PC Review #141: SuperHOT

Title: SuperHOT
Developer: SuperHOT Team
Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux
Price: $24.99
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I have fond memories of the original SuperHOT prototype. The 7DFPS jam entry was short, but so unique and stylish, and just begged to be built upon. And now three years and one successful Kickstarter later, SuperHOT is back, bigger and more beautiful than ever before, but still retaining the elegant gameplay that made the concept so much fun.

SuperHOT revolves around a simple singular mechanic: time only moves when you move. (Actually that's false; time creeps past at a glacial pace when you're still). This one idea turns what, at full speed, is a furious first-person shooter with bullets and death closing in from every angle, into a strategic game of precision, planning, and action movie-tier feats.

In fact, SuperHOT is best compared to Hotline Miami. You die in one hit, combat is a mix of guns and melee, guns have limited ammo, and spent weapons become thrown items to stun enemies with. But while Hotline Miami was an exercise in excess, with its pounding synth, gruesome kills, and flurries of room-clearing violence, SuperHOT is its mirror opposite. It's a game of minimalism and restraint, more time spent side-stepping bullets and planning your next move than attacking. Those methodical minutes-long sequences of time-slowed action only last mere seconds in real time.

Methodical is the most apt word to describe SuperHOT's pacing. Every moment is one of careful movement, since every step by you means danger is one step closer. Every variable needs to be considered. How many bullets do you have left in your gun? Do you have time and space to evade the bullets headed your way? Can you stun that enemy and close the distance soon enough to grab his fallen weapon?

With all those elements in play and time at your control, the combat in SuperHOT becomes the stuff of Hollywood magic or scenes that are usually only reserved for scripted moments and set pieces, especially when viewed at full speed. You snatch a gun out of the air and spin around to kill the enemies approaching from behind. Point blank shots are negated by a katana slicing the bullet in half. Weaving between bullets with effortlessly ease. And it's all presented in a minimalist crystalline aesthetic, where enemies shatter upon impact and the red trails of gun shots hang in the air.

You fight enemies in back alleys and parking garages, in building lobbies and warehouses; each level is a vignette, dropping you into a scenario already in play. The ambush. The deal gone sideways. The bar brawl. At first, these levels seem unconnected and random, but soon a story emerges. SuperHOT's narrative is surprisingly intriguing, a cyberpunk tale told through chatrooms and an enigmatic computer interface, reminiscent of recent games like Pony Island.

Once you complete the main campaign in a few hours, a vast selection of additional content unlocks. The Endless arenas and Challenges are where the bulk of your SuperHOT time will be spent. Each Challenge modifies the gameplay in unique ways that force you adapt new tactics for every level. KatanaOnly restricts your arsenal to merely a sword. TimeStop makes time freeze completely when you don't move, but you can only fire each gun once. SpeedRun tests your efficiency at maximizing each action.

SuperHOT takes the time-stopping gameplay that so intrigued people three years ago and improves upon it in every way. You can purchase the game on Steam, Humble, GMG, and GOG. The developers have plans to add more content and experiment with new ideas and concepts in the future.

SitRep: SuperHOT

Title: SuperHOT
Developer: SuperHOT Team
Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux
Currently on Kickstarter, Summer 2015 release
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SuperHOT was one of my favorite indies of 2013. While only a short prototype developed for the 7DFPS challenge, it was a promising game that combined stylish minimalist art with a unique "time moves when you move" mechanic, turning shootouts into art in motion and a puzzle action as you weaved between bullets and planned around your limited ammo. It was a project just begging to be expanded and explored further...and thankfully the developers thought the same. SuperHOT is back, bigger and more stylish than ever before.
The innovative mechanics and oh-so-satisfying gunplay remains intact, but the appearance and scope has evolved and matured. The minimal art has been upgraded to a textured, more detailed look that retains the contrasting red-on-white color scheme of the original. The gameplay has seen similar growth, promising a larger arsenal of guns and explosives, smarter and varied enemies, an endless arena mode, and Oculus Rift support. Perhaps what's most exciting about this expanded SuperHOT is the developer's vision for new levels: "shootout in a subway train, showdown on the top of a skyscraper in rain, jumping into a moving elevator...fighting in the middle of a motorway during rush hour." No longer will SuperHOT's action be confined to corridors and simple rooms, but expanded to visceral scenarios that rival the best action scenes.

Oh, and swords. You can slice bullets in half with a sword. 

SuperHOT is currently seeking funds on Kickstarter (almost 50% funded in only a few hours!). You play the original prototype here.

The Watchlist: SuperHOT

Title: SuperHOT
Developer: Blue Brick
Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux
Release N/A, in development
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SUPERHOT is an FPS game where time moves only when you move. This innovative yet remarkably intuitive time control mechanism crates gamplay that has never been seen before. Take your time! Get rid of aggressive enemies with grace, style and the intense satisfaction of watching them fall while you're dancing in a hail of bullets. With limited ammunition and unforgiving foes every level of SUPERHOT becomes a deadly puzzle. Short and intense action scenes. Dodging bullets. Taking down armed enemies with your bare hands. That’s the essence of SUPER. HOT. SUPER. HOT.

Originally created for the 2013 Seven Day FPS challenge, SuperHOT promises to take the concept that so enamored indie gamers (it hold the title for the fastest Greenlit title) and expand it into a full-length experience. The game's key mechanic is that your movement and the passage of time are linked: run around and time moves at a normal pace, move slow or stand still and time inches to a crawl.

The idea of time moving only you move turns the simple act of shooting into death-dealing art, as you dance around bullets and carefully target your foes. The minimalist visuals only add to the beauty of slow motion killing, as enemies crumple from your gunfire and blood sprays gracefully through the air; the red-white pallet makes every shot, every impact stand out. The gameplay itself is most akin to a first person Hotline Miami. You die in one hit and each gun has limited ammo, so staying mobile is critical to survival. You have you constantly have to be on the move, be counting your shots, be positioning yourself, and be aware of your enemies and surroundings. These factors, combined with rudimentary stealth and melee systems, make SuperHOT feel more like a combat puzzle game than a simple shooter.

The existing version (playable here) only lasts a few levels, but is endlessly replayable and entertaining due to the inherent style and finesse of the mechanics. Blue Bricks has high ambitions for the full game:

SUPERHOT can go many directions and we would like to take all those roads. Imagine a shootout in a hectic car traffic - where you have to avoid cars and bullets. Imagine a shootout in a building being demolished, with everything falling in slow motion. We want more then rooms with people and I hope that we can deliver that.

 SuperHOT doesn't have a release date yet, but can follow its development on the developer's Twitter page. They're also open to feedback so be sure to share your ideas and suggestions with them on Twitter and the game's Greenlight page.