Mini Review: Super Hexagon

    Super Hexagon is certainly a game that exists, and it has since 2012.  I just don't even know why, but it is.

    Graphically, the game is very simple, and for good reason.  I already struggle to keep up with it as-is, and I don't think I could play it if anything more complex were added.  The reason for the problem is that it spins like there is no tomorrow.  There is the problem of those black bars on the sides if you're playing widescreen, but it's not a dealbreaker, in my opinion.  Each difficulty also has its own color palette, which is a cool little detail.

    I do have to mention that I'm not sure how good the game is for those with epilepsy or who suffer from motion sickness.  I don't have either issue, but even my head hurts after maybe 15 minutes of play.

Someone left the spin cycle on "Super Fast" again, didn't they?

    Gameplay-wise, it's exactly as you see in the gif.  Use left and right inputs from various options and avoid running point-first into walls.  You can touch the sides of the walls without losing, so you're save from hitting a wall that's already passing you.  If you hit a wall head-on, the run ends and takes you to a summary screen.  From there, you can push Space and be right back in the action after a short lead-in.  There are three initial difficulties: Hexagon (Hard), Hexagoner (Harder), and Hexagonest (Hardest), with three unlockable difficulties if you last a minute on the original three: Hyper Modes of each, which are even harder.

    The standout thing is the soundtrack.  I really like it, and each level has its own track.  What is probably the best part is that the tracks don't start at the beginning of the file each time.  Instead, there are predetermined points in the track that the game will start from at random each try, so you don't have the problem of hearing the exact same part of the same track each time.  It will get repetitive if you struggle for long enough, but I think the quality of each track and the differing start positions definitely help in making that less of an issue.

    Overall, I do have to question the $3 price tag.  It is polished fairly well, but at the end of the day, there isn't much gameplay.  Yes, the gameplay that is there is certainly engaging, and the game is fun, but there isn't much to it.  I honestly believe that, not counting the quality of Adobe Flash itself, there are many better Flash games out there that are free.  The soundtrack files are readily available in a data folder in the game's install directory, so if you can snag this for $1 and you really like the soundtrack, it may be worth it for that.