Superhot VR

When I got my hands on Oculus Rift I wondered what games should I buy or try. Except for knowing that I really wanted to play Half-Life: Alyx I had no idea what else I could possibly play. So instead of blindly trying games I decided to do a little research on what the best VR games. One of the games that I saw pretty much in all the lists I went through was Superhot VR.

The description seemed interesting but I never really grasped how the game could actually work. So months later I finally decided to give that game a try and few levels in I fell in love with it.

So what makes the game so good? I suppose that all of you have seen The Matrix (or at least a trailer for it). You probably remember the scenes where Neo dodges bullets and you can all see that in slow motion. It's not the only movie (or game) that uses that (see Max Payne) and there were attempts at recreating this as a game mechanic but it never really worked out that well. Even in Pistol Whip where you can avoid bullets in this kind of fashion it doesn't feel that awesome. The thing is, in Superhot, when you do not move everything is at a standstill. The moment you start moving everything will start to move as well. How fast you move is how fast everything else moves.

During your mission to destroy the pyramid you are attacked by red men that want to punch you, stab you or shoot you and what you need to do is (most of the time) get rid of them by pretty much the same actions but first you need to assess the situation grab a gun or anything you can use to kill them. All this requires movement at certain speed and that is the speed at which the enemies move and shoot. When you press the trigger on a gun or throw an object the time moves pretty fast for a short moment and you suddenly see how fast a bullet can reach you. The first few times the bullet will most likely hit you.

At first if you are not sure what to do or where your enemies are, it's good to move slowly and do not accelerate much. For example it's good to shoot after you actually see that someone fired so you already see the trajectory the bullet will follow. After you replay a part of a level several times you'll find out that you can clear that part in a lightning speed since you already know what will most likely happen.

Finishing a level is very rewarding no matter how you finish it. Each level consists of several parts. If you die you'll start over at the beginning of the level and need to go through all the parts again. Dying a lot though means that you get better fast and that you often finish the parts of levels in a spectacular fashion. It gives you the feeling of being a real action movie star. I have to say I was surprised how fast I could go through some parts. This game can be finished in 7 minutes if you speedrun it but you'll probably take much more time the first time you play it. The game can be finished in one hour even if you die a lot.

The enemies die after one hit no matter what hit them - be it a mug or a shotgun shot. The weapons in the game have limited number of rounds which is really nice. If you miss too much you'll have to use your fists or other items that are laying around. If there are none you are pretty much screwed. Bullets can also be stopped by items, guns or bullets but it's usually better to simply dodge. Friendly fire in the enemy ranks is actually something that happens too and you can use that to your advantage.

What I like about this game is that you actually need to shoot at the place the enemy will move into, not where the enemy is when you fire the shot (unless it's at a really short distance). Also you should use both hands to deal with your enemies and that is really cool. I don't like it when you have to use just one hand and this allowed me to freely use both hands and it felt pretty natural.

The game can be finished in one go and will make your brain think hard. You'll also move quite a lot.

Since I spoke about movement maybe I should note something. The game doesn't show Room-scale play area or a warning that it needs a lot of room but I have to say that after the initial scene in which I couldn't even reach the glass enemy I'd say it does require more room than a game that just shows 'Standing' (note my play area is small). When I was playing the game I actually moved quite a lot and punched furniture around me, the window and even my monitor. I literally walked out of the tracking area few times. Being able to freely move on a bigger play area actually feels great so I recommend having enough room around you.

As for the graphics I'm not entirely sure what to say. I like the concept, white environment that's not distracting and red enemies making them very easy to spot and you stay alert at all times. Stuff you can use to kill your enemies is black which is also easy to spot. Graphically it may look strange on screenshots but this simplicity allows you to concentrate on the game. It's actually great when you play.

The game is simple to grasp with great and unique play mechanic and is very fluid. While the game can seem repetitive you can always strive for more coolness or speed and it's always rewarding when you reach your goal. The game is short, can be finished in about an hour the first time you play it, which may be a negative aspect for some people since this game also costs 25 USD. The game has a good replayability though in my opinion. After you finish the game for the first time you can replay it to get better and learn how to speed run it or you can try some of the challenges that get unlocked. It is a game I'd highly recommend.

S'Tsung (stsungjp @ Twitter)