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Super Hexagon might not look like much in screenshots, but the latest iOS gaming hit doesn't need realistic graphics to hold your attention. Retro style and gameplay team up to create an addicting experience; you just won't realize you're hooked until you've said "one more try" for the twentieth time in a row.
The challenge in Super Hexagon is simply to last as long as you can. The player is represented by a small arrow that can slide around the exterior of a hole in the screen's center. Meanwhile, the walls are literally crashing in. Lines are constantly racing towards the center of the screen, forcing players to slide their arrow around and skillfully dodge their way out of the most challenging situations.
One shot is all you get, so it's "game over" the moment a wall crashes into your arrow. Super Hexagon is decidedly unforgiving in a very old-school manner. The only way you'll improve is to spend life after life trying to learn the game's patterns.
Oh, and did I forget to mention the spinning? The whole world is constantly rotating, getting ever faster as you last longer in the game. In its coverage of Super Hexagon, Kill Screen Magazine went with the headline "Super Hexagon will give you seizures," and it's not that far from the truth. After a few minutes of Super Hexagon, you'll be seeing spinning hexagons on the insides of your eyelids.
But difficulty is part of the game's draw, and it's delightfully self aware in that regard. Super Hexagon presents you with three choices: hard, harder, and hardest. Your first game is likely to last a scant two or three seconds, but you'll keep coming back for more, getting slightly better each time.
Survive for a herculean sixty seconds (a feat less than half of the game's 20,000 owners have accomplished on the lowest difficulty setting), and you'll unlock an additional (harder) level. This is possible on all three settings, giving players a total of six levels to conquer.
Couple all of the above with a rocking chiptune soundtrack, and you've got a recipe for success. Super Hexagon is one of the best video games that I've played this year.
The only thing more exhilarating than breaking your old high score is having a friend do the job for you. Game on.
Super Hexagon is currently available in the iOS App Store for $0.99 as a universal iPhone and iPad app. After an initial launch period, the price will jump up to $2.99, so grab your copy now. I promise you won't regret it.
