When I read Eric’s review of SUPERHOT, which released about a month before the Oculus Rift, I knew I had to play the game someday, and that it looked destined for VR. Well, as back catalog’s go, this one finally got it’s chance, and none too soon thanks to the Forever Edition update. Plus, I just got in my Touch controllers a few weeks ago, which SUPERHOT VR requires.
I won’t reiterate most of what Eric already described in his review, but I have to say playing in a good-sized open space with the Touch controllers proved both really fun and extremely comfortable. I think this is probably the most comfortable VR experience I have ever had, and that it included so much arm and hand movement, as well as ducking, a bit of walking, and lots of standing, really says a lot. Thanks to a batch file that unlocked the Forever Edition content, I was able to dive right into that, but the core game itself should not be missed. The Forever Edition doesn’t add a great deal per se, but it does give players more reasons to keep playing. The update primarily adds Achievement-like challenges, such as a gameplay mode where you must get headshots on all enemies — easier said then done, especially for those enemies at even a marginal distance. If you want yet more challenge, try playing through the whole game without even shooting, or attempt to complete all nineteen levels in ten minutes. Enemies can also be faster with less reaction time given, and you can also race against yourself in both bullet-time and real-time.
These extras are nice, and welcomed, but the core game still stands up quite well on its own. The game features little to no story, no voices, and the concept is simple — you enter a scene and must survive, taking out all enemies in the process. The key concept is, of course, time moves only when you do. This includes looking around, moving either or both hands, or walking — all of these movements being done as the player stands up, with the Oculus sensors tracking your movements. The result is an interesting blend of rapid movement and brief pauses for strategy. Enemies die in one hit, even if it’s from one punch or a stapler that you throw at them, but, the player also dies in one hit as well. Each area — construction site, office, graveyard, helipad, and more than a dozen others — is comprised of four or five stages. Failure on any stage results in starting the whole scenario over, but load times are instantaneous and, given that there is a challenge to finish the entire game in ten minutes, clearly no one stage is particularly long, but some are challenging, espeically the last stage in the last level, The Pyramid.
Play SUPERHOT VR for very long at all, and you’re likely to break a sweat. Unlike some VR experiences, sweating isn’t from motion sickness or being tense from a scary atmosphere, it’s from moving around a fair amount. I like having to actually duck down to hit from the stream of bullets flying at me, and flicking shurikens, knives, or even guns that ran out of ammo, is fun.
While short, SUPERHOT VR is very accessible, addictive, and simply fun to play. It’s also very comfortable to experience, and the Forever Edition adds more reason to come back for additional challenges should you desire. If you haven’t checked it out yet, this is the way to play it.
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