Slitterhead, the latest game from Silent Hill and Gravity Rush creator Keiichiro Toyama, now at his own studio Bokeh, is somehow even weirder than it looks. An accidental reveal ahead of Summer Game Fest showed off a game about jumping between bodies and fighting fish- or insect-like skinwalkers as a paranormal mystery simmers in the background. Extended hands-on time at the event proper reveals a game that's bigger on action than expected, plays better than that trailer suggested, and feels refreshingly focused besides.
This was not the smoothest or most satisfying action game I played at SGF – that badge probably goes to Black Myth: Wukong – with some choppiness in animations and the camera disrupting game flow. But it is mechanically solid enough to prop up the ideas that actually make it stand out. Slitterhead doubles down on its central mechanic, swapping bodies via possession, to a rare degree.
