SUPERHOT IS THE MOST INNOVATIVE SHOOTER I’VE PLAYED IN YEARS!

The above statement is completely true and we have to agree that the game is a refreshing concept after many years of conventional shooters flooding the market. SUPERHOT will probably be one of the most creative games to grace this generation of consoles. The game mainly focuses on the time mechanics and is basically a mix of the puzzle and shooter genre. Since the beginning, the game keeps you in suspense and has your curiosity bug tingling. From the chat between you, a supposed friend and the man behind the computer (Antagonist) to the occasionally pixelated  moments, the game has you wondering about what you are trying to achieve and why.

It is one of those games that are addictive and will hook you up for longer hours than what was promised. Every aspect of the game is new and proof that creativity in the gaming industry still exists.

DETAILED SUPERHOT REVIEW

Time Is Power(+)

The game starts off with a chat between you and the supposed friend, after which he sends us some files, as a result of which we are able to play SUPERHOT. The game is said to be quite fun and mysterious. As has been in circulation- Time stops when you stop, and the game lives up to the statement. In this case stop means coming to a complete standstill. You move the camera, press any key, fire a gun, all we be classified as movement in this case. The mechanic proves to be quite thrilling and exhilarating when you hear bullets whiz by you, and see their red trajectory just brushing past the camera. Every moment counts when you are mobile and every step requires you to have an all round check, because enemies can spawn behind you as well. The best part about the game is that, it empowers you, challenges you and trolls you all at the same time. Initially you will feel that the game is purposely trying to insult your wit and will take your case thoroughly, play mind games and try to make you feel weak in the mind. Not spoiling a game, which has a story of about 4 hours is difficult, but revealing too much will decrease the chance that the player would feel the confusing sorcery the game plays on his mind. Comprehending the plot is quite an affair because a lot is left to imagine for the gamers.

Initially the game has smaller levels that teach you the basics of what you are supposed to do and as you progress further, you’ll have to strategize and plan your moves carefully, which makes it more of a puzzler than a FPS. The game definitely does not require twitch reflexes and the player has to look around carefully before advancing. But don’t misunderstand challenging as being tough. The game never puts you in a situation for which you might get frustrated or stop trying to play the game or in some cases break keyboards. There are no Kill Cams but the player can realize his mistakes in a try or two. This is where one small drawback comes into play- Except for the Endless game mode, the red dudes always spawn in the same place and travel the same initial trajectory, which makes the game a bit easier and predictable. But other than that the game keeps on getting challenging as we go ahead in the game.

Die Hard, Kill Harder(+)

The game almost always places the player in a do or die situation due to it’s one shot one kill nature. But you are also never short of opportunities if you analyze properly. All the basic weapons are available- a Katana, baseball bat, wrench, pistol, shotgun and a rifle. Apart from these, most of the small objects in the environment can be useful when no weapon is around and you have a swarm of red dudes charging up on you. Also the shooting, although not as refined as many other shooters, is still able to provide you a sense of satisfaction. The sound of breaking glass and the physics of the shattering of the red dudes is very fascinating to watch and makes the player want to try out different ways to butcher the poor reds. Jumping around noticeably makes the game easier, according to what we experienced, but still manages to remain challenging if you are trying the run n gun method.

Diversity(+)

The game is like an addictive mobile game in which much of your focus is towards a high score. Once the other modes are unlocked, and provided that you are the compulsive type of gamer, you will well invest tons of hours just to get to the leaderboard. Another great thing about the game is the replay mode. You can upload it to the KILLSTAGRAM.com page for the world to see if you did something epic. The different modes, IE, Endless and Challenges provide an additional few hours to the short campaign. The achievements are limited for now and we hope that more will be added if and when updates roll by.

The Bummer(-)

Though the game is refreshing, it has it’s share of hiccups (Though minor, but worth mentioning). The story is a bit abstract, with all the aspects of a good one like- suspense, atmosphere, mystery but the area that it lacks the most is in objectivity. You don’t know what is going on and why you are doing all the stuff you’re doing. For a majority of the part, the most annoying aspect of the game is that every level of the campaign has to end with a weird voice saying SUPERHOT. It may very well get on your nerves soon enough. Also by the end of the game, not many new mechanics are introduced and the player might find himself using the same strategy again and again. You may think that a game that has you doing some awesome set pieces using time manipulation will have a ‘Save Offline’ option, which we weren’t able to find (Please comment below if you find it). The game always asks you to upload on KILLSTAGRAM.com and that is really a turn off if you can’t upload it due to Internet problems. There are some other minor issues, like less options for graphic tweaking, in-game font issues etc, but these do not hinder the experience of the game in much of a significant way.

VERDICT

Special Note: A very heartful Thank You to the SUPERHOT team for providing the review copy.