superhot

Ultimate Bullet Time

December 1, 2024
2016 PC release
Time at review: 3hrs

tl;Dr

The FPS with a hook; time only moves when you move. Effectively, the ultimate bullet time simulator. Eliminate all the red human shapes with bullets, punches, or found objects in a minimalistic indoor space; rinse and repeat in the next level. A low poly VR aesthetic that’s graphically stylish and presents a unique vision of retrofuturism. Phenomenal sound design heightens the action and immersion. Levels are compact and short (think seconds, not minutes). Deaths are fair, restarts are snappy, and the pull for one more run is hard to resist.

High Level caveats

Know going in that the above is all that’s on offer here. There’s no item/skill progression. You’re not graded on performance as in Hotline Miami. Twitchy reflexes aren’t needed— it’s like a contemplative, less frenetic Devil Daggers. Players are free to walk the level so long as they survive the enemy onslaught. In one of the games only downsides, traversal does not offer a wealth of player choice. The unlockable game modes is where SUPERHOT really shines; adding variety and extending enjoyment well after completing the main 30 levels over 2.5hrs. There are speed challenges, melee only, and my personal favorite: endless mode. If topping your personal best is something you chase, you’ll likely find these a superb addition. To me, they are the highlight. Originally released in 2016, I would include it in a group of indies that shifted the paradigm— elevating indies beyond what you’d expect at the time.

...if you’re looking for a game with some more meat on the bones, it’s fine to sleep on this one. I wouldn’t call it a “must play” but rather a “must know about”

Immediate Takeaway

Overall, I found the game refreshingly novel, fun to play, and not difficult until the challenge modes. For $10 on PC, it’s easy to recommend to a fairly broad range of ages and experience levels. It has the hallmarks of a good game: easy to learn, engaging to play, fun to master, and bug free. If you’re comfortable using either a mouse and keyboard (preferred, in my opinion) or a controller, don’t mind violence (no gore; everyone is crystals.), this is a title you’ll enjoy. Also, if you know someone who maybe used to play games and is interested to get back into them, this is a great re-entry point. If the challenge modes aren’t appealing or if you’re looking for a game with some more meat on the bones, it’s fine to sleep on this one. I wouldn’t call it a “must play” but rather a “must know about.” Absolutely watch some gameplay at the very least.

SUPERHOT is available on every platform; even VR, which enhances the movement options and immersion further. Although the stroboscopic VFX may be a bit much for some.

Premise & loop

A friend shares the game with you via chat in a BIOS inspired UI (complete with CRT artifacts and chittering disk drive). You launch the SUPERHOT.EXE file and are introduced to the look and basic controls of the “real” game, a minimalistic virtual world rendered in shades of white. Weapons are in black, enemies in red rush your position: there's no hiding or running away here. Defeat the enemies and the game drops you into a new scenario. Levels are small indoor spaces: a room, a hallway, maybe a couple of each, sometimes another floor. Difficulty ramps as you advance through the levels but never feels punishing. As you progress, the game’s tone becomes increasingly hostile. Once helpful instructions (“Look behind you.”) morph into commands (“Stand still. Good dog.”) and paranoia inducing phrases (“We are always watching you.”). The game ridicules your inability to stop playing. In that failure of self-control, you are now an extension of its program, subject to its will, which as it happens involves more murder. To what end? Don’t worry about it.

Greater Detail

Rather than a resource to deploy judiciously as in Max Payne, the world of SUPERHOT exists entirely within the glory of bullet-time. By attaching it to player movement, the developer removes a layer of artifice; expanding and intensifying the exhilaration for players without having to learn a new mechanic or UI component. It's a potent and elegant solution that’s a spectacle to behold and entertaining to play.

The enemies are faceless humans and crystalline in appearance. Once a level starts they emerge around corners, corridors, and quickly close the distance. Staying aware, prioritizing targets, and deciding takedown methods are engaging options to juggle and fun to perform. On defeat, their slow-motion crumple into shattered heaps comes without complaint as opposed to gushes of gore and yowls of agony. Their lack of identity and uniform color further emphasizes a “you vs them” dynamic; simultaneously stylish and depersonalizing that, on introspection, is unsettling.

Its graphical minimalism and limited color palette feel modern and compelling though it may not be to everyone’s tastes. Personally, instead of feeling boring or empty, I feel it’s an appealing combination of retrofuturistic elements and logical design choices. Form and function meld beautifully as the simplified renderings serve the player. Identification of important objects (enemies, bullets, weapons) comes easily and successfully presents the environment as a virtual space.

