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Indie Game Spotlight: ‘Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number’

Brendan Jacques
Connector Staff

Released back in 2012 by the developers at Dennaton Games, the original “Hotline Miami” was as much a blast from the past as it was a breath of fresh air for a game industry just beginning to see the merits of indie gaming. Oozing with just as much style and action as it did blood and guts, the original game left a legacy of madness in its wake with its intense combat, engaging story and a pulsing soundtrack that has yet to stop playing in my head to this day. Now following on the heels of its predecessor is “Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number,” a sequel that succeeds in expanding the series’ signature formula in a new direction while keeping the familiar gameplay intact, though not without making a few mistakes along the way.

At its core, “Hotline Miami 2” is a top-down action game with a heavy emphasis on careful planning and twitch reflexes. Each level places you into the shoes of one of an assortment of serial killers and criminals living in 1980s Miami, with the objective of storming into various mob-controlled buildings and killing everyone in sight with whatever weapons you can find. While this initially seems simple enough, as most weapons in the game are capable of killing an enemy in a single hit, the mobsters themselves are usually well-armed and capable of killing you just as quickly, forcing the player to strategize around their enemy’s movements. As a result, every level becomes more of a puzzle than a traditional action stage, with the player left to find the right combination of cautious tactics and frenzied movements needed to leave everyone in their wake with a few less limbs.

All that being said, it should be noted that this is not a game for the faint of heart or easily frustrated. While quick re-spawn times and short levels somewhat mitigate this issue, “Hotline Miami 2” is incredibly unforgiving and, in rare occasions, extremely unfair towards the player. While the game begins with a short tutorial to explain the basic controls to newcomers, the difficulty curve is much steeper than in the original, with multiple enemies wielding long-range weapons from the very start and almost no lee-way given to experiment with the game systems before things pick up. On the other hand, if you can take it and survive, the feeling of accomplishment you get for completing its challenges is almost unparalleled.

I’ve been avoiding talking about the story up until now because the story and its execution is what separates this game from its immediate predecessor, while also highlighting why the game doesn’t work quite as well. While the original game focused its narrative entirely around one singular killer, Jacket, and his one-man battle with the Russian mafia, “Hotline Miami 2” is instead concerned with fleshing out the series’ universe by focusing on events that occurred before, during and after those of the starting plot. From a group of wannabe vigilantes styling themselves off Jacket to a movie star hired to play him in an upcoming slasher film based on the first game’s events, each of the characters has been influenced by his killing spree in one way or another, and most of them won’t have a happy end as a result.

While this setup is initially very interesting and weirdly compelling despite all of the characters being deplorable, it’s in the actual plot construction that it all begins to fall apart. In order to keep the gameplay consistently fresh from level to level, the game constantly switches who you have control over at any given time with each character having their own unique methods of approaching their unique challenges. While from a gameplay perspective this works well enough (even if I miss the ability to use any play style on any stage), what hurts the system is that most of the central cast play out their own self-contained storylines separately from each other, with only the occasional overlap between plot threads. This is only further hurt by the game’s insistence to tell the story out of order, with different characters playing out their stories at different times before, during and after each other, culminating in a finale that left me guessing what happened, when it happened and what the point of any of it was to begin with. While it’s clear that the story is aspiring to pay homage to “Pulp Fiction” with its sprawling story design, it ultimately gets crushed under the weight of its own tangled plot threads.

From a graphical perspective, “Hotline Miami 2” looks great, even if the art style takes a bit of getting used to. Every level pulsates with hypnotic neon colors and washed-out textures to create a stylized look that walks the line of being consistently interesting to look at while also adding needed contrast to the copious amounts of blood you’ll be pouring over the environment as itt goes. It’s artistically sound throughout and the game ran at a consistent framerate throughout, though I did run into a fair amount of bugs in my time with the game. Special mention also needs to be given to the game’s soundtrack, which uses a masterful blend of old-school ‘80s synth and modern techno to consistently set the mood for every moment of the story. Most people forget how important good sound design is for defining a work’s style, and this game wouldn’t be half as enthralling as it is without it.

In the end, I consider “Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number” a good sequel to a great game. While the story does end up over-extending itself and the gameplay as a whole isn’t as tightly designed as it should be, everything that made the original game stand out, from its pulsing soundtrack and visuals to its visceral gameplay, is still there and is as fun as it’s ever been. Even with its flaws, it’s still one of the best indie releases to come out so far this year and I would definitely recommend it to those looking for a challenge to go with their ultra-violence.

“Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number” is available on PC, Playstation 3 and Playstation 4 for $15, with its predecessor, “Hotline Miami,” available on the same platforms for $10.

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