4/5 ★ – eatpotatochip's review of SUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE.

Superhot originated as a proof-of-concept browser-based game based on a simple conceit - time moves when you move. It’s a shooter, so you’ll have multiple enemies firing at you, but if you stand still, enemies will be virtually still and bullets will move at a snail’s pace. The game got enough attention that the developers made a studio and released a full retail version, with multiple hand-crafted levels and scenarios, and made a VR version too, which got special acclaim. While working on a downloadable expansion for the original game, the team iterated on the concept enough that they believed they could make a brand new product altogether, and at the end of the process, they released Superhot: Mind, Control, Delete, meant to be a game much bigger in scope than its predecessors. I’m not sure about whether the size and scope of the game helps it, though. There’s a popular genre of games called “Roguelike”, where the term is derived from a 1980 game called Rogue, and describes games that give you a semi-randomized collection of rooms, enemies and collectibles that you can use to progress through the created levels. Superhot: MCD takes some elements from the genre - there are around thirty hand-crafted rooms, and you progress through nodes that give you a set number of lives and a set number of rooms, randomly chosen from the total collection, to traverse and complete. You get randomized powers as you progress through a node, and finishing a node gives you access to more nodes, as well as more story. The story of the games themselves use a lot of meta elements, and I’ve never really been interested in them. MCD doesn’t really change that for me, and unlocking new nodes and powers can feel repetitive, as you keep finishing the same levels over and over. The powers are fun, and the core gameplay is still very addictive, so I kept coming back to the game, but I also kept closing it after a few hours because I wasn’t feeling that entertained by it. Ultimately, I do like it. I think I just don’t have the space for repeat playthroughs of new games in my life right now. I’d hesitate to call this a better game than the original Superhot, but it’s still very addictive, a lot of fun, and while the ending’s meta touches end up being more irritating than amusing, it’s still a great game to play.