Why Superhot: Mind Control Delete Gets So Weird In Node 7B
All of the Superhot games are deliberately mind-bending experiences, challenging concepts of player agency and perception. Superhot: Mind Control Delete tries to take this as far as possible - a notable example being Node 7B, when the player is suddenly assaulted with light blooms, distortions, and radically shifting world geometry. Is there any special explanation for this?
For those not familiar with the series, players assume the role of an anonymous protagonist whose friend shares Superhot as a fictional game within the game. It's a first-person shooter with a dose of melee combat, the trick being that time only moves when the player does. Eventually the protagonist learns that his/her mind is being hijacked, and he/she is persuaded to upload their consciousness into a system core. It's also hinted that the player could be a meat puppet tasked with killing "real" people - their humanity filtered through the game's abstract visuals, much like a drone pilot firing missiles in Afghanistan or Yemen.
The levels of Superhot: Mind Control Delete are grouped into "nodes," which the player has to restart if they fail. Initially Node 7B doesn't seem like it should be any different - as it progresses, however, the visual effects get more intense, to the point players might wonder if things are legitimately breaking. In truth the game is just continuing its themes and adding an extra layer of challenge, since winning means paying attention to map layouts rather than just mindlessly shooting and slashing (no pun intended). On an even simpler level, it prevents the game's aesthetics from becoming stale.
There is a sense of moments that radically alter perception of events in the previous games, but the first two titles - Superhot and Superhot VR - are comparatively tame in terms of breaking visuals. This might be a good thing for Superhot VR, which is already a headtrip thanks to total immersion and jumping between the "real" and Superhot worlds. Conversely, special effects in this manner could be fun - as the closest thing to LSD without actually taking any drugs.
Plans for continuing the Superhot universe are ambiguous. In 2018 Superhot Team announced Superhot JP, a Japanese-themed collaboration with Tokyo's GameTomo - but a link has disappeared from GameTomo's website, and there hasn't been any news on the project since. The developer is relatively unknown but did localize Studio MDHR's Cuphead, and due in spring 2021 is Sumire, an anime adventure set within a single day. For now, Superhot: Mind Control Delete has plenty of weirdness to keep players entertained.