One could argue that shooters haven't evolved much in the past few decades or so. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare helped create the infinitely popular RPG leveling mechanics in multiplayer games, and before that, 007 GoldenEye and Halo: Combat Evolved helped bring shooters to consoles — other than that, things haven't changed much since the original Doom.
There have definitely been improvements, and there's more variety within the genre than ever ... but none of the games' core mechanics have really changed.
That's why, when the original Superhot prototype was released, people went absolutely nuts. By turning the mechanics of first-person shooters on their heads, the team behind Superhot created one of the first truly unique FPS experiences in recent memory — and thankfully, it wasn't long before a full game was in the works.
It's been almost two years since then, and now that the full game has finally arrived, only one question remains: does Superhot fall in line with the rest of a tired genre, or can it succeed as its own, complete experience?
Superhot tells the story of, strangely enough, itself: players take control of an anonymous gamer who learns of an amazing new game called Superhot through a friend. One illegal download later, things start to get weird — and it's not long before the player is involved in something much greater than gaming piracy. While the game does use a variety of well-known tropes, the issues it tackles — virtual reality, gaming addictions and corporate manipulation — are all handled exceptionally well.
As if that wasn't enough, Superhot also asks players to do things they might not be comfortable with — the game is going to push some buttons. That's far from a bad thing: Superhot is the kind of game that'll make you reflect on what you've done and who you've listened to, and by the time the credits roll, you'll probably start questioning whether or not things had to play out like they did. There's message buried beneath all the intrigue — and while it isn't always subtle, it never gets in the way of telling a good story.
In all honesty, the only real drawback to Superhot's story is its brevity: most gamers will beat the main story in less than two hours. In the game's defense, a few hours doesn't feel short — but it may surprise players who are used to their games lasting a bit longer.
Thankfully, the gameplay does more than enough to make up for Superhot's relatively short length. Simply put, the idea at the core of the game — that time only moves when the player moves — is one of the most unique, refreshing approaches to first-person gaming in years.
Anyone who's ever fired a virtual gun will be able to play Superhot with no trouble whatsoever: aiming and shooting are the same here as they are in countless other shooters. Empty guns and small environmental objects can be thrown as a way to stun enemies, and dropped weapons can be snatched out of the air and turned on their owners.
If Superhot played in real-time, it'd be an absolute disaster. Thankfully, it doesn't: as previously mentioned, time only moves when the player himself or herself is moving. The mechanic applies to everything — bullets, flying objects, enemy soldiers, you name it. Superhot's drastically different take on pacing does take some time to get used to, but once you're in the flow of things, the game's take on time-manipulation allows for a layer of strategy that's straight-up absent from most games in the genre.
However, just because players have control over time doesn't mean that they're invincible. There's no standing in one spot and taking everyone out at once — the player's gun is just as affected by time as an enemy's. Sure, you can fire once without taking a step, but your gun won't reload until you start moving again. Superhot uses these mechanics to start off slowly and build from there — what starts as a few simple shots quickly become multiple-part Hollywood action sequences.
It's this fantastic level design that keeps the game's mechanics from ever getting stale. New levels are constantly changing things up, and the game's "puzzles" constantly get better and better — despite the fact that shooting makes up 100 percent of the game, Superhot never gets boring or repetitive.
The only thing that comes close to spoiling the fun are inconsistent collision-detection issues: sometimes, bullets just don't work. There's no denying that failing via glitch is extremely frustrating ... but at the very least, the issues are so minor and so random that it's hard to stay upset for long.
Superhot's gameplay is further bolstered by its art style. True, there have been plenty of independent games with bold color palettes and low-resolution models, but Superhot uses its visuals to quickly and easily convey information to the player: if it's red, shoot it; if it's black, pick it up. It's not as if the game is without its fair share of smaller details: lighting does quite a bit to add depth and detail to the simple character models, and particle effects look fantastic throughout.
Sound design is equally fantastic, with gunshots echoing through empty halls and enemies shattering like glass. Music is used sparingly, and the game's ambient tracks do a great job of creating atmosphere. That being said, if there's one thing gamers will remember from Superhot's audio, it's the droning "Super ... Hot" that plays after every level — but to say any more would be wandering into spoiler territory.
Superhot is, to put it bluntly, phenomenal. On the surface, it may look like a normal shooter, but once you actually get to play the game, it becomes clear that Superhot is truly one-of-a-kind. In the current gaming landscape, with all its sequels and safe bets, getting the chance to play something like Superhot — a genuinely unique experience — is a reminder of what gaming can do.
To be fair, it's not perfect — Superhot isn't exactly bursting at the seams with content, and technical issues do pop up from time to time. In the long run, however, those minor problems don't really matter: Superhot does what it does so well that skipping out on playing it simply because of a short runtime would be a huge mistake.
Long story short: if you've got a couple bucks lying around, pick up a copy of Superhot. You'll be happy you did.
