities have turn out to be modernized, and a few [of their original] facets have disappeared. So I had a private feeling, a longing. I missed these sorts of cities and the way chaotic and busy they had been.
The affect of Toyama’s youth and childhood fears additionally performed a component within the sport’s design, he defined:
Once you develop up… you may’t actually separate actuality from fantasy. I assume the factor that I’m significantly afraid of is that I’m nonetheless not accustomed to the distinction between the actual world and fiction. After I was rising up within the 70’s in Japan, there was a number of folklore by way of tv. And you already know, mainly, they’re bullsh*t. However there was a pattern with these exhibits and what they stated. They informed scary tales and there have been a number of ghost tales at that interval. These made me actually scared and I couldn’t sleep at evening.
What Do You Worry?
Whether or not exploring the supernatural, or the darkish underbelly of the human expertise, Toyama’s focus shares a standard thread:
I really feel that the horror style is sort of totally different from different mediums as a result of the facet of worry may be very specific, and [it has] the sensation that you simply don’t wish to be near [something terrifying] otherwise you don’t wish to take a look at it, however you find yourself going again and attempting to take a look. That facet has been with me since I used to be a baby. I feel it stands out for horror and in comparison with different genres, it strikes your emotions so much.
I’m extra drawn to the psychological worry of the unknown, the way you’re afraid of [it] and one thing simply utterly out of your creativeness occurs proper in entrance of you. I wish to convey this by way of my video games, particularly within the horror style. I assume that sort of worry is extra impactful than simply being afraid of being hunted or being murdered.
Most significantly, he emphasised that:
I’ve all the time needed to carry video games that [stay] in your reminiscence for a very long time. Hopefully, that has labored.
Toyama wrapped up the interview by saying he needs gamers to “really feel assured” about Slitterhead, stating:
That is one thing utterly totally different, like each sport I’ve made. I need my followers to really feel secure in a method, or insecure in a great way. I hope they’ve an excellent time enjoying it, and I’m fairly comfy with the tip product.
Slitterhead shall be obtainable digitally for $49.99, in addition to bodily within the type of a PS5 Day 1 Version in North America distributed by XSEED Video games and Amazon for $59.99. This model features a bodily copy of the sport, a CD of authentic songs from the sport composed by Akira Yamaoka, an artbook with over 100 pages crammed with grotesque particulars, and a sticker sheet, all housed inside a customized outer field.
Slitterhead releases on Nov. eighth for Home windows PC, Xbox Sequence X|S, PS4, and PS5. For more information, you may go to Bokeh Recreation Studio’s official web site right here. You can too observe them on social media on X, Fb, Instagram, and YouTube.
Particular due to The Gamer for this improbable interview! You’ll be able to learn the complete interview right here.
