Superhot: Mind Control Delete Review

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Fast Facts

Superhot: Mind Control Delete

Developer: Superhot Team
Publisher: Superhot Team
Website: http://superhotgame.com/
Genre: Action, Shooter, Strategy
Platform: PlayStation 4
Age Rating: Pegi 12
Release Date: 16/06/2020
Price: £19.99

A code was provided for review purposes.

Brain Wash Or Brain Wave?

Superhot is the most innovative shooter I’ve played in years… Or have I just been programmed to say that? I can’t be sure myself. What I can say for sure is, Superhot: Mind Control Delete made me feel like a bullet-dodging, katana-wielding, Tron-esque John Wick and I loved every second of it!

Superhot: Mind Control Delete was released in July 2020 and is the third title in the Superhot series. It has been in early access for roughly four years, the extra polish applied in this time makes Mind Control Delete the slickest game in the franchise to date.

For those of you new to the series, Superhot features an interesting blend of first person action shooter and strategic thinking. The concept is subtly simple yet stupendous fun. All the action of the game, including the travel of bullets, only move in real time when you move. If you stand still, everything else remains still, like a deadly game of Grandma’s Footsteps.

A Simple Yet Satisfying Design

The visual design of Superhot is minimal but effective; enemy vulnerable areas are red, usable weapons and items are black, everything else is a mix of white and grey. This visual shorthand allows for near instant understanding and access to the game’s mechanics. You can pick up Superhot in seconds but it will take you much longer to put down.

Running alongside the unique gameplay is a wonderfully meta story full of existential intrigue. To explain it in detail would spoil it for you, but I will say it is mysterious, thought provoking, and cuts very close to home. There is just enough story here to leave me wanting MORE MORE MORE.

Starting Your Killing Spree

The game plays out over a collection of procedurally generated combat nodes. You start in one of 32 locations, you kill the nearest enemy, you kill again, and again, and again. As the last enemy shatters, you glitch into another location and start the killing spree all over again.

You start simply, like many killers do, with your bare hands. Soon you are hurling everything from ninja stars to televisions, clubbing your enemies with pipes, cutting them in half with katanas, and firing hot lead from pistols, shotguns and rifles. There is a great deal of satisfaction in throwing a sword into an oncoming enemy, then catching his shotgun in mid air before turning, and emptying both barrels into the next stack of cannon fodder advancing towards you.

Unlocking Your Superhot Potential

As you progress through Superhot: Mind Control Delete, you unlock a number of cores and hacks for use in combat. Cores offer a selection of abilities that really give you the edge in combat and allow for a number of different play styles, but only one core can be used at a time. My favourite equips you with a katana which can be telepathically returned to your hand after a short cooldown, it’s a clear cut above the rest.

Hacks are small combat buffs such as: increased throwing abilities, additional ammunition in weapons, improved movement speed, starting with a random gun, ricocheting bullets, and much more. These hacks become available randomly between bloodbaths. A choice of two is provided each time, allowing you to craft hundreds of unique combinations and builds as you play.

A Whole World Of Killing

Superhot: Mind Control Delete is the biggest game in the series and offers hours and hours of slow motion carnage. Later sections of the game up the difficulty by including proximity traps, area sensitive and explosive enemies, and unique unkillable enemies that turn your tricks against you. The difficulty ramps up gradually in manageable little steps, allowing you to get to grips with new game mechanics as they are introduced.

If you haven’t yet experienced Superhot, I’d suggest jumping right in with Mind Control Delete. Like the player of the game, you will get lost in its world for longer than you think. You’ll find yourself thinking there must me MORE than this? Then there is MORE, and you want MORE, but is MORE really enough for you?

Rapid Reviews UK Rating

You can purchase Superhot: Mind Control Delete from the PlayStation Store