The developers clearly knew that these replays would be a strong feature of the game, as there is a built-in GameDVR to easily save a recording of the whole replay or just sections of it. This essentially helps to elevate the already present badass feelings to an even higher notch.
SUPERHOT PC GAME LENGTH FULL
Each level ends with a replay of the previous sequence and plays it at full speed to display what you just pulled off. It’s one thing to see the game through the slow, meticulous pace of the gameplay, and it’s quite another to see the highlights run in real time. Watching the red guys shatter into pieces will never get old Everyone reading this review right now could sit down and come up with a completely different means of getting through the level. Really, that’s just nothing it’s just another sequence in a long line of possibilities that essentially defines what SUPERHOT is all about. In one scenario, I sliced an incoming bullet with a katana, then threw that katana like a spear into an enemy, hotswitched to another enemy in the distance (essentially taking control of their body), picked up and threw a fire extinguisher into the next enemy, and finished it off by stealing his pistol and shooting him in the head. Thanks to the slower, more controlled combat, it's possible to pull off stunts that just cannot happen in most other shooters. Unfortunately, there's no control option to bend at the hip to limbo under bullets like Neo, but moving in a zigzag pattern while watching the bullets whiz by is a pretty acceptable substitute. In many ways SUPERHOT feels like being dropped directly into The Matrix for obvious reasons, but also does enough to make itself fresh and unique. Objects can be heaved across the level to stun enemies and cause them to drop their weapons.
Bullets can be sliced and shot out of the air. One thing that gets lost behind the grand presence of controlling motion itself is that most objects can be manipulated far more than a lot of other games allow. There’s also nothing more satisfying than seeing enemies explode like shards of glass whenever you lay into them. Everything has a minimalist look and feel, yet it's very pleasant nonetheless. Meanwhile, your featureless, polygonal enemies are a sharp red that contrasts with the rest of the level. Each level's environment is soaked in shades of white and grey, while weapons and throwable objects are black, making them easy to spot. Whether armed with fists, melee weapons or guns, your enemies will continue to pursue you from all angles, making it all the more hectic when it's essentially one life to live.Ĭontrasting colors help to discern both useful objects and incoming threatsįortunately, it's easy to keep track of everything that's going on. It might be tempting to just run towards an enemy with guns blazing, but there's far more of a necessity to dodge that bullet whose current trajectory is straight for you, because a single hit is all it takes to put you down. With the speed of the action being directly tied to how fast you move, an entire layer of strategy is added to the mix. While stationary, every enemy, item, and projectile is nearly motionless and will remain that way until the player makes a move. Movement in SUPERHOT is dictated entirely by the player’s motions. The game never felt as if it really required any sort of storytelling to help further it along and this seemed to be out of place instead, especially when considering just how fantastic the gameplay is on its own. The story eventually begins to intervene between levels more frequently and becomes an annoying break from the action. Presented as a new game on what appears to be an old DOS system, things start out simply enough with the goal of killing all of the red guys but soon delves into strange themes of freedom and control.
I say that not only literally, but also to reference a part of the game’s narrative that I won’t spoil too much here. SUPERHOT is one of the most innovative shooters that I’ve played in years.