SuperHyperCube
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| SuperHyperCube | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| VR/AR | Virtual Reality |
| Developer | Kokoromi |
| Publisher | Polytron Corporation |
| Platform | PlayStation VR, SteamVR, PlayStation VR2 |
| Device | PlayStation VR, HTC Vive, PlayStation VR2 |
| Operating System | PlayStation 4, Windows, PlayStation 5 |
| Type | Game |
| Genre | Puzzle, Arcade |
| Input Device | Gamepad, Tracked motion controllers (SteamVR), DualSense or PlayStation VR2 Sense Controller (PS VR2) |
| Play Area | Seated, Standing, Room-scale |
| Game Mode | Single-player |
| Release Date | October 13, 2016 (PS VR); November 7, 2017 (SteamVR); August 27, 2026 (PS VR2) |
| Price | US$29.99 at PS VR launch; US$14.99 (PS VR and Steam, from November 2017); US$19.99 (PS VR2) |
| App Store | PlayStation Store, Steam |
| Website | https://superhypercube.com/ |
- See also: VR Apps and PSVR Games
SuperHyperCube (stylized SUPERHYPERCUBE) is a virtual reality first-person puzzle game developed by Kokoromi, a Montreal games and art collective, and published by Polytron, the studio behind Fez. The player rotates a growing cluster of cubes so that it fits through holes in a stream of approaching walls, leaning around the cluster to see each hole. It was announced at E3 2015 as an exclusive for Sony's Project Morpheus headset and released on 13 October 2016 as a launch title for PlayStation VR.[1][2]
The game began in 2008 as an anaglyph 3D prototype with improvised head tracking, and was later reworked for Kinect before it found a home in VR.[3] A version for the HTC Vive followed on Steam on 7 November 2017, and a rebuilt version for PlayStation VR2 was released on 27 August 2026.[4][5] The developers dropped plans for an Oculus Rift version in September 2016 in protest at political activity by Oculus co-founder Palmer Luckey.[6] The PlayStation VR version holds a Metascore of 74 on Metacritic.[7]
Gameplay
The player starts with a single cube that matches a hole in an approaching wall. After each wall, more cubes snap onto the original one to form a random cluster, which can grow to hundreds of cubes. The player rotates the cluster so that it fits the next hole. Because the cluster blocks the view of the hole, the player has to look around it; Kokoromi wrote that "this is where headtracking comes in, and why you can't play the game without it."[8] In UploadVR's description, the player leans to the side to see the distant hole, then glances back at the cluster from that diagonal angle, sometimes swinging to the other side, all within a few seconds.[2]
Once the cluster is aligned, the player can wait for it to pass through the wall or use Boost, a quick-drop that speeds it through. Boosting charges two power-ups: a time-slowing effect (called Time Warp in Kokoromi's pre-release description) and Smash, which shatters the oncoming wall.[8] The game has 10 levels of 10 walls each; special trick walls act as gateways to new levels, each with its own look and ambience.[8] UploadVR's review noted that every tenth wall is a boss wall that ends a stage, that walls sometimes rotate 90 or 180 degrees, and that later boss walls can flip upside down. A wrong fit smashes through the wall and knocks pieces off the cluster, and a second failure ends the run; hearts earned at 1,000 and 10,000 points each allow one more mistake. Points grow with the size of the cluster, and bonuses reward using few rotations or boosting.[2]
There are no modes beyond the basic game and no multiplayer; scores are compared on friend and global leaderboards.[2][8] UploadVR noted that a run lasts about five minutes.[2]
The visual style draws on neon light, 1980s motion graphics, early computer art and the Southern California "light and space" art movement. Kokoromi cited films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner and Xanadu and the light artist James Turrell among its references.[1][9]
Development
Kokoromi described itself as a videogames and art collective formed in Montreal in 2006.[1] Fez creator Phil Fish was one of its original members and spun Polytron out of the group.[3]
The game was first made in 2008 for gamma3D, an event Kokoromi organized for games in which stereoscopic vision affected gameplay. Like the other gamma3D entries it used red and blue anaglyph glasses, and it added head tracking with custom glasses based on the work of Johnny Chung Lee, so players could move their bodies to look around the cubes.[1] Road to VR described the prototype as using LED-mounted anaglyph glasses with a reversed Wii Remote for head-coupled tracking, and reported that developer Renaud Bédard, who later worked with Fish on Fez, wrote about building it.[3] Because the colored lenses distorted other colors, the first version was rendered entirely in greyscale.[1]
In a late-2011 interview cited by Road to VR, Fish said the team had got the game working with Kinect and that this version had been a finalist at IndieCade. The Kinect version was never released.[3] Kokoromi later wrote that it had been "watching technology develop over the last seven years" to support the original idea, and that when VR arrived, "the game had found its true home." They also wrote that the headset let them move past the limits of the greyscale original and "really explore color."[1]
The game was revealed on PlayStation.Blog on 16 June 2015, during E3, as a first-person puzzler "coming exclusively to Project Morpheus at launch".[1] A playable demo was later placed in select GameStop and Best Buy stores in the United States and Canada.[8]
Oculus Rift cancellation
On 23 September 2016, Kokoromi and Polytron published a statement saying they would not pursue Oculus support. It followed reports that Palmer Luckey had funded Nimble America, a political group supporting Donald Trump; the statement said "we cannot tacitly endorse these actions by supporting Luckey or his platform."[6] When the Vive version launched in November 2017, after Luckey had left Oculus, Polytron told UploadVR it had no further updates on whether the game would come to the Rift; UploadVR noted that Rift owners could still play the Steam version unofficially through SteamVR.[10][11]
