Slitterheadhas a convoluted, nonlinear narrative that can be confusing right up until the very end. Although theinvolvement of Team Silent alumnihas caused it to be categorized primarily as a horror game.Slitterheadis secretly an action RPG with a time loop plot. The whole game takes place over three days, and players must repeatedly return to pivotal events in the story to avert tragedy or recruit new characters.
[Warning: This article contains major spoilers for Slitterhead.]
Slitterheadcenters on a Hyoki, a formless, amnesiac spirit that can inhabit other living things' bodies, and Rarities, extra-powerful humans who can maintain a fraction of their free will while possessed. The Hyoki (later nicknamed Night Owl) teams up with a small group of Rarities in order to understand and ultimately exterminate a group of shape-shifting, brain-sucking monsters called Slitterheads, who stalk the dingy, neon-washed streets of the Kowlong Slums. They gradually uncover a Slitterhead conspiracy that cuts to the heart of Kowlong’s criminal underbelly, religious movements, and finally, their own lives.
Alex’s Betrayal & The Hyoki’s Secret
Why Alex Leaves The Party
Eventually, Alex discovers thatLisa, a nurse that works at his clinic, is also a Slitterhead. However, she’s trickier than any of the others he’s faced before, and he’s forced to fight her many times over. He eventually gets the upper hand, but the effort leaves him psychologically damaged and perpetually enraged. He redoubles his vow to eliminate every Slitterhead, and tells Night Owl he’s taking over.
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Alex then embarks on a time loop rampage around Kowlong, killing the same few Slitterheads over and over. Night Owl attempts to reach him, accusing him of simply trying to punish himself for losing Lisa, but Alex brushes him off. He turns on his fellow Rarities next, eventually killing Julee when she tries to stop him. Meanwhile, Night Owl realizes that he’s completely lost connection with Alex, but Alex still appears to have access to Hyoki powers. He resolves thatthere must be a second Hyoki, and leaps into another timeline to face it.
When possessed by Night Owl, a human’s eyes glow red. When possessed by the second Hyoki, called Leopard Head, Alex’s eyes glow blue.
Now possessing Julee, who remains alive in the other timeline, Night Owl realizes that Alex has become nigh unstoppable. Due to his unfettered access to the three-day loop, Alex’s rampage continues. But Night Owl does some soul-searching, and comes to some conclusions about his own nature.The Hyoki is not an alien, or a spirit, but the disembodied consciousness of a human being from the future, sent back in time to prevent a series of calamitous events that led to his dismal reality.
He wasn’t sent alone, however.Night Owl recalls that he was granted a device that could seal the Slitterheads awayin the space-time continuum instead of killing them. He and Julee manage to retrieve and activate the device, but are thenforced to set their sighs on Alexonce again.
Try, Try Again
Confronting him on a hazy rooftop, Julee makes a final appeal to Alex/Leopard Head. She explains that the Slitterhead threat has been functionally eliminated, and that as long as the two of them choose to exit the time loop, their collective nightmare will be over. Alex, however, makes it clear that he’s not interested.He resents Julee and Night Owl for the sympathy they’ve occasionally shown certain Slitterheads, some of whom are able to remain conscious (even nonviolent, as long as their hunger for blood is sated) after their transformations.
Hoping to eliminate Night Owl’s possession options by killing Julee for good, then turn Kowlong into a “perpetual graveyard” unopposed, Alex attacks. The two do battle, with Alex/Leopard Head possessing various civilians and using them against Julee for the first time. Eventually, they wear him down, and he collapses. The blue light can be seen leaving Alex’s eyes, but he can only laugh as blood pools around him. Julee then watches as a distant plane careens towards her.
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The implication here is thatLeopard Head has taken possession of the plane’s pilot, and intends to crash the plane into the building Julee stands upon. This ending leads to a post-credits scene that mirrorsSlitterhead’s opening sequence. Night Owl hovers in the air above Kowlong, musing about eternity, about reappearing here, over and over again. This suggests thatthe time loop starts all over againif Julee dies and Night Owl fails his mission.
(Almost) Breaking The Cycle
After achieving the normal ending, a Casualty counter will appear on the game’s Inter-Mission screen. This represents the total number of civilians who have died throughout the current playthrough. Players will need to return to previous missions, completing them with as few casualties as possible, eventuallyreducing the number of Casualties to 66 or fewer to unlock the true ending.
Julee’s Revive All ability can be immensely helpful in preventing civilian deaths.
This will unlock a new story mission, “Last Duel RE(2nd Loop),” which plays out much the same as the first fight with Alex, just with some additional dialogue at the beginning about closing the loop. It reveals that Night Owl and Leopard Head are both distinct manifestations of the same being. It almost ends the same, too: Julee gets the upper hand over Alex, and Leopard Head takes control of the incoming plane. However, this time,time slows down, and the player is given just eight seconds to possess a passenger and save Julee’s life.
If they do, Night Owl will fight his way up to the cockpit in a brief cutscene, with Leopard Head possessing the pilot, then a flight attendant in an effort to stop him. During a mid-credits sequence,the plane passes narrowly overhead, just barely clipping the building where Julee still stands. Relieved,she turns her attention to the pool of blood where Alex once lied, and realizes he’s gone.
Finally,a post-credits scene shows Alex getting onto his motorcycle, blue eyes still glowing, and riding off into the night. The screen displays the following text:
Julee and Alex.
Night Owl and Leopard Head.
And the remaining Slitterheads…
Their battles move into the next era.
This seems to imply thatJulee and Alex will go on living, as will their respective Hyoki. It also suggests the Slitterhead threat hasn’t been fully eradicated, either. What comes next for any of them is left deliberately unclear. However, what isclear is thatthey’ll remain locked in conflict indefinitely, as there’s yet to be any final resolution to their struggles.
And with that, the game comes to an end. It’s possible to interpret its final moments as a sequel setup, or simply a final assertion that the time loop marches on. Whatever the case, Julee, Alex, and everyone else’s future remains uncertain at the ending ofSlitterhead.
Slitterhead
In the neon-lit chaos of Kowlong, players embody Hyoki, a formless entity on a mission to eradicate the monstrous Slitterheads—creatures that disguise themselves as humans. Utilizing possession-based mechanics, Hyoki infiltrates human society, rapidly switching hosts to navigate the city and combat threats.
