SUPERHOT VR (PlayStation 4) Review

The gameplay of Superhot is a simple, yet ingenious, concept for making a very visually striking, yet also very strategic, action game that relies on everyone's basic understanding of first-person shooters. The stylish and minimalistic design of everything only helps emphasise the action, with the bright red enemies popping out against the stark white locations as if they are screaming, "SHOOT HERE!" and then shattering like glass when a coffee mug smashes against their face. It creates a very satisfying feedback loop when up against multiple red guys and picking them off one by one in rapid succession... when it works. Superhot VR has quite a few design choices that are highly suspect, as well as some horrendous bugs that might require the game to be rebooted from the home screen.

Superhot VR is one of the few PSVR titles that requires the use of two PS Move sticks for the left and right hands, and has absolutely no option to play it with a standard DualShock 4. The PS Move controllers are a bit finicky as is, and to ensure that they function properly it means a very wide open playing space and that the game expects the user to play standing up for best results. Failure to comply will make the game almost impossible to play, since the player-avatar is standing and will have to sometimes reach to the floor to pick up a weapon, but if the user is sitting in a chair then unless they are able to punch through their floor, they can just forget about using that weapon. This game requires very precise movements and accuracy, compounded by the pressure of time that comes with several armed red guys, so unless the user has a set-up that is in compliance with Superhot VR's demands, expect the game to break a lot.

Even when in compliance with said demands, there is still a highly likely chance it will bug out and break. Upon booting the game up for the first time, the game presents itself in a white void with a pistol to be grabbed, which is self-explanatory. However, the first time playing this, the game bugged out and the firearm was way out of reach for whatever reason. Without having to hit the TV screen and go past the wall behind it into the next room (way past the PS Camera), there would be no way to grab this gun and to begin the game. This was the first impression Superhot VR made, and it consistently was buggy throughout a three-hour play session. There was one glitch that was constant in the game that was particularly distracting, and it was the right hand of the player-character, which looked like the model broke when forming a fist. The left hand wouldn't do this, and they seem like they were meant to be symmetrical, so unless it is a bizarre design decision or some kind of error, it still doesn't change the fact that this is one aspect of the game that was a constant distraction.

As mentioned earlier, the standard version of Superhot is a game with full range movement, and Superhot VR is a stationary action shooting gallery. Since the game's main mechanic is movement and dodging, users will now have to channel their inner Keanu Reeves and physically avoid the incoming bullets. This is actually fairly engaging and feels pretty accurate, and the only way they could have made this more immersive is if the PSVR headset had a rumble force feedback in it to simulate the sensation of getting shot in the head.

It is a pretty tense moment to be staring down a bullet when it's frozen in time and millimetres away from your face, only to deflect it with another bullet. It is disappointing that there is no movement beyond dodging in place, and that there is not even a teleport style of movement as seen in other VR games, since if it did use a standard controller for movement, there stood the chance to make a much deeper and more intense game.

The sad fact is the PS Move controllers are just not reliable. It's neat they try to replicate 1:1 movement and aiming of a gun like in real life, but in Superhot VR, the accuracy is just not there due to technical failings. Too often while trying to position a shot, the weapons will waver unnaturally and sometimes float away. In a fairy hardcore game like this, where a single hit means restarting the gauntlet again, it is especially egregious that the technical shortcomings hold this game back from being playable at times. What story there is only serves the excuse for the cool gameplay, and is certainly not why anyone would play this. This VR edition does not come recommended at all, and interested parties are best to stick with the standard version.