Review for Superhot. Game for PlayStation Network, PC, Mac, Xbox One and Linux, the video game was released on 25/02/2016 The version for Xbox One came out on 03/05/2016
Superhot is one of those indies that is difficult to criticize from an objective lens: it tries to do only one thing, it does it very well and it ends before it tires the player, while still offering a lot of optional content for hardcore fans. Mind Control Delete therefore had a simple and arduous task at the same time, take the most innovative shooter of recent years and propose it again with new levels and content. He succeeds in this task, but due to the nature of the content he tried to propose, he unfortunately loses some of the charm of the original title.
Mind Control Delete is literally Superhot, “again” Superhot. The game itself sets the record straight right away, so much so that even the start button is called AGAIN, while the one to stop the game is ENOUGH. Like the original, this expansion also plays a lot on the meta narrative, to the point of basing the typology of its content on it. The philosophy that the developers followed is in fact that of taking the already tested base and extracting as much content as possible. This materializes in some challenges that will put the player to face levels generated in semi-procedurality (we will explain what we mean shortly) with 2 lives available to get to the end of the chain of levels and unlock the following chains.
Continuing through the various chains will unlock more and more content capable of significantly changing the structure of the game. Among these we will have two types of upgrades for the protagonist: the cores, which will give him a passive ability around which the random power ups obtainable between the various stages will turn, and the hacks, which are the just mentioned upgrades.. In this way Superhot Mind Control Delete partially takes on the features of a roguelike, although it cannot come close to the extreme variety of the best exponents of the genre, and at the same time it is much less severe in the punishment in case of defeat. This discourse is also applicable to the previously mentioned semi-procedural system of levels.
The chains will feature levels in order and random maps, but fixed numbers and a level of difficulty generally calibrated according to progress in the game; however the maps are always the same, to change inside them are the positioning of the enemies and the spawn of these, which will be different each time in type and position, with the exception of the first 2 enemies which are usually fixed, with some variations quite rare. This system is what we believe to be weakest in Mind Control Delete, especially when compared to the original Superhot. Random elements are too few to make maps always fun like in The Binding of Isaac or Enter the Gungeon, but at the same time they can lead to the same frustrating unfair defeat situations that can happen in other games of the genre. They can spawn shotgun enemies at the beginning of the level that will shoot you before you can move, they can spawn trap bombs within one meter of the starting point which, although ingeniously signaled by an audio alarm, can be unavoidable or take you by surprise .
The punishment for defeat is represented by having to restart the chain of levels, which in itself is not particularly annoying, but towards the last levels the situations of excess chaos that lead to losing to other causes can be very frustrating, especially since chains stretch up to about ten levels. In general we would have preferred to have levels in the style of the original Superhot rather than this system adopted by Mind Control Delete, but we would be lying if we said we didn't have much fun anyway thanks to the excellent base of the gameplay. The additions to the mix are all in all excellent and exponentially increase the tactical potential in the player's hand, but also putting him in front of a greater risk in front of unique enemies or new weapons.
On a technical level Mind Control Delete is literally identical to Superhot, with the added problem that white enemies often get confused with the background. Similar speech for the music, still absent for the style of the game - a choice that we continue to appreciate - except for a map, disco, which instead has a song in the background, which changes rhythm according to the passage of time, very nice touch.
Summing up, there's little to say about Mind Control Delete because it's essentially a semi-procedural mode for Superhot. Those who loved Superhot will certainly be at ease and will appreciate the new additions that enrich the gameplay without revolutionizing it. For those who want to get closer to the brand, we recommend playing the 2016 title first, given that Mind Control Delete, despite being standalone, depends a lot on the original title both in the little narrative and in the gameplay base which we believe will be much more appreciated by those who has already tried the 2016 Superhot experience.
► Superhot is a Shooter-Puzzle-Tactical-indie game for PlayStation Network, PC, Mac, Xbox One and Linux, the video game was released on 25/02/2016 The version for Xbox One came out on 03/05/2016