Release
SuperHyperCube launched with PlayStation VR on 13 October 2016 at US$29.99.[2][12] The SteamVR version for the HTC Vive was released on 7 November 2017 at US$14.99, and the PlayStation VR version was cut to the same price.[10][11] The Steam listing marks the game as VR-only, with full controller and tracked controller support.[4]
The PlayStation VR2 version for PlayStation 5 is described on the PlayStation Store as "newly rebuilt for PlayStation VR2", with sharper visuals, haptic feedback through the headset and controllers, and an expanded trophy set. It can be played with a DualSense controller or the PS VR2 Sense controllers, and the listing names sitting, standing and roomscale play styles.[5] It was released on 27 August 2026, priced at US$19.99 in the United States.[5]
| Platform | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PlayStation VR (PlayStation 4) | 13 October 2016 | Launch title; US$29.99, cut to US$14.99 in November 2017; requires PlayStation VR and PlayStation Camera[2][10][5] |
| SteamVR (Windows, HTC Vive) | 7 November 2017 | US$14.99[4][11] |
| Oculus Rift | Cancelled | Support dropped in September 2016[6] |
| PlayStation VR2 (PlayStation 5) | 27 August 2026 | Rebuilt version; US$19.99 on the US PlayStation Store as of October 2026[5] |
Reception
On Metacritic, the PlayStation 4 version has a Metascore of 74 ("mixed or average") from 15 critic reviews.[7] OpenCritic lists a Top Critic Average of 75, with 69% of critics recommending it, from 16 reviews.[13]
| Publication | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Metacritic (aggregate) | 74/100 | PS4, 15 critic reviews[7] |
| OpenCritic (aggregate) | 75 | Top Critic Average; 69% recommend[13] |
| IGN | 9/10 | Editor's Choice[14] |
| PlayStation Universe | 8/10 | Score as listed by OpenCritic[13] |
| Destructoid | 7/10 | Reviewed on PS4 with PlayStation VR[12] |
| PlayStation LifeStyle | 7/10 | Score as listed by OpenCritic[13] |
| GameSpot | 6/10 | Score as listed by OpenCritic[13] |
| Hardcore Gamer | 4/5 | Score as listed by OpenCritic[13] |
Jared Petty of IGN called it "a deep, beautiful, and superbly crafted arcade puzzle experience" and wrote that the headset "is used to marvelous, subtle effect": as the cluster grows, looking around it "becomes a neck-craning element of the challenge that physically pulls you into the virtual reality in a very natural way." He also noted that there are no special modes or game variants.[14] Kelly Ohannessian of UploadVR compared its "addiction-to-simplicity ratio" to Tetris and found the use of positional head tracking more successful than the rest of its VR design, since the player only flies forward. She criticized its repetition and lack of modes, writing "You do the same thing, over and over".[2] Chris Carter of Destructoid praised the VR implementation, saying it "showcases how puzzle games can continue to evolve using the medium", but found the core loop thin and recommended it mainly to fans of Super Hexagon.[12]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Nick Suttner (2015-06-16). "SUPERHYPERCUBE Coming Exclusively to Project Morpheus". PlayStation.Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://blog.playstation.com/2015/06/16/superhypercube-coming-exclusively-to-project-morpheus/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Kelly Ohannessian (2016-10-04). "'SUPERHYPERCUBE' Review - Finding Elegance In Simplicity". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/superhypercube-review-psvr/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Ben Lang (2015-06-25). "Morpheus Exclusive 'SuperHyperCube' Shares Heritage With One of Indie Gaming's Biggest Hits". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/superhypercube-psychedelic-morpheus-exclusive-sony-virtual-reality-fez-phil-fish/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "SUPERHYPERCUBE on Steam". Steam. Valve. https://store.steampowered.com/app/554870/SUPERHYPERCUBE/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 "SUPERHYPERCUBE". PlayStation Store. Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://store.playstation.com/en-us/concept/217323. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Michael McWhertor (2016-09-23). "SuperHyperCube team cancels Oculus support, citing founder's political stance". Polygon. https://www.polygon.com/2016/9/23/13035080/superhypercube-cancels-oculus-rift-support-palmer-lucky-polytron-kokoromi. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "SuperHyperCube". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/superhypercube/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Cindy Poremba (2016-06-30). "Go Future Retro in SUPERHYPERCUBE, Out October 13 on PS VR". PlayStation.Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://blog.playstation.com/2016/06/30/go-future-retro-in-superhypercube-out-october-13-on-ps-vr/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ Caty Mccarthy (2015-11-30). "SUPERHYPERCUBE finds common ground between Tetris and Blade Runner". Kill Screen. https://www.killscreen.com/articles/superhypercube-finds-common-ground-between-tetris-and-blade-runner/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Jamie Feltham (2017-11-06). "PSVR Launch Game SuperHyperCube Hits Vive Tomorrow, Rift Still MIA". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/psvr-launch-game-superhypercube-hits-vive-tomorrow/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Jordan Devore (2017-11-07). "PlayStation VR puzzler SuperHyperCube is now on Vive". Destructoid. https://www.destructoid.com/playstation-vr-puzzler-superhypercube-is-now-on-vive/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Chris Carter (2016-10-05). "Review: SuperHyperCube". Destructoid. https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-superhypercube/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 "SuperHyperCube Reviews". OpenCritic. https://opencritic.com/game/3375/superhypercube. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Jared Petty (2016-10-05). "Superhypercube Review". IGN. https://www.ign.com/articles/2016/10/05/superhypercube-review. Retrieved 2026-10-13.