SUPERHOT: Beginners’ Tips and Tricks

Throwing Weapons

Using a firearm will make taking down your enemies way more manageable than if you tried to fist fight your way through the crystallized enemies, but they have a handy use once the ammo clip is empty. When it flashes up on the screen that you’re out of ammo you can then throw your weapon by hitting the right bumper on your controller or with the right click of your mouse.

This will stun your enemy and in some cases make them drop the weapon they were holding, giving you a bit of time to pick up another weapon and get a shot in. You can also use this to your advantage when in a tight spot. If you’ve got a bullet coming your way and are out of ammo, you can throw your weapon at the oncoming projectile and smash it into tiny pieces. A handy little tip for when you get yourself into a sticky situation.

Take Your Time

It may be tempting to run straight into SUPERHOT without a care in the world for the time mechanic, but if you rush in and make fast movements you’re going to find yourself having a hard time with the more difficult levels. Instead, when faced with a number of enemies, use the time mechanic to your advantage.

Is there a way you can take down the closest enemy while not making yourself vulnerable? By moving slowly you can also get a good idea as to what movements your enemies might make, or at least give you the time to plan your movements. Speaking of which…

Plan Your Movements

A couple of the levels in SUPERHOT will require some pretty tactical movement and some planning ahead. It may seem like the obvious decision to take down the enemies that are closest to you, but if there are some with more lethal weapons spraying bullets coming your way, it’s going to become tricky to navigate around the incoming projectiles and complete your task.

Therefore, when you drop into a scenario with multiple enemies take the time to note the position of all of the enemies and what weaponry they have. From this, you can then work out which targets should be taken down first and what may be the safest route to do so.

Predict Your Enemies

We mentioned this briefly before but by being able to manipulate the passing of time gives you the advantage of being able to predict your enemies. If they don’t have a firearm it’s likely they’re going to come up close for the melee attack, however, those enemies with firearms will move around in an attempt to avoid your shots.

By slowly moving around the environment you can begin to predict where your enemies are going to move and aim your shots ahead of where they currently are. If you get it right your target will walk straight into the way of your round. This, in turn, saves ammo and also makes for a badass replay once you’ve completed the level!

Use Melee When Necessary

At a number of times during SUPERHOT, your weapon will run out of ammo and there won’t be a weapon for you to pick up. In these situations, you’ll be stuck with having to melee your way out of trouble. When you have to melee, it’s important to make sure you’re going to land the hit otherwise you could land yourself undefended and vulnerable to attack.

We’ve written up a quick handy guide on how to melee which details exactly how to know when your melee is going to land. If things are going at a pretty fast pace it’s easy enough to miss landing an attack, so timing and a calm head are key in surviving without a weapon.

Don’t Forget about Windows

As you move around the environments in SUPERHOT you’ll occasionally notice the glimmer of light off of fragmented glass as a bullet smashes its way through a window. If you’re in the middle of a firefight with a group of enemies and have a window in the way, make sure to let them shoot first. This will give you some breathing room as the window will prevent the enemies shot from reaching you.

As soon as it’s broken, feel free to nail a quick headshot on the enemy’s smug featureless face. Windows may just seem like an aesthetic feature but if you use them to your advantage they can save your bacon.

Use Objects to Your Advantage

Just like windows, there are a number of different objects in each level that can be used to your advantage in a couple of unique ways. Of course, as the game tells you, objects can be used as a projectile to throw at your enemy and leave them a bit disorientated. During this state, they may drop their weapons and will be out of action for a few precious seconds.

Some enemies may pick their weapons back up but if you’re quick enough you can pick it up before them and shatter them into a thousand tiny pieces with a quick round. Alternatively, it can give you the time to get up close and land a couple of melee attacks on your enemy.

If, however, you find yourself under fire from your enemies, grabbing a nearby object and throwing it into the way of the round that’s about to put an end to your life will act as a shield and see you live another day. It’s a simple trick to give yourself an extra layer of protection during the trickier levels. Just make sure you keep an eye out for any objects in black as these are the ones that can be picked up.

Make Ammo Count

In the heat of battle, it can be too easy to start firing off rounds and hoping for the best. From my own experience of trying to do this, it doesn’t work too well. SUPERHOT rewards players for taking their time and thinking tactically. Predicting your enemies movements and using our trick for making sure you don’t waste rounds on windows will contribute to conserving your precious ammo supply, but you should always be thinking of how to take down enemies without always using your ammo.

In some cases, if you have an enemy making their way towards you for close-quarters combat, see if you can line them up with an oncoming projectile fired by another enemy. Not only will this protect you from the incoming shot but it also puts an end to the enemy that was about to put a fist-shaped hole in your face.

You should always be keeping count of how many shots you have fired. While there is no set rule for the number of rounds in a weapon you’ll pick up, you will more often than not find that most weapons have about four or five shots, except for the assault rifle which can sometimes have more. Keeping count can mean you can prioritize which enemies you need to take down with the ammo you have left, as well as start moving toward another weapon for when your clip runs out and you need to switch.

Use Cover

SUPERHOT’s levels are full of little nooks and crannies that can be used to your advantage. Be careful though, while they can be handy to use as cover they can also put you in situations that are near-impossible to come out of alive.

Anytime you see an object that can provide a bit of cover or a part of the environment that puts an impenetrable shield between you and oncoming fire you should use it to your advantage. When you find the cover, slowly move and peak out of it and get a good idea as to where your targets are. If they’re in clear view, fire off a round and dive back into cover.

As we said though, with the benefits of cover can come risks. While the enemy can’t hit when you’re in cover, you also can’t seem any incoming projectiles that may be heading to either side of whatever is defending you. If you’ve backed yourself into a dead-end, enemies will swarm you, and if they have weapons it’s going to be particularly tricky to avoid these with such little room to maneuver. Always think of your exit opportunities and use the passing of time mechanic to avoid any accidental walking into bullets.

God Mode

It’s less a tip and more a complete cheat, but God Mode is always a final resort you can use if you really are struggling to complete a level. We’ve outlined how to activate God Mode here, but doing so can take away all of the fun of SUPERHOT.

It can be useful to try and work out a good strategy, plan out your movements and see where enemies are going to come from and move. We’d suggest using God Mode for this reason and then going back and replaying the level with a much greater knowledge of the way the level is laid out, rather than just using the mode and never looking back.

Have you got any tips for the other SUPERHOT players out there? Let us know in the comments below.