Superhot Is a Refreshing New Twist on the Old Shooter Recipe

One of our favorite things about checking out new ID@Xbox games is how totally unique they always feel. Talented developers form all over the globe are pushing boundaries and twisting familiar genres on their head. One of the games really embodying this concept is Superhot, a new shooter that changes how you think about shooters.

Superhot came about as part of a shooter genre game jam, and has since grown into a full-fledged title on multiple platforms. Superhot’s premise is simple, but revolutionary: It’s a first-person shooter where time doesn’t move unless you’re moving. This means that you can aim and plan your attacks while everyone stands frozen, as bullets trail by you… and then you can launch into an attack which, to your enemies, makes it seem as though you have lightning-fast reflexes.

The levels in Superhot start simple enough – teaching you the mechanics of moving, and all the various objects in the area that can be used as weapons. But as the game progresses, you get put into insane situations straight out of a John Woo action movie, where you’re surrounded by enemies, and every object in the area becomes critical to your success. This is where Superhot gets awesome.

While it’s technically a first-person shooter, Superhot is equally a puzzle game, requiring you to figure out the best plan of attack over and over again, getting one or two steps further each time. Playing Superhot is like all the best parts of “The Matrix” combined – it takes the concept of bullet-time, and expands on it like crazy. We could totally see this concept being used to simulate super-speed or telepathy; it’s really cool. The visual style, with its clean white levels and bright red enemies, adds to the “virtual reality” feel of the game.

Superhot hits Xbox One soon. Start practicing that aim and those reflexes… you’re going to need them!