Super Hexagon Review – Game Over, Begin
Super Hexagon is a game created by Terry Cavanagh, the mastermind behind the platformer VVVVVV. Following up from a well received game like VVVVVV, does Terry Cavanagh create another classic or does it fall into obscurity like many other indie games?
Gameplay
Super Hexagon is a endless runner type game. There are three levels plus three unlockable levels where the main goal is to try and survive for 60 seconds. You can go well beyond that 60 second to set new highscore for yourself and others.
60 seconds may not seem long for a main objective but in reality, it is. The game is hard. You will lose and you will hear “Game Over” over and over again. Even the levels warn you about the difficulty spouting “Hard” as it’s easiest difficulty and having “Harder” and “Hardest” as its following two. When first playing the game, don’t be surprised surviving only two seconds because this trend will continue even having already played several hours.
You control a little triangle near the middle of the screen and your goal is to dodge obstacles along the way to reach your 60 second goal. You touch the left side of the screen to rotate the triangle counter clockwise and the right side to rotate it clockwise. And doing all of this while the environment is pulsating and rotating constantly.
At first, there might be a slight learning curve as the controls seem a little too sensitive but you’ll soon realize it is essential for later levels in the game. And not only that, you might experience nausea from the pulsating, rotating and constant colour change the game presents you with. But once you pass the initial problems, you’ll soon realize it’s actually quite a good game. Especially on mobile.
Super Hexagon feels like it was built for the person on the go. Because of how the game is designed, you are playing the levels for only a few seconds each time leading to short gaming sessions. And depending how determined you are, those few seconds might turn to several minutes and can even turn to several hours long. This is the ultimate time waster and if you need time to pass by quickly, this game is the way to go. I found myself not fatigued of the game even for long play sessions because each level attempt was so short that the game didn’t seem to drag on.
There is also that very apparent feel of “I’m getting better than when I first started”. This is one of those games where if you stick to it, you can feel a very noticeable skill improvement. The easier levels will seem slower than when you first played and the later levels will get easier as time progresses. It really depends on how invested you are towards the game and eventually, that sense of reward will be worth it once you pass a level you were stuck on.
Graphics
Super Hexagon has a very simplistic look. The colour pallet sticks with mostly solid colours which, in return, creates a very beautiful minimalistic looking game. From the title screen, the menu, and to the actual game, you can see that it sticks with a very distinct design that eases you into the core gameplay. The colours change every so often, the walls pulse to the rhythm of the music while the game environment spins continuously. And whichever level you’re in, you’re greeted to a new, but very familiar, colour pallet accompanied with new music.
Initially, the pulsing and spinning colours might hurt your eyes but it really is a unique experience. Imagine the colours like looking at Christmas lights in a dark room while it pulses and changes colour. But instead of holiday music, it’s electronic sounding chiptune music. That’s what Super Hexagon looks and feels like.
Sound
Accompanying all the colours present in Super Hexagon is a soundtrack consisting of chiptune sounding music composed by Chipzel. There are a few different tunes for the levels but keep the same theme: a heart pounding “I’m going to lose any second” type of song.
There is a negative about the music in this game and it can be either a big problem or a non-problem depending on the person playing. As I said before, you are bound to lose in this game. . . a lot. So that means you’ll be hearing the same music again and again and that may grow old to some players. From my experience, I’m still not tired of the music because how wonderfully crafted they are. But since music seems to play a major role in this game from transforming the environment and setting the mood, hearing the music may or may not become cumbersome after you lost the 100th time in a level.
But even with the negative, there is a sense of reward for the music in this game. Since you will lose, hearing more of the song every time you pass your high score, you get that feeling of “Yes! I beat my time and never past that part before or heard the part of the song before. Time to try and get there again”
Conclusion
Super Hexagon is a great game and even more so especially on mobile. The simple minimalistic graphics to the chiptune music really compliment each other. This game is difficult and you will lose but the reward to beating a level is really great and has to be experienced first hand. If you ever need a good time waster on your morning and evening commute, this game is definitely a perfect choice and for retailing for only $2.99, it is well worth it.
Out of all games I’ve played on Android, this is probably the best and definitely my top gaming choice on a mobile platform.
———————————————————
+ Minimalistic design choice is quite nice
+ Chiptune music is great
+ Very addictive
+ The sense of reward is great
+ The perfect mobile game
– Slight learning curve
– May cause nausea
– The music might get old
———————————————————
Final Verdict: 9/10
———————————————————
Play Store link ( Price: $2.99 )
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.distractionware.superhexagon&hl=en
Official homepage:
http://superhexagon.com/
PRISM 