SUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE

Artificial memes devised for artistic purposes aside, SUPERHOT really was the most innovative shooter I’ve played in years. MIND CONTROL DELETE isn’t quite at the same level, but it still has a number of tricks up its sleeve. A few of them affect gameplay, such as retractable katanas and bullet-deflecting punches, but they’re mostly concerned with narrative presentation. The game is practically a playable rebuttal of every numbskull that failed to realize the original’s short length was also the appropriate length. The developers’ commitment to this bit is so powerful that they (intentionally?) let it negatively affect enjoyment of their product.

The plot involves the titular self-aware program being undone by users demanding more than it can provide, and the gameplay mirrors this struggle perfectly. A mildly roguelike structure has been introduced that theoretically allows for infinite replayability, but in practice, it merely draws everything out. This is the “MORE” that players clamoured for – more opportunities to feel utterly badass as a slow-motion action hero, and more mesmerizing crystalline destruction – but it’s diluted through hundreds of bite-sized repetitions. I don’t mind the roguelike elements in principle, but they’re neither varied nor balanced enough to carry the whole game. I think the only definite improvement here has been the audio, which is heavier on ambience and lighter on jarring glitch noises.