SUPERHOT VR Review Bombed After Devs Removed Controversial Content
SUPERHOT VR has fallen victim to review bombing. All because of an update that removed disturbing scenes of self-mutilation and suicide from the game.
- SUPERHOT VR review bombed;
- The reaction of the players is caused by the removal of scenes of self-mutilation and suicide from the game;
- Some considered the move as censorship.
SUPERHOT VR is a work of Polish developers, which was very positively received by players around the world. Three days ago, the situation began to change, after more and more negative reviews of the title started appearing on Steam, and now we can certainly call it a full-fledged review bombing. Some players were appalled by the latest update for the game.
A small update published on July 21 introduced only one change to SUPERHOT VR. Any scenes referring to self-harm or suicide were removed from the game. This is another step after previously enabling the players to skip such segments. This is because the developers felt that they needed to act more decisively.
“Skip disturbing scenes” toggle was added in a previous update. Considering the sensitive time we’re living in, we can do better than that. You deserve better. All scenes alluding to self-harm are now completely removed from the game. These scenes have no place in superhot virtual reality. We regret it took us so long."
The aforementioned scenes were an integral part of SUPERHOT's gameplay. In order to push the plot forward, it was necessary to perform acts suggestive of suicide, such as shooting yourself in the head. These segments were particularly controversial in the VR version of the game. Some players had long expressed their concern online about having to perform such acts. For many, they completely took away the pleasure from the game
In response the developers first made it possible to skip the troublesome scenes, and a few days ago they completely removed them from the game. As you can see, this exposed themselves to the wrath of another group of players, who considered this move to be censorship. It didn't take long for Steam to fill up with negative reviews that referred to the latest update. Due to their growing number, the service marked them as off-topic reviews. Thus, it is currently impossible to read them.
Most likely, this is only a storm in a teacup. The apogee of negative reviews was reached on July 22. Since then, their number decreases dramatically. As you can see, the indignant players quickly got bored with mounting resistance to the studio's actions. Therefore, it is unlikely that the decision of the developers will be revoked.
For now, the aforementioned update applies only to the version of the game available on Steam. However, the developers are planning to introduce it also to editions from other plaforms, such as Oculus Store.
