You walk through a gray world, but a sudden glimpse of red makes you pause. The world stops. You turn to face a crystalline red form down the street. As you aim your crosshairs on it, this enemy raises its handgun and fires at you. You stop, and the black bullet coming for you is frozen 10 feet away. You could fire back, taking out the red opponent before he moves, but then you may not be able to dodge the bullet hanging before you.
This game is called Superhot, out this week for PC and coming later this year for Xbox One. Like many first-person shooters, the goal is to take out your opponents. Unlike most first-person shooters, the world only moves when you do, with time stopping when you stop. And unlike most first-person shooters, the graphics are stripped of all distractions. All that’s left: raw violence.
“Gray, red, and black was in Superhot from its inception. It’s about sending a clear, simple message; the red guys are the enemies. Shoot them. I loved it from the get go and worked hard to not divert much from it,” Marcin Surma, Superset’s art director, says in an interview.
It’s in stark contrast to the photorealism that most of the video game industry strives for today. The rooms and streets of Superhot are white and gray. Within this stark setting, enemies that appear cut from gleaming red glass dash out to defeat you. They do not hide in shadows, they do not get lost in a crowd of other people in colorful clothes. They stand out instantly, immediately requiring your attention.
Read the full article at Co.Design.