At long last, the wait is over. Superhot VR has finally come to the HTC Vive after much anticipation. For those of you that missed all of the hype about Superhot VR since its release on the Oculus Rift in late 2016, let’s get you caught up to speed.
Superhot is a first person shooter with a slight twist – time control. Time only moves when the player does, adding a unique puzzle element and breaking it free from the typical characteristics of common FPS titles. While standing still, everything in-game freezes allowing the player to strategize their next move and figure out the best way to eliminate targets. Resume moving and unleash the mayhem.
All of this, in conjunction with VR, makes for a crazy ride. Players will quickly find themselves lost in this cerebral experience while the game slowly ramps up the difficulty with each stage. It takes careful planning and impeccable execution to outsmart the game’s mysterious red enemies as they begin to wield better weapons and increase in number.
It all started back in 2013 when a group of friends began working on the game’s first prototype. In a Hail Mary effort, the team managed to win the WGK 2013 Developer Showcase award. Fast forward to E3 2014, Oculus Rift showcased the Superhot demo in their spotlight, catapulting the title higher on top of a more than successful Kickstarter campaign.
To add onto their already great year, Superhot was also a finalist for the Most Amazing Game Award at A.MAZE BERLIN 2014. With the help of the Kickstarter campaign, the Superhot team was able to fast track the title and begin development for the PC and Xbox One.
When the title was initially released in February and May of 2016, the game did not have a VR aspect. The team was primed to take the title to the next level and bring users a truly exhilarating experience. It was around this time that Oculus Rift offered to help fund the game’s development in exchange for exclusivity.
Unable to pass up such a great offer and opportunity, the Superhot team began to rebuild the game from the ground up and Superhot VR was released in December of 2016.
Gamers in the community without Oculus Rift felt a little irked at the deal Superhot struck with Oculus for exclusivity. Though the team explained that without funding from Oculus, the title may never have happened, some gamers felt it was damaging and restrictive to the virtual reality community.
Prior to the Superhot VR release, Oculus nullified the decision to make the title exclusive and the developer team expressed their intent roll the game out for other virtual reality systems.
The VR version of the game was received by an ecstatic gaming community eager to immerse themselves in the unique Superhot world. Gamers and critics alike raved about the level of immersion, and artful design that closely embodied what it would be like in the Matrix as some would put it.
More recently, Superhot VR took home the Best Game Award at the Unity Vision Summit 2017. With a strong developer team and virtual reality technology that’s constantly evolving, be sure to keep an on these guys and see what they come up with next.
Now coming to the HTC Vive, gamers without the Oculus Rift will finally have the opportunity to experience this amazing title. The time has come – grab your HTC Vive and prepare yourself for a time-altering strategic shooter like no other, Superhot VR.
