Back upon release in 2016, SUPERHOT was one of the most innovative shooters in years. Combining puzzle elements with Matrix-like slow motion, it took the idea of arena shooters and flipped the script on what was possible. Instead of catering to people with fast reaction times, this was a shooter that was more approachable, more strategic, and one that was just plain stylish.

Announced a little over a year later, SUPERHOT: Mind, Control, Delete was described as a roguelike spin on what the trippy original was all about. Instead of discrete puzzles and focused arenas, this would be almost like a horde mode bonus that would keep players entertained for hours on end. Surprisingly, this latest installment has ended up as one of the more innovative roguelikes in quite some time.

Released last week (in what was possibly the busiest week of the year), gamers have been digging into the nuances of Mind, Control, Delete, and discovering that SUPERHOT wasn’t simply a one-trick pony. The same gameplay gimmick of “time moves only when you do” is present and accounted for, but the very nature of what roguelikes entail is uniquely tweaked here. Instead of dying and restarting the game every time, you’re now working through randomized levels with a fixed number of hit points until you “finish” the game, then the whole system reboots.

Those that have played the original will understand what that means. For as crazy as its gameplay was, SUPERHOT actually had a pretty in-depth story about the nature of gaming and how people consume mindlessly. Mind, Control, Delete isn’t quite as detailed – at least, not yet – but it bakes its roguelike conceit directly into the plot.

The biggest change with the feel of this pseudo-sequel is that Mind, Control, Delete loses the carefully curated levels of its predecessor. It’s not like blocks and shapes are randomly thrown together, but progression during each chapter is selected at random from a pool of pre-existing areas. Some levels from the first are back, but a whole bunch of new ones task you with figuring out where enemies spawn while stumbling about with grabbing weapons.

It immediately feels more like a traditional first-person game than SUPERHOT, for better or worse. I tend to enjoy that immediacy with combat, but I could see those that loved the original being disappointed. You’ll have to think a little faster than before, but the slow-motion gimmick does alleviate a lot of the typical frustrations of shooters.

What makes Mind, Control, Delete so appetizing is how bit-sized each “campaign” is. You’ll undertake between four to eight levels in a row that then culminates in a credits sequence or shift to a new area. Repeat the process however many times you need, unlocking different perks and skills along the way to make encounters easier. It feels like a mixture of Rogue Legacy’s unlock system with SUPERHOT’s puzzle quirks. You can even select a different branch of levels in whichever order you like, which gives you some agency in how you progress.

It can get monotonous during long stretches, but the constant egging on by the unheard narrator is just as bizarre as the first go around. SUPERHOT Team really loves getting meta with its game design and I’m all for that. Give me a game that gets me thinking instead of mindlessly plugging away at enemies and I’ll be in heaven.

The best thing about Mind, Control, Delete is that owners of the original already have this. While it isn’t yet available on Nintendo Switch, anyone that has SUPERHOT on PC, PS4, or Xbox One will be able to download this latest installment for free. If you’re more excited about Mind, Control, Delete, you can buy it for $24.99 separately and jump right into the action.

I can’t say for certain if I’ll keep playing beyond a few hours or so, but considering the original SUPERHOT was only 90 minutes long and has gotten multiple playthroughs out of me over the years, I don’t doubt that random cravings for some roguelike action will draw me back in. I’m just happy that this sequel finally saw the light of day after three years.

A PC copy of SUPERHOT: Mind, Control, Delete was provided to TheGamer for this impressions piece. SUPERHOT: Mind, Control, Delete is currently available for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. It will soon be available on Switch.

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