Reprinted on Wednesday 28 September 2022: We’re bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of October’s PlayStation Plus Essentials lineup. The original text is as follows.
SUPERHOT is the most innovative shooter we’ve played in years. We’re not saying this just because the game tells us – it’s true. This time-bending tour-de-force only kicks in when you do, creating puzzle-like scenarios where you need to weave through fire-power and lob objects to overcome impossible obstacles. It’s absolutely fantastic.
While this non-virtual reality version is built on the same premise as Superhot VR, it is for all intents and purposes a completely different game. The main difference here is that, using the DualShock 4, you have full speed; The PlayStation VR version roots you in more or less the same place and teleports you around the whitewashed environment.
This changes the experience quite significantly as strafing and other maneuvers all come into play, so it’s even more frenetic than what you’ll find with virtual reality. Of course, this comes with its drawbacks: For example, you can’t quite contrast your body with PlayStation VR, so lug around bullets such as mold Is impossible.
It’s probably best not to compare the two as they both complement each other in different ways: while there’s a sense of “imprisonment” to the non-VR version that extends to the scale of the stages and the fact that You are limited by the size of your television screen, here’s a better story that deals with a nefarious AI that’s trying to take control of your mind.
The game breaks the fourth wall with reckless abandon, padding puzzle scenarios with subliminal messages, faux-chatroom exchanges, and an engaging menu system full of minigames and weird tech demos. It all helps to perpetuate the idea that you’re tied to an operating system and you’re not solely in charge of what you’re doing.
While you’ll blast through the campaign in about three hours, the package’s run time is extended with additional modes, like Endless – which turn the core gameplay loop into an extremely compelling arcade game. And there are tons of challenge options, too, that let you beat the game in a certain amount of time – or with a single weapon, like the katana.
conclusion
Superhot is the best. It may lack the physicality of its virtual reality alter-ego, but it makes up for it with a mind-bending story and an on-point menu system. The slow motion shooting is still very satisfying, and the added movement creates a different kind of cadence for the PlayStation VR version. Buy both versions if you can, as they complement each other and are unacceptable in our humble opinion. Now tell all your friends…
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