Slitterhead Inspired by the Manga Seinen

Developers Bokeh Game Studio revealed that they took inspiration from seinen manga like Tokyo Ghoul when we work on Head cut off. This information comes from an interview with Game Watch. (Thanks, Game Watch!)

The three members of Bokeh Game Studio who participated in the interview are Keiichiro Toyama (CEO and founder), Akira Yamaoka (composer, sound director and game designer), and Tatsuya Yoshikawa (character designer). During the interview, they reveal that they used seinen manga to try to bridge the gap between horror fans and gamers who avoid a game. because of its horror elements. Some seinen manga series show the characters facing off against a powerful enemy, which has the same entertainment value as an action series. However, seinen manga also don’t shy away from killing off their characters, which increases tension and stakes.

Toyama noted that shonen manga are more popular in foreign countries, so a seinen-inspired work may seem new. As our coverage of the SGF 2024 trailer, the Game Watch interviewer noted that the character designs appear to come from Parasyte. Toyama recognizes that Parasyte was an inspiration, but Head cut off actually takes more clues Tokyo Ghoul. To be more specific, he referred to the uncertainty of when characters would die – calling it a “thrilling” survival horror experience – and the charm of battles in which characters use superpowers .

Head cut off will be released on November 8, 2024 on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X and Windows PC.