The second innovation is a kind of pumping in the form of “hacking” of the system. As you explore the map, you can get various abilities, for example, strengthening melee or turning throwing objects into frag grenades. The list of skills is quite extensive, but it is not always available. Between some levels in a particular set of locations, there are special options, where two skills are randomly selected from the list, and the player must choose only one of them. Thus, if you are lucky, you can make it easier for yourself to play with the skill “katana at once” or “weapon at once”. Not all abilities seem to be very useful. Some, such as a frag grenade, can harm the protagonist if the object is carelessly thrown in front of you. Others seem completely situational and mostly useless, like a skill that kills an enemy if you jump on top of him, as in Super mario…
Special kernels are also encountered several times during the game. These are modifiers that allow you to start SUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE either with an increased number of lives, or with some specific skill. For example, the katana throwback kernel allows each scene to start with a Japanese sword. They can not only cut enemies into pieces, but also throw them forward and then pull them, much like Kratos does it with the Leviathan ax in God of war (2018). All skills have a cooldown, so without a special “hack” you cannot use this or that skill several times in a row. In general, the kernels change the approach to tactics and strategies of fights, but they do not make the task much easier. The ability to throw a katana like a boomerang or move into an enemy’s body makes the gameplay a little easier, but this is offset by the ever-increasing pool of levels that need to be completed in a row. The death of the protagonist is about the same frequent occurrence here as in the games of the Souls series or various roguelike projects.
As for the enemies, here they are of different types. Some explode when killed, hitting everything within reach with shrapnel, others are vulnerable only in certain parts of their body. Towards the end, a kind of mini-bosses appear, which cannot be killed in any way, which complicates the already difficult game.
Otherwise, in terms of gameplay, SUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE is similar to the first part and retains the elements of the shooter and puzzle. Opponents move only when the main character acts and practically freeze when he stops. The player must always correctly assess the situation and weigh his every action. The combat system allows you to perform various stunts. For example, while dodging bullets and blows, you can intercept a weapon from one enemy, shoot a second, and throw that pistol at a third. And after the end of the episode, watch your actions without slowing down, which can look very spectacular and encourages you to act more gracefully. In general, the gameplay can drag on for several hours, however, despite the constantly changing conditions and opportunities, at some point fatigue sets in, especially after another unsuccessful attempt to go further. Therefore, I would recommend running SUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE in short sessions in order to keep the perception fresh and exciting until the very end.
