Title: Super Hexagon

Genre: Twitch action

Platform Reviewed On: PC ($2.99)

Also Available On: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Linux, Mac

Developer: Terry Cavanagh

Publisher: Terry Cavanagh

Release Date: August 31, 2012

Right. Left. Left. Right. Right. Right. Left. Right. Game Over. Begin.

Playing Super Hexagon with headphones on and your nose mere inches away from a computer monitor is an experience akin to being in a trance. This comparison is valid in two contexts. First, you're likely to lose yourself entirely in Super Hexagon and become oblivious to the happenings of the world around you as you struggle frantically to stay alive in the game's colorful polygonal world. And second, once you're in, good luck getting out. 

Super Hexagon is another of those deceptively simple twitch reflex games that flourished in the arcade era and have reemerged thanks to the advent of smartphone gaming. The game takes just two buttons to play, tasking players with guiding a tiny triangle around the perimeter of a geometric shape (initially, but not always, a hexagon) as obstacles pour down the constantly-rotating screen from all directions. Invariably, the game speeds up and the obstacles become more intricate, demanding lightning-quick reflexes and spur-of-the-moment decision making.

It's daunting at first, but contrary to the feelings of outright rage elicited by most of its genre brethren, improving one's skills at Super Hexagon garners a feeling of true skill growth. As I worked my way up from barely clocking in five seconds on the game's first level to comfortably reaching the sixty second checkpoint, I felt a sense of achievement.

I perished dozens, if not hundreds of times before finally "completing" the game's first level. Though I felt frustrated on more than one occasion during this stretch, the frustration was leveled toward myself, not toward the game itself. Every "game over" screen that Super Hexagon presented me with came as a clear product of my own mistakes.

The game is ludicrously challenging, but never unfair. Even when the odds seemed stacked impossibly against me, enough experience with the level in question allowed me to learn the game's tricks and eventually emerge victorious. It's a trial-and-error process in the truest sense, but one that never backs players into inescapable corners.

Though the gameplay is likely to turn first-time players off on their first tries, Super Hexagon's impeccable aesthetics have a good chance at pulling newbies in. The game's clean, 2D art style ensures that the constantly-changing colors and morphing shapes are hypnotic instead of chaotic. I was never bothered by Hexagon's tendency to spin (and spin and spin and spin), though I'd imagine queasy gamers might find the experience dizzying. 

The title's energetic soundtrack, composed by Niamh "Chipzel" Houston, never failed to motivate me after a "game over." Sometimes, the tracks made me feel like a shape-dodging champion. Other times, they taunted me and pushed me forward. Either way, I hit the reset button after almost every one of my failures in Super Hexagon, so the soundtrack served its purpose, and remained stuck in my head after sessions on more than one occasion. It's also this element of the game that demands players use headphones should they desire the full experience. Sure, it's perfectly possible to play Super Hexagon on mute, but playing this way is simply inferior to the immersive alternative. 

Super Hexagon won't appeal to all gamers. Its unique brand of ultra-punishing thrills will turn off some players from the outset, but a game should never be criticized for an inability to appeal to everyone. Those who stick with it and hone their skills will feel like true masters of a craft -- and they'll have a whole lot of fun along the way.

Verdict: 5/5 stars

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