As someone who has finished Superhot, I’m compelled to tell you that “it’s the most innovative shooter I’ve played in years”. Using those exact words actually. If you play and finish Superhot, you’ll know what I’m talking about.
Joking aside, Superhot is quite innovative and fun. If the Portal games and The Matrix films had a baby, it might look something like Superhot.
It’s is an example of a developer taking one gameplay mechanic and doing it exceptionally well. You learn what the hook is quickly, and the game never deviates from it. It’s simple, innovative, polished, and satisfying.
One of the first things you’re told, and the game’s primary mechanic, is that your enemies move when you move. I assumed that meant that when you don’t move, your enemies don’t move either, but that’s not quite true. Your enemies will move even if you’re standing still – albeit very slowly, but they do move. So you have time to think about what you want to do next – but don’t take too long.
Superhot is close to being a strategy first-person shooter. It’s an action game where you, the player, dictate the pace and flow of the action. The tools to create mayhem are there, and it’s up to you to be creative in how you want to go about abusing and subduing your foes.
The tools you get are either laying around the level or can be taken from enemies: handguns, shotguns, machine guns, clubs, katanas, etc. Anything you pick up can also be thrown to stun and disarm your enemies. If all else fails, you can use your fists.
Subduing your foes is satisfying, even doing it slowly. Once you complete a level, the game replays what you did in normal speed. Seeing how you look taking out multiple enemies in a scenario that could be in a John Wick film makes you feel cool.
I found the hit detection to be a bit odd. At times, it’s hard to tell if you’re far enough away from a bullet to dodge it. I got a feel for it as I progressed, but I never understood why a bullet that is clearly going over my head could hit me – but it did, every time. At least it was consistent, and the more I played, the more I got a feel for what my limitations were.
If I found myself getting frustrated with a level, it was usually because I didn’t know why I died. Enemies will sometimes spawn in places you don’t expect them, and it can be confusing as to why you got shot in the back by an enemy that wasn’t in that exact spot a moment before. Showing you how you died before restarting the level might be helpful, but you could also argue that part of the challenge is figuring that out on your own. Superhot is part shooter, part puzzle game in that respect.
The story and aesthetic is trippy in a Portal meets The Matrix meets ghost in the machine type of way. The game tries to mess with your head, and it complements, but never overshadows, the experience.
VERDICT:
Superhot is a somewhat short experience. Portal’s campaign is about a 12-hour experience, give or take. Superhot’s is about four to five, but like Portal, there is post-game content to keep you busy after you finish. Superhot’s brevity was surprising, but refreshing. That being said, the game’s normal price is $24, which is a bit on the steep side for a game with only a five-hour campaign, as great as it is, but not so much that I can’t recommend it. Maybe wait for a sale, but play Superhot. It’s time and money well spent.
The Gamer's Standard 