![]() ![]() You'll need to sharpen those reflexes as far as they'll go, because even at its easiest levels Super Hexagon demands extremely quick reactions (there's a reason the game's named difficulty levels run from "hard" to "hardest" and on to an unlockable "hardester"). (The iOS version ups the trippiness quotient by tilting the camera along the z-axis ever so slightly and changing the game's aspect ratio, so that the walls are constantly disappearing past the edge of the screen as the field rotates). You can get a feel for it yourself by playing the original Flash version of Hexagon online or checking out the iOS trailer below. ![]() It's hard to describe quite how engrossing and mesmerizing the overall kaleidoscopic visual effect is. Developer Terry Cavanagh (known for gravity-flipping platformer VVVVVV) said he feels like this is the game his previous action titles have "been heading towards all along." The entire playfield is constantly rotating around the central point, changing speed and direction periodically, while the encroaching walls and central polygon change color and pulse to the beat of a driving techno soundtrack. It's an incredibly basic concept that's given extra life by some incredibly trippy presentation. The goal is to survive as long as possible but, like the greatest arcade games of old, each session always ends with failure and a "Game Over" screen. At its most basic, I suppose, you're just rotating a small triangle around a central hexagon to avoid segmented walls that are constantly encroaching from the edges of the screen. The written word seems particularly unsuited to describe what playing Super Hexagon is like. As I'm writing this, my brain has been temporarily rewired by playing a half hour or so of Super Hexagon, one of the most maddeningly addictive iOS gaming experiences I've ever played. As I type this, my brain is semi-consciously calling attention to the gaps between the letters and words in front of me and mapping out the most efficient path to navigate through them. Well worth it.As I write this, it's taking all my willpower to tell myself the letters I'm typing aren't pulsing and rotating and changing colors as they appear on the screen. It's currently on sale for 99 cents and normally $2.99. If you like super-classic Atari-era video games, fast paced high-score time trials, and solid 8-bit music, you need to pick up Super Hexagon right now. It feels an accomplishment in dexterity and a taste of madness, but that combination keeps me coming back for more. Over many, many hours in just 4 days, but feels like an eternity, I have reached a high score of 71 seconds and made it into the top 250 in the word. There is a point in every game where I forget my left from my right, forget what I was doing, and slam into a wall that was nowhere near me. ![]() If you can hit the 30 second mark, you'll get a second or two of freedom before insanity sets in. It shape shifts into a pentagon (although the awesome classic voiceover says "Triangle!", which messes with you even more). After an hour of practice, you'll hit the 20 second mark and the hexagon changes shape and completely messes with you. It's absolutely mind-bending (and eventually mind-numbing?) as you watch the screen spin in every direction all at once. You play as a tiny triangle surrounded by the crushing walls of a hexagon. The entire goal of Super Hexagon is to see how long you can last. It also features the amazing music of Chipzel that will never get old. It has very simple intuitive controls (touch the right side of the screen to move clockwise, touch the left side to move counter-clockwise), it's very addictive, and has a perfect fast restart (tap anywhere on the screen). Terry Cavanaugh's Super Hexagon is probably my favorite iOS (iPhone/iPad) app to date. ![]()
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