Every once in a while, a new game shows up that completely alters a genre. Yesterday may prove to be the day that the First-Person Shooter (FPS) was transformed. At 7:01 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, SUPERHOT launched its Kickstarter Campaign. By 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, the campaign had raised more than $60,000, well on its way to the $100K goal. After looking at the campaign and playing the demo, it is clear why.

SUPERHOT has a unique approach to the in-game dynamics of the FPS. The goal – to kill all enemies – is the same, but the mechanics are new. In SUPERHOT, game-time only moves when you move. Think about that for a second.

This approach to game play turns SUPERHOT into a sort-of puzzle FPS. Instead of running around for cover, you are dodging bullets, or even cutting bullets in half (see image below). The creators of the game likened SUPERHOT to a game of chess, wherein all of the pawns are trying to kill you.

You’re not hiding behind cover – you’re dodging bullets flying past you like in The Matrix. You’re not waiting to reload a gun – you’re picking the next firearm from the hands of your fallen foes. You’re not waiting until your wounds heal – in SUPERHOT a single bullet means death. However, there are no reload screens – you’re instantly back in the middle of the action. ¹

SUPERHOT began as a project in the August, 2013 7 Day First Person Shooter (7DFPS) game jam. From there, in September of 2013, the team took their prototype to the WGK Conference – a Polish game developers conference – and won the Developer Showcase award. A short time later, SUPERHOT went through the Steam Greenlight process – wherein the Steam Community votes on which games are released – in one weekend. In light of all these successes, the team has decided to develop SUPERHOT even further.

You can get the full version of the game for a pledge of $14 on the Kickstarter Campaign. To really appreciate SUPERHOT, you really need to see it in action. Below is the SUPERHOT Kickstarter Campaign video. Also, the initial build of the game – the one from the WGK Conference, not the final version – is available to play online (unity web plugin required).