SUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE, a full length standalone first-person shooter where time doesn't really move much until you do is out now and it's pretty magnificent.
The feeling of being able to duck and weave through bullets, like something out of the Matrix is what truly makes SUPERHOT MCD so fine. Being able to throw a bottle at an enemy resulting in them dropping their weapon, so you can run in and grab it mid-air is just so ridiculous and enjoyable.
Is it pretty much SUPERHOT 2? Yes—and no, it's complicated and I can see why it's not called that. It does basically everything you would expect another game to do: take the basic idea from the original and build on top of it to create something a bit different while also being very familiar. It's not just more SUPERHOT though, it's quite a different game overall. One that pulls you into it in a similar way with a very similar feel and then expands. New levels, new weapons, entirely new game mechanics and the list goes on. Once again though, time is actually always moving. Time only moves when you move? No, it is moving, just super slowly.
While the first game played out something like a puzzle, MCD is a lot more random and depends on your ability to think on your toes. It's much more like a shooter than the original, complete with a health system and all. A fun shooter though and I've very much enjoyed it. Run out of bullets, throw the gun, pick up a bottle and throw that too and yes even the balls on the Pool table can be thrown. So many things to turn into a weapon.
There's even a node-based map to pick areas that gives it a roguelike touch, with most slots giving you a small series of missions. This is where you can also pick up some extra abilities to unlock, as some nodes will be abilities instead of levels to play through. You get a little tutorial of the new abilities when you acquire them too. You can even repeat nodes you've completed if you particularly enjoyed them.
As you progress through each node in the series of missions, you get to 'hack your mind' and unlock special powerups like more health, starting with a gun, having thrown items explode when they hit something and there's a good few more with them all resetting for the next node.
It's not only in-level upgrades you get to pick, as you also come across special Cores to unlock other main abilities that can stick around. So if you don't like multiple hearts, use something else. One of these lets you pounce forwards and hit enemies in the head with force, which I will admit to having quite a lot of fun with. Here's a quick video to show it in action:
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The enemies do gradually get a little more difficult too, it's not just the plain red crystal-like people always chasing you. It starts throwing in enemies that only have specific body parts that you can target like an arm or a leg. Not only that, some of them come running in with a weapon that's part of their body and breaks with them so you can't pinch it after you punch them in the face. There's a few nice twists like that.
I will say there are times it becomes repetitive though. Mostly due to the small missions and locations but thankfully the gameplay shines through that I didn't notice it too often. Overall though I've had a ridiculous amount of fun with it and that's the most important thing here. There's moments it's made me panic, plenty of times I've had a huge grin on my face for the tricks I managed to pull off and it's just body-smashing fun.
How is the Linux version? Well, compared to how the original launched (rough) it's a completely different experience. It's wonderfully smooth, the input feels really great and it performs perfectly. The only thing that I couldn't get to work is replay recording. It's also pretty good with a gamepad but I do much prefer mouse control for such an FPS.
If you wish to pick up SUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE it's available from the Humble Store, GOG and Steam. You don't actually need to have played the original either. If you purchased the original before now, you should have been given MCD for free.
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