Superhot - Review

Superhot is a game I have been curious to play due to the minimalist art style and the random name. Up until recently (say in the last week) I thought it was a VR game, only this is not true it turns out. One I saw it advertised on the PlayStation Store I couldn't help but whip out my debit card, punch in the numbers and download Superhot.

I like pizza is the same as saying everybody likes breathing, who doesn't love pizza and breathing?  While Goodfella's Stone Baked Thin Chicken with Herb Dressing may not be the most exotic pizza in the world but is damn tasty. But to spice it up I like to add a little (a lot) of Frank's Red Hot Original Sauce to it. The combination of these two flavours arouse my taste buds to the extreme and turns something simple and tasty into something supremely tasty. Playing SuperHot I found myself asking was this supremely tasty yet simple dish I was looking for?

Story

The story immediately had me curious, the menu screen loads and look like an old DOS command prompt. A friend contacts you and tells you about this new game they found on the company server called Superhot.exe, he sends you the file and tells says; '...you have to check out this game. It's the most innovative shooter I've played in years.' After scanning the rest of the files available in the menu I launch Supershot.exe, the story is suggestive, creepy, thought-provoking and many other things combined. In earnest, it is hard to talk about the story without giving things away but suffice it to say things are not what they seem. 

Overall the story is extremely interesting, playing it brought to mind games like; The Rub Rabbits!, Past Cure, Hot Line Miami, Observation to name but a few. If any of these are games you enjoyed even small elements of the story you will love Superhot. Super. Hot. SUPER. HOT. 

Visuals

The visuals are very minimalist, the levels you are thrown into are all white, that doesn't mean the look is bland as there are a lot of details in the environment, the subway and bar particularly stood out for me. The enemies are all in red, weapons and objects that can be picked up are in black or grey. Enemies that you damage or destroy explode and shatter like glass. The visuals both look like you are in a simulation but also have a realness to them which I think is part of the appeal for me, knowing something is a simulation but at the same time doubting if it really is one.

Overall the visually are interesting and intriguing, adding to the story and leaving you wondering just what the heck is going on?

Music 

There is something about the music that gets into your head and makes you mistrusting of the world you are in (not the real world, I mean the Superhot world, or do I?). A mixture of drum, bass, metal, electro and no doubt other styles that I likely missed. The music is created by Venezualan keyboardist, DJ, composer, producer and mixer Zardonic. 

The soundtrack is shy of being an hour in length and can be downloaded and listened to on Steam for free. It was only listening to the soundtrack independent of the game that I realised how much music was in the game. Without a doubt, the track 'SUPERHOT' is my favourite and even hearing the words Super Hot will stay with me in the same way Portal's 'the cake is a lie' will.

Gameplay

The gameplay mechanic is unique, the world moves when you move. Move your head, move forward, any movement and time will move forward by an equal amount. For example, you can see an enemy, he has shot a bullet at you, if you don't move it won't move. It can be avoided by sidestepping it slowly (or quickly depending on how brave you are feeling) and fire off your own shot if the enemy is standing still easy, if he is on the move you will need to compensate for it. 

There are a number of weapons including; pistols, shotguns, machine guns, katanas and there are random items that will not kill an enemy but will stun them. Each weapon can be fired a set amount of times before you run out, at this stage you can throw it at an enemy which will stun and allow you to knock them out or steal their weapon and kill them with, which is really badass. Later on, you are given the ability to slow jump and even jump into enemies to avoid near-death or just for fun.

Once the game has been completed you will unlock an endless mode along with a challenges mode which is pretty cool. 

As the story progresses the gameplay becomes more intense and difficult, you will die but never feels frustrating as such and makes you plan better for the next time. Overall the gameplay is amazing and makes me was a PlayStation VR just so could get to explore the world more and likely as it was tended to be played.

 

Final Thoughts

So, after over fours of playing how did I feel? SUPER. HOT. The story was really interesting and had me both doubting and questioning what was happening. The visuals manage to be both minimalist and exciting, the way enemies are shattered looks intense and cool. The music is perfectly sewn into everything else in the game and moves between adding to the carnage of the gameplay itself and making you feel uncomfortable in the world you are in. The gameplay is very different from anything that I have played before or likely will in the future, and it is something I really admired. Overall this one gets a solid 4 out of 5