The concept behind Superhot is not new; bullet time has long been used in films and video games. The execution, on the other hand, is novel. The entire universe moves at a snail’s pace in the renowned ód show, and it only accelerates up when we do anything.
The premise of this unique undertaking is intriguing, but ultimately inconsequential. The action takes place in a game to which we have been granted access by a buddy. We’re told that the entire thing is a prototype created by a specific firm, and that in order to play the genuine game, we’ll need a pirated access file. We arrive in the middle of the scenario after signing in, and the inscription filling the full screen provides us a brief in later phases, typically restricted to one word; overview of the event.
The goal is simple. We have to eliminate all of the enemies we come across while evading gunfire and strikes with melee weapons. Because the enemy are composed of glass, all you have to do is hit any portion of their body and they will shatter. This does not imply that we wander around the stages like a youthful god, passing balls in the air and entirely ignoring enemy threats. The world does not come to a complete halt when we stand still, thus in close quarters, when the bullet has only a meter or two to travel, a split second of inattention can cost you your life – much like opponents, we just need a scratch to die and the level is restarted from the beginning. As a result, the gameplay in later stages is similar: we emerge, grab the nearest pistol, and shoot, forming lovely collages of smashed glass while evading bullets flying everywhere. When we run out of ammo, we pick up a gun dropped by one of the dead or hurl something at the nearest adversary to knock his weapon out, catch it in the air, and keep killing.
When many opponents approach us at the same time, the game gets challenging. There are occasionally extra attractions on the map, such as a car that we must leap over or a lack of weaponry at the start of the level. To compensate for these problems, we have a particular ability: we can rapidly hop to the bodies of our foes, allowing us to avoid impossible circumstances. However, because the talent takes some time to load, we must be cautious about when and on whom we use it. The duration of the game is Superhot’s main issue. True, the designers stated from the start that finishing the game would take as long as finishing Portal, yet unlike Valve’s creation, we are left feeling unfulfilled after only two hours of playtime. This is primarily owing to the weak narrative, which fails to pique your interest – even when bizarre things begin to happen on screen. We always feel like spectators, fully removed from the events unfolding in front of us. Instead of complex riddles involving physics manipulation, we get repetitive sequences to memorize practically by heart. The whole thing looks amazing, but only when we see a replay after finishing a level. One additional item detracts from the aesthetics, which are otherwise excellent. It’s all about how the game interacts with us. After finishing a challenging sequence, a big inscription displays on the screen, and the speakers play a repeating title. Instead of patiently savoring the replay of the chaotic action, we just want to get on with it so the computer stops shrieking at us. Meanwhile, the developers have planned a number of changes that will create new obstacles and constraints to the gameplay. For example, we can only use melee weapons to combat or kill adversaries by hurling stuff at them.
It does keep Superhot hooked to the screen for an additional hour or two, but replaying the same levels with relatively little modifications becomes tedious pretty fast. Finally, there is an infinite mode in which we must destroy always approaching adversaries on a little board. The ód studio’s game was a huge Kickstarter success, resulting in a game with a fantastic concept and strong execution, but it’s too little and short to be genuinely fascinating. During the game, the writers hurry us so hard that they highlight their project’s biggest flaw.
Nonetheless, the game’s look, uniqueness, and compacted attractions help us have a terrific time. It’s a shame it’s so short and doesn’t put much attention on the narrative.