Title: SUPERHOT
Platform: Xbox One (Reviewed), PC
Developer: Superhot Team
Publisher: Superhot Team
Release date: Out now
tl;dr: Challenging Puzzle-Shooter and amusing shooter. Shame it’s a bit short
Price: £20 / $25 / €25 (Xbox Store Prices. Correct at time of writing)
Family Focus: Click here for more information.

SUPERHOT (with all dem caps) has enjoyed a good bit of hype in the run up to its release. Originally conceived during a Game Jam which then led to a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign, SUPERHOT was one of those games that really got me interested in VR gaming.

Sadly, VR is not quite ready yet for the PC version; however, I was able to play through the game on the well-packaged Xbox One version. Today I’ll go through how that went down, but first I’ll run through what this game is.

SUPERHOT is a game that invites you to play a game called, erm, SUPERHOT. Set within a VR terminal that’s got more than a fair share of ASCII art, a friend messages to encourage you to check out this game called SUPERHOT.exe that’s really cool. I’d best describe the game as a puzzle-FPS. The aim is to destroy the red guys in each level, with the quirk being that time only moves normally when you move. When standing stationery, time slows to a snail’s pace. You must move around the bullets flying towards you to stay alive and to position yourself for that crucial shot. For the player and enemies both, one hit is one kill. With this in mind, careful planning is key to ensure that you can efficiently clear the level without suffering a fatal bullet wound.

superhot_press_screenshot_02

The game switches it up with unique challenges each time. From a fist-fight in a cage to a small lift against three bad guys armed with pistols, each level brings its own unique challenge

This premise stretches across thirty brief levels and unlockable modes to put your Matrix-like moves to the test. Beating the game unlocks Challenge and Endless modes to provide additional chunks of replayability.

The game’s campaign however, whilst short, is where I believe the meat of the game’s value is to be found. Over the course of roughly a few hours of going through those thirty levels, the game covered themes of control and being controlled. In a way, I found myself becoming very invested in clearing a level just so I could find out how the next chunk of the story progresses.

superhot_press_screenshot_07

It’s just a bit of a shame that the story experience isn’t all that long. If done on a solid run-through, I estimate it could be beaten in around 2 hours. Being a story man myself that may only dabble in the extra challenges, the experience SUPERHOT gave me was sadly left wanting more, even if it was rather well executed. For the asking price that SUPERHOT is currently at, I would have loved to have seen a lot more exploration of the story and the world around it.

Despite the length though, SUPERHOT is a fabulous game to enjoy. It may not be for some at its current price point, but I would jump straight up to recommend it during a sale period if one should come up.

What Rocks! :)

  • Quality story
  • Gameplay is good exercise for the ol’ grey matter
  • Looks fantastic

The Bad

  • Really short story. Achievable in around 2-2.5 hours
  • Expensive

Family Focus

SUPERHOT is rated PEGI 12 for violence. Whilst shooting and slicing people is the name of the game, there isn’t any blood effects nor scenes of gore. As content goes, it’s reasonable for teens.