SUPERHOT is a bit of an odd success story. Coming off of a massive wave of support from YouTube and Reddit in recent months, it is quite unusual for a title with such humble beginnings. SUPERHOT started off as an entry into a 7DFPS jam, a brief but superb Unity game made largely as an exercise in pushing the boundaries of FPS mechanics. After a whirlwind of acclaim and excitement, the dev team has pushed its prototype onto Steam Greenlight in record time and has moved to Kickstarter for funding to complete development.
The hype around SUPERHOT is definitely warranted. Just having played the original 7DFPS jam prototype, it’s clear that the core elements of the game are remarkably smooth and solid. It plays quite unlike anything else I’ve ever had the chance to experience: SUPERHOT manages to live up to the promise of its tagline, “Time only moves when you move.” Without any input, the game moves at an absolute crawl, as bullets travel at a snail’s pace and NPCs stand essentially frozen in time. As you move, each level accelerates to proportionately fit your actions. Glance around with the camera, and time starts to move a bit more quickly. Running sets SUPERHOT flying into real-time, bullets and all.
Somewhere between The Matrix and Goldeneye, players in the SUPERHOT demo control an enigmatic agent tasked with removing enemy combatants in a series of classic action movie set-pieces, each highly visually stylized. In a level set in a restaurant, giant white text flashes “THE DEAL IS OFF” across the screen as a gun drops out of midair. A man across from you, presumably the other end of the titular deal, draws his weapon just as the bartender reveals his own arms. Backup arrives from an elevator. And you can dodge every bullet they throw at you, provided you take your time. In this sense, SUPERHOT feels more like a puzzle game rather than a shooter, a methodical system which requires patience to ensure success. Of course, as every post about the game has reiterated, each completed scene finishes with a flashing loop of “SUPER. HOT.” , paired with hypnotic repetition from the narrator.
The Kickstarter page reveals that the team is planning on expanding the narrative of the game as well as working on a massive upgrade to visuals and a new arsenal of weapons. The crowdfunding trailer (embedded above) shows off a sword which can slice bullets out of the air, shotguns, and several new levels including a fantastic subway fight. Any game that proclaims that “[In SUPERHOT] you don’t collect bullets. You collect GUNS.” earns high marks for seriously stylized action, and SUPERHOT has completely nailed its aesthetic.
Seeking a $100,000 goal, the game is nearing $30k in backing at the time of writing. Pledges start at $14 USD and include Steam and DRM-free downloads of the game as well as access to developer forums and a packet of digital goods. One thing’s for sure, even the demo is SUPERHOT.
*Edit* Since the time of writing, the game has now reached is funding mark of $100.000. That’s right, the game got funded in less than 24 hours. New stretch landmarks have been added, and we’ll be monitoring to see how well the kickstarter funding does over the next 29 days.