The_Darkest_Red
Member
I try not to brag too much about my gaming accomplishments here on GAF, and truth be told I have very little to brag about, but in the case of Super Hexagon I occasionally make an exception. The thing is, Ive played the game for an ungodly amount of time, and through sheer stubbornness Ive managed to become pretty darn good at it. Thats not really the point of this thread, but I wanted to at least mention it to clear up any stealth brag thread accusations. I aint tryin to be stealthy about anything, I am a scarily proficient Super Hexagoner
(one might even say a Super Hexagod).
Sorry about that last part.
Anyway, what I really wanted to talk about is just how incredible of a game Super Hexagon is. The game makes an immediate impression on you from the first time you try it thanks to its trippy and infectious soundtrack and visuals, as well as its relative simplicity. Let me be clear, Super Hexagon is an incredibly simple game. In my opinion the game is even simpler than something like Pac Man, to the point where the goal, controls, and scoring system are immediately apparent once you start playing.
Okay, so if Super Hexagon is so simple why have I played it literally every day since its release (August 31st, 2012)? It isnt because of microtransactions, as the game doesnt have any. It isnt because of the ability to grind to obtain currency, as there is none. And no, it isnt because of the many power-ups you can obtain throughout the game, as there are none of those either. The reason I continue to go back to this game day after day, time after time, is because it is as close to perfect as a game can be from a gameplay perspective, as well as the fact that the game has one of the best difficulty curves in any game Ive ever played.
When you first play Super Hexagon you probably wont survive for more than a few seconds. Your second, third, fourth, and fiftieth attempt probably wont be much different, but if you keep at it eventually your brain will become trained enough to hit the 60 second mark, which is basically considered by the game to be beating the level. Of the six stages in the game (three stages with a hyper version of each), the first is by far the easiest, and if you stick with it you will probably mange to beat it within a day or so (depending on how fast of a learner you are as well).
As you progress from stage to stage, you will find yourself having to almost start over from scratch as each stage features new obstacles and shape arrangements to test your brain. In my experience, some of the later stages can take weeks of consistent stubbornness (probably 15 minutes a day or so) to overcome. So why did I keep banging my head against the psychedelic wall of Super Hexagon when I was clearly not making much progress? The answer is simple --- I could see that I was making progress.
This is the beauty of Super Hexagon. Simply put ---the more you play, the better you get, but that simplification doesnt begin to do justice to just how well this concept is implemented and executed in Super Hexagon. This does not just apply for the first few times you play the game, the first few hours, or even the first dozen hours. Almost every single time you think youve reached your skill ceiling you havent, and the only way to discover that is to keep playing. Obviously this is something thats present in many games, but in my opinion none handle it as elegantly and rewardingly as Super Hexagon. Because the game is so simple, there is no need to reassess your approach, switch weapon loadouts, or even attempt a slightly different route. You just press try again and take another shot, all the while attempting to find that perfect zen-like feeling where your subconscious practically takes over and you fly past your previous record. The gameplay loop isnt defined by loot, microntransactions, energy, perks, abilities, or anything else of the sort. It is exactly the same from the first time you play it to the 10,000th (with the slight exception of the somewhat random generation of the obstacles). The only thing separating you from progressing in the game is skill. Nothing more, nothing less.
So yeah, I really love Super Hexagon. Perhaps unhealthily so. But, as I continue to dump countless iPhone games in favor of one more Super Hexagon run Ive had time to think about what exactly it is that makes this game so special to me, and hopefully Ive been able to convey that through this post.
If you manage to ascend the mountain of Super Hexagon by completing the sixth stage youll receive a secret ending. The secret ending you get for beating the sixth stage is one of the greatest moments in gaming, in my opinion, and it truly makes all of your hard work and effort feel worthwhile. Dont look it up on youtube!
tl;dr Super Hexagon is my favorite score attack style game ever created, and I think you should play it (and if you have, play it more).
And for the heck of it, I'm around the top 10 for all six stages, with my Hyper Hexagonest score being 263:42.
