TECH2

It’s highly stylized, fun, and different from anything you’ve played before. It’s a little like The Matrix and a little like Portal. It’s a puzzle game masquerading as a really cool FPS.

It’s SUPERHOT and it’s awesome and you should get it.

Here’s why.

SUPERHOT is the quintessential indie-game done good. It started as a small project, went through Steam’s Greenlight process, got bigger, then did a Kickstarter, and got even bigger. It did all that on the strength of it’s gameplay and idea.

And what is that? Well, it’s deceptively simple: time only moves when you do. Check out this trailer:

It’s the best use of The Matrix bullet time in a game ever (yes, I’m including Max Payne). The manipulation of time becomes a weapon in your arsenal. You die in one shot or touch, so you have to slow time.

So at it’s core, SUPERHOT is actually a puzzle game. Is "action puzzle game" a thing? Using guns, swords, and various in-world objects, you run and jump your way through mono-chromatic environments with the singular goal of killing red man-shaped objects. Do it right, and you feel like Neo.

Like Portal there’s more going on here than just level upon level of featureless red bad guys. No spoilers.

One slight disappointment is the single player campaign is quite short. I finished it in an evening. However, this unlocks challenges and Endless mode which is pretty much what it sounds like. One map, endless bad guys. You try to string together as many epic kills in a row as possible. Quite fun, that.

This year is turning out to be an incredible year for games already. Firewatch blew my mind for story and enviroment. SUPERHOT blew my mind for creative mechanics and outright fun.

Oh, and it’s only $25. Go forth and purchase. Super. Hot. Super. Hot. Super. Hot…

SUPERHOT