Superhot is a game by Polish developers, which is distinguished by a very original concept in terms of both playability and graphics. Time passes here only when our character moves. Manipulation of time is necessary for us to survive and, with the help of various tools, to deal with enemies.
The first news about the game gave me mixed feelings. What could be interesting in stopping the action of a game with graphics consisting of a few colours? It's all a bit sterile," I said. As I had received the game as a gift, I had to give it a try. I put Destiny 2 aside and started playing Superhot. And somehow three hours passed in a flash. The magic of simple games, you might say. But beyond the visuals, there's nothing simple here.
It's all bloody complex. We have a room and we have to eliminate all the enemies. There are a few - a dozen - enemies in each room. It's fun when all we have are our bare fists and the opponent is holding a gnat and firing. What to do? Go up and just knock him out? Let me remind you - when we move, time passes. And in that time we will easily get the ball rolling. You have to combine things. You can try to catch the enemy from the side, you can find an object, throw it at the weapon that falls and take it. There are a whole bunch of such flavours in the game, but they are very difficult to execute.
Here we constantly have to think, be two steps ahead of the enemy and very respectful of time. It passes even when we turn around or press the trigger of the gun. It was incredibly emotional for me to shoot an enemy when he did the same thing at almost the same moment. What then? We shoot and hope to retreat to lengthen the path of the bullet and at the last moment miraculously move away. Because in the game...you can't crouch. I don't know if the developers have forgotten this or if they have deliberately made the gameplay more difficult with this procedure. It is quite possible, because we have only one life and every mistake will result in repeating the level. And we will be repeating them very often, constantly looking for opportunities to win. In short - to pass a level, we need to make a perfectly coordinated plan and still execute it. Mindless shooting blindly, as in typical FPSs, will certainly end in an early death. This is why I have a problem classifying this game. At first glance, it is an FPS, while the whole environment surrounding the destruction of enemies is already a puzzle game. There has never been anything like this on the market before. Death lurks around every corner and can surprise us, so we have to keep our eyes on the ground. But sometimes you just can't, due to the number of enemies. Superhot might as well have been called ‘Memento Mori.’
The game is unforgiving of mistakes and death is natural here, like in the Souls games. We live to die, possibly to learn how to complete a level and then do it again one time. Such repetition, however, doesn't frustrate, because we never try to play the same way. The different approaches to a level generate incredible fun and a desire to try new techniques. In addition to guns and white weapons, we have the option of throwing various objects encountered on the map. We must bear in mind that picking them up also speeds up time.
An amazing atmosphere is created here by the graphics. It's incredible how a few colours in a game can build artistry. Because those simple character models, breaking them up into crystals, speeding up and slowing down time is real art. This originality has meant that we don't demand Forza Horizon 3-like graphics from the game. It's beautiful in both games, but in Superhot in a different way. I'll leave the plot of the game to you and won't spoil it, but despite appearances it exists and is quite good.
The game lacked some atmospheric music for me and the overall sound layer could have been much better. An even bigger drawback is that the game is quite short. We should complete the main campaign in a few hours. This is definitely not enough. Fortunately, bonus modes come to our rescue, allowing us to beat our own records and have fun to our heart's content. Besides, you can always complete the game again to look for new solutions.
Nevertheless, Superhot is a must-play. It is probably the most original game I have played. As I mentioned, simplicity is an art. The gameplay itself and the mechanics of the protagonist and enemies deserve the highest rating and a place in the Hall of Fame of gaming history. It is a true masterpiece.