[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/38888018-United-Critics/] Please follow United Critics for quality reviews Superhot: Mind Control Delete Review John Wick + Matrix Styled Game SUPERHOT’s slick shootouts are back but with a twist. This game has no story or narrative aspect. It’s just so.......Random. SUPERHOT is basically a fusion of John Wick’s badass ways of killing people plus The Matrix’s time stopping bullet-dodging feature. You would think the game would be repetitive, but this is where you are wrong. It does have a sprinkle of repetition, but all the levels differ from each other as they are randomly generated. Enemies become stronger and tougher to defeat as you progress. But you get access to abilities too! You can switch places with enemies, pounce at them, thrown objects explode on impact like a frag grenade, and several other abilities that enable you to face tougher enemies. Storyline If you are expecting a storyline from this game, then don’t bother getting this game. This game is the embodiment of randomness. It’s so random that it will drive you crazy. At one time, you will be going through a planned path of Nodes, then suddenly, you encounter a random flow of crazy and senseless levels. So yeah, no storyline. Gameplay There is no specific path for you to follow to kill the enemies. Smash ‘em with your fists, slice ‘em with you Katana, Shred ‘em with a shotgun, puncture ‘em with shurikens or knives and there are so many other props that can be used to kill them. I can say that the possibilities in ways of killing them are almost endless. I forgot to mention that this game is in First Person Perspective! Several shooters use a feature called “Bullet Time” which basically slows down time which enables you to get accurate shots and conserve ammo. This game took that concept and enhanced it. They made it so time stops when you stop. When you move, time moves. This permits you to dodge bullets like in the Matrix. It amplifies your reaction time, giving you more time to react. But it is not as easy as it seems. You only have 2 Hearts/Lives (Or more depending on the Hack/Buff you choose) and there is no room for mistakes here. So you fight, you die, you fight, you win or die again. Enemies spawn randomly here. They can spawn even behind you, and in this case, the game will flash text warning you to check your back. There are also doorways from which enemies come in. More than the required number of enemies spawn. You pass a level if you get the required number of kills, which isn’t mentioned. Enemies get tougher as you progress. Enemies with weapons that you cannot grab from them, enemies that take damage only if you hit the red crystal part on them, and other parts are white concrete which cannot be damaged, spiked enemies, etc. are some of the harder enemies that you will encounter. In my opinion, enemies with the Assault Rifle (Burst Fire) and Shot Guns are the hardest. Enemies with Katanas can slice your bullets but can be taken down by shooting them on the legs. Other types comparatively pose a lesser threat. The “weapons” you have access to range from a paintbrush and a palette to an Assault Rifle and Nail Gun. The combat system along with the time-stopping mechanism is what gives this game its charm. There are 9 main ways to kill enemies with the available weapons, but you can be creative and combine these ways to kill an enemy. Stunning enemies by throwing objects at them plays a crucial role as it can disarm armed enemies (Except the ones for whom the weapons become a part of them) and stun enemies that are charging at you. Graphics The game is restricted to a palette of 3 colors; Red, Black, and White. It also uses only two textures, Glossy and Matte. Most of the props and enemies look like glossy glass/crystals. For a game with limited colors and textures, the graphics are actually good. The animations of the enemies or weapons getting shattered are on point. The art style used is a Refined version of Low Poly assets. Pros [*] Immersive Gameplay that guarantees hours of fun. [*] Gives a good feeling to players. Makes you feel badass. [*] Unique concept. [*] Not very high system requirements. [*] Has a lot of humor which is showcased through intentional visual glitches and meaningless and crazy levels. [*] May be repetitive, but every level is random and you gain access to new buffs and abilities. Cons [*] Some people may feel the game is repetitive. [*] The game is too bright and has a lot of flashing lights and bright text which may affect players with epilepsy. [*] The game gets progressively harder and towards the end, it may become a bit too difficult for the players. Miscellaneous cores As you progress, you will unlock new .cores which will help you throughout the game. There are 4 .cores: [*] MORE: You start with 3 hearts instead of two. It’s a default .core that you start with. MORE has two special .hacks. 4HP.hack (Increases Max Hearts to 4) and 5HP.hack (Increases Max Hearts to 5). [*] CHARGE: You can charge/pounce at an enemy that’s nearby while you have a melee weapon equipped or no weapons. It stuns the enemy and enables you to take them down in 2 hits instead of three. CHARGE has two special .hacks, recharge.hack (Reduces recharge time for this .core) and chainchrg.hack (Enables you to charge at more than one person within the time limit). This ability is overpowered with the suppunch.hack which allows you to one punch enemies. [*] HOTSWITCH: This .core allows you to swap bodies with an enemy and kills your previous body (Which is the enemy now). But this forces you to throw your weapon which will break (Except the knife and Katana). HOTSWITCH has two special .hacks, prfswitch.hack (Allows you to keep the enemy’s weapon except for the red ones) and ultraswitch.hack (which enables you to switch bodies with several enemies under the time limit). [*] RECALL: This gives you the strtkatana.hack (You start with a Katana) and the ability to recall any katana, slicing through all the enemies in its way (Even concrete enemies). RECALL has two special .hacks, piercing.hack (Different from the piercshot.hack, this allows your katana to pierce through several enemies rather than getting stuck inside the body of one) and flwrecall.hack (Allows your Katana to bounce between enemies and killing them on its way back to you). hacks The game has 7 default .hacks and 14 unlockable .hacks. Those are too many to list so I won’t. Hacks enhance your attacks, that is add more punch and firepower to your attacks or increase your physical abilities. Some also improve the performance of the cores. Bosses Yes, this game has three bosses: [*] Dog: Has the CHARGE.core. [*] NINDŻA: Has the RECALL.core. [*] ADDICT: Has the HOTSWITCH.core. Each boss utilizes the core’s abilities to defeat you. These bosses are tough to defeat and takes a lot of patience and thinking. Hidden Mechanics 1. Watch Out!: If an enemy sneaks up behind you without you seeing them and strikes you with a melee weapon, you will not take damage and instead receive the message “WATCH YOUR BACK”. This doesn’t work against people with guns as you can hear the shots. 2. Anti-Spawn: If you are at a punch distance from an enemy spawn point like doorways, the game ensures enemies don’t spawn from there, hence making it fair. Conclusion This game is a whole new concept that I have never come across. I really liked the gameplay and its whole idea of randomness and craziness! The game is free for people who owned Superhot before its release. It is also a Standalone now, and there are a lot of sales for it! Rating: 9/10 Juan Wick
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