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SUPERHOT has been circling the internet since 2013. A rudimentary version was created in a week and originally released as a browser-based game that year. It then gathered speed via Kickstarter (meeting its goal in only one day) and now receives a full launch for PC with Xbox One following next month.
The game foremost is played like a first person shooter. In SUPERHOT you must navigate monochrome levels picking up firearms and melee weapons, then shoot and strike down waves of cardinal coloured bad guys. Sounds decidedly average you’d think however the twist on convention, and what makes it transcend from simple generic shooter to smart action puzzler, is that time is slowed to a fraction of bullet speed while your character is stood still. As soon as you move or begin to look around the world time accelerates and, if you’re not careful, can come into contact with a shotgun round or Katana blade. This decelerated time allows for some amazing situational awareness, especially when multiple bullets are whizzing around the room you’re stood motionless in. Take careful aim and fire but be aware that the enemy may not be in the same position by the time the projectile crawls its way across the environment. Ammo in weapons is also scarce so six bullets can, ironically, go very quickly so it’s important you keep track of shots fired. Wielded weapons slowly degrade through use also, but usually an empty beer bottle or arty and pointy sculpture is at hand to be picked up and flung at an oncoming attacker. Successful hits from everyday objects will not only stun them, but if holding a weapon will cause them to fling it into the air allowing you to, if you so wish, snatch it and utilise it against them.
Visually the game is super simplistic looking, but striking. This works as if environments were fully textured and enemy had individually rendered faces it would be too much of a distraction from the frequent red bullet lines that trace the environments. However that is not to say that the levels lack detail. They are in fact amazingly and meticulously constructed with a real eye for design and flow. One level sees you riding the top of a train with a low bridge rapidly approaching. An enemy on top of the car in front soon gets hit by the speeding/creeping bridge and in turn dropping his gun. You then have a split second/eternity to grab the falling weapon and drop down to safety between the cabooses – only to be presented with more enemies to fend off. At the end of the level, if you successfully manage to kill all the bad guys, you can rewatch your progress in real time giving you a hot Hollywood action star feel.
Beyond the slow mo shooting mechanics, the game also has a story which like its action, could be compared to The Matrix. Outside of the levels, the tale introduces an element of a “game, within a game” as the mysterious “Superhot.exe” is accessed from a private server and shared amongst friends. The more you play, the more you become sucked into a narrative that blurs the experience. Levels that don’t see you in combat have you navigating corridors or placed in a prison cell from which you must “break free” of. I won’t spoil the finer plot points but it has a lot of analogies around escaping the confines of your body via VR (“The mind is software”). It’s deep stuff and a lot of it works well as the story unfolds and, although it’s certainly not essential to the game, without it SUPERHOT would be very bland indeed.
Once you’ve played through the story, which took me around 3-hours to beat, you then have the option to replay with various “mods” (hard mode, melee weapons only etc.) or delve into “endless mode” which sees you, as the name may suggest, fighting waves or spawning enemies until you die. These extra modes do add some replayability however perhaps not enough to give the game any real longevity.
As a new concept to an old format the game excels at being fresh and super cool. The execution and presentation is also spot on. The difficulty scaling is such that at times it can be challenging and length wise doesn’t overstay its welcome before becoming too samey. My only criticism is that once all the bodies have been dispatched and the story is complete, you may find not enough to see you comeback. A level editor or modding tools would elevate the title greatly, but that’s it. Nevertheless SUPERHOT should be applauded for being different.