It would be criminal not to highlight the stellar sound design; it significantly elevates the action and immersion. The game does not have music and is better for it.

Highlights & Weak points

Out of the roughly 30 levels some shine brighter than others; only a few became mildly annoying due to death cycles or level design choices. Individual skill comes into play in that regard.

Once you unlock a level you’re free to replay it as you choose from the menu, another great design decision that accommodates a pick up and play approach. For me, the game is at its best with endless mode. I have sunk at least an entire hour chasing a higher kill count and easily foresee future sessions. In endless, deaths usually happen from an off screen bullet, which gets old and is not nearly as fun as watching your imminent demise glacially unfold before you. Tapping R for an immediate restart dulls the frustration, but your response to this aspect will determine this particular game mode’s amount of lasting fun.

You do have a cooldown ability that swaps your position with an enemy’s (in the excitement, I often forget I have it), but I feel it only alleviates rather than solves for one of the game’s only downsides. Levels can present the player with choices on how to survive the rush of enemies. Go left or right? Charge ahead? Take the stairs? And the movement works well insofar as you can either walk or jump (plus lean and crouch in VR), though movement is more serviceable than inspired. Instead of Jackie Chan, it’s more like classic Doomguy. Maybe that restriction is an exciting point of tension, but if wishes were being granted, wall running or other acrobatics could have dramatically inspired my approach to encounters; potentially adding an awesome risk/reward aspect and extending replay value.

Lasting Impression

SUPERHOT is undoubtedly inventive and entertaining in its fresh gameplay premise. It delivers a concise, well executed experience in a unified package that I continue to return for in quick 15min sessions.

After spending more time with SUPERHOT, I find it even thought provoking. The game regularly flashes bold text in all caps. At first it's helpful instruction that I interpret as a simple style choice. As the tone becomes more threatening, as it tells me I have less and less control, I realize these flashes of text refer to conditioning techniques, i.e. brainwashing. “Hold up. Is this virtual world in fact reality? Am I really killing people from the comfort of my keyboard? I mean, drone pilots are a thing…” Can we trust that we’re being told the truth from a source of greater power that may hide their motivations behind systems? 

It’s an idea that Polish developer SUPERHOT Team possibly intend. Consider the history of the region circa 1940: engulfed by a neighboring totalitarian aggressor, eeking out survival amidst a police state and the accompanying paranoia. The game alludes to these themes with an intriguing and stylish new coat of paint: they feel immediate and relevant along with the troubling subtext that humanity is doomed to repeat its mistakes.

The game taunts me as I play, giving it more and more control over me. To what extent are the games we play playing us? To be clear, I don’t think Go Fish is trying to undermine free will. Candy Crush and slot machines, on the other hand, I’m not so sure. Are there games we are participating in to our own detriment? What about ones that we’re not even aware of in the form of habits, rules, tradition, addictions, societal expectations, etc.? What does this behavior mean on a global scale? Who benefits? There’s not a single answer, of course, but this game in particular reminds me that time and attention are a valuable finite source of power not to be wasted. We pour it into our desires, vices, loved ones, and enemies. We would likely all benefit from more mindfulness in what we choose to devote this power to; to ask if our pursuits align with our values as opposed to working against us. I know for my part, I accomplish this with mixed success. But in everything you do, I think simply asking yourself this question is enough.

Warning: Deeper Thoughts

Since writing this, I can’t help but consider the internet of 2024; a place where web searches return pages of sponsored results and important, even vital, information is supported by the whim of advertising dollars. I see a connection to indie games here as well. In the wake of this year we witnessed substantial layoffs across the gaming industry, many involving the dissolution of small studios only recently acquired by megacorps in their attempts to gain some of the indie market. A sector where creativity blossoms in stark contrast to AAA epics sanded down for mass appeal, served on a platter of bleeding edge visual fidelity, eye-popping budgets, and safe choices.

A lyric from a song (technically a sample) immediately springs to mind: 

"If you can be told what you can see or read
Then it follows that you can be told what to say or think”
Boards of Canada

Still, I want to believe games have the potential to be a force for good. A forum for creative ideas and exciting experiences that can bring people together. A tool we have yet to fully understand and leverage. One that may need a warning label on the box.