I don't think Mind Control Delete is a bad game, but I do think that it lacks a lot of what made SUPERHOT a great game. The core gameplay of SUPERHOT was more puzzle based than anything else. It had quick resets for each level, so it was mostly about learning your sequence of actions and then being a badass. It was simple, but allowed for plenty of opportunity for experimentation and optimization. I think that Mind Control Delete brings a lot to the table, but its change in gameplay design is where it misses the mark.
The original SUPERHOT had a fairly curated base game, with each level having a set number of enemies. One level played out the same way every time in terms of enemy spawn points, spawn times, and weapons. Mind Control Delete is procedurally generated, and thus weapons and throwables are placed everywhere over the map, and enemies can spawn through random doors at any moment. I think that the constant variety is great early on, as it lets the player learn the layouts of many maps in rapid succession. But as time goes on, I find myself feeling more frustrated with this approach, as it only amplifies some of the problems with the original game.
The original SUPERHOT had some issues with field of view. Because the game emphasized using your movement precisely, it was really easy to get tunnel vision on what was in front of you and forget about enemies spawning in behind you. The remedy for this was that the level played out the same each time, so getting better at the game was all about memorizing the level, and when and where each enemy would spawn.
Mind Control Delete encounters this same issue, but it lacks an easy solution. Because the game is a roguelike, you constantly are thrust into levels at random locations and an assortment of enemies are spawned in at random. Because you can never truly know where an enemy might spawn, it is safer for you as a player to stay away from the center of the map and have all enemy entries in sight. This forces you to play in corridors or with your back against the wall, which takes away from the fun of out maneuvering your enemies. You still can play in the middle if you're willing to be constantly turning around, however this causes time to pass in-game meaning that you put yourself at higher risk just by turning your head. They have a prompt for if a melee enemy is behind you, but it's pretty inconsistent with when it triggers and it doesn't help when you're being shot at by someone behind you. It's not the end of the world, and as you get better at the game you learn how to be more equipped with enemies spawning behind you, but it's still frustrating when you die to an enemy that you weren't aware of or isn't telegraphed to you in anyway.
My other major issue with the game is the hacks, which serve as stackable abilities. I love a lot of the ideas that they bring to the table, and they definitely expand a lot on SUPERHOT's gameplay. Ricocheting bullets, exploding throwables, boomerang shurikens. It's all super dope. But I feel like they never really stack in a meaningful way. One of the greatest feelings when playing a game like Binding of Isaac, Risk of Rain 2, or Hades is when your abilities start to stack and feel godly. It doesn't happen all the time, and it takes a lucky run, but it provides an insane level of satisfaction. Mind Control Delete doesn't ever really give you the opportunity to let loose with your abilities.
There's absolutely pairs of abilities that would mesh well together, and it's nice when you get them to line up in one run, but most nodes are so short-lived and only have 3-4 hacks, so you never actually feel like you get to take a fun build far before its reset.
I also think that the game starts to lose its steam as you continue playing. They continue to up the challenge with longer nodes and harder enemies, but things just don't feel as purposeful as they do in the first game. I liked a lot of the optimization of levels in the first game, so it's definitely disappointing that the second game detracts from optimization and focuses more on quick action.
I can see what they were going for here, and it's not a bad game, but I think that the gameplay of SUPERHOT doesn't totally align with the randomness of rogue-likes. It's still fun for a little bit, but it gets repetitive, and the payoff for completing each node isn't really great overall. I think that if they were to take these levels, hack ideas, and new enemy types and put them into a more curated experience like the first SUPERHOT it would be a really great sequel. I can't fault them for wanting to take SUPERHOT somewhere new, I just wish that they had found a way to minimize some of the original games problems.
The original SUPERHOT had a fairly curated base game, with each level having a set number of enemies. One level played out the same way every time in terms of enemy spawn points, spawn times, and weapons. Mind Control Delete is procedurally generated, and thus weapons and throwables are placed everywhere over the map, and enemies can spawn through random doors at any moment. I think that the constant variety is great early on, as it lets the player learn the layouts of many maps in rapid succession. But as time goes on, I find myself feeling more frustrated with this approach, as it only amplifies some of the problems with the original game.
The original SUPERHOT had some issues with field of view. Because the game emphasized using your movement precisely, it was really easy to get tunnel vision on what was in front of you and forget about enemies spawning in behind you. The remedy for this was that the level played out the same each time, so getting better at the game was all about memorizing the level, and when and where each enemy would spawn.
Mind Control Delete encounters this same issue, but it lacks an easy solution. Because the game is a roguelike, you constantly are thrust into levels at random locations and an assortment of enemies are spawned in at random. Because you can never truly know where an enemy might spawn, it is safer for you as a player to stay away from the center of the map and have all enemy entries in sight. This forces you to play in corridors or with your back against the wall, which takes away from the fun of out maneuvering your enemies. You still can play in the middle if you're willing to be constantly turning around, however this causes time to pass in-game meaning that you put yourself at higher risk just by turning your head. They have a prompt for if a melee enemy is behind you, but it's pretty inconsistent with when it triggers and it doesn't help when you're being shot at by someone behind you. It's not the end of the world, and as you get better at the game you learn how to be more equipped with enemies spawning behind you, but it's still frustrating when you die to an enemy that you weren't aware of or isn't telegraphed to you in anyway.
My other major issue with the game is the hacks, which serve as stackable abilities. I love a lot of the ideas that they bring to the table, and they definitely expand a lot on SUPERHOT's gameplay. Ricocheting bullets, exploding throwables, boomerang shurikens. It's all super dope. But I feel like they never really stack in a meaningful way. One of the greatest feelings when playing a game like Binding of Isaac, Risk of Rain 2, or Hades is when your abilities start to stack and feel godly. It doesn't happen all the time, and it takes a lucky run, but it provides an insane level of satisfaction. Mind Control Delete doesn't ever really give you the opportunity to let loose with your abilities.
There's absolutely pairs of abilities that would mesh well together, and it's nice when you get them to line up in one run, but most nodes are so short-lived and only have 3-4 hacks, so you never actually feel like you get to take a fun build far before its reset.
I also think that the game starts to lose its steam as you continue playing. They continue to up the challenge with longer nodes and harder enemies, but things just don't feel as purposeful as they do in the first game. I liked a lot of the optimization of levels in the first game, so it's definitely disappointing that the second game detracts from optimization and focuses more on quick action.
I can see what they were going for here, and it's not a bad game, but I think that the gameplay of SUPERHOT doesn't totally align with the randomness of rogue-likes. It's still fun for a little bit, but it gets repetitive, and the payoff for completing each node isn't really great overall. I think that if they were to take these levels, hack ideas, and new enemy types and put them into a more curated experience like the first SUPERHOT it would be a really great sequel. I can't fault them for wanting to take SUPERHOT somewhere new, I just wish that they had found a way to minimize some of the original games problems.