Hotline Miami 2 Review: Check your conscience at the start menu
By: Paul (@MrHarkinian)
- Hotline Miami 2
- Developer - Dennaton
- Publisher - Devolver Digital
- PC, OSX, Linux, PS3, PS4, Vita
- Rating - M
Deny it all you want, but you secretlyhave murderous intent. We all fantasize about harming anyone whohas wronged us, but most of the population knows better than to actout on those urges. If you really want to inflict pain on someone,stick to Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number.
This game is the sequel/prequel toHotline Miami, developed by Dennaton Games. In both games, you are the biggest psychopath in the world or the greatest hero this country has ever known, depending on your outlook, murdering a lot of Russians while bopping your head to quite possibly the best soundtrack ever put in a game. I say it’s both a sequel and prequel because the game takes place before, during, and after the events of the first game.
The similarities end there as Hotline Miami 2 is a significant departure from the first game. In Hotline Miami 2, you play from the perspective of multiple murdering scumbags, all of whom have their own agenda. Some want to uncover answers from past actions of the protagonist from the first game while others want nothing more than to be famous for doing something that can earn you a life sentence… if caught.
Sincere moments in this game are few and far between as the main game consists of mowing down countless Russians, Columbians, police officers, and petty criminals in the hopes that you can obliterate them all in one successful chain like a murderous Thomas the Tank Engine. You are provided with an unsettling amount of weapons and techniques to perfect your murder combos in the hopes of earning a high enough score to earn an S rank.
One important thing to note about this game is that it’s hard. Just like the first game, only it’s significantly harder. For whatever reason, the interior designers of Hotline Miami 2’s buildings really liked indoor windows. The enemies also developed a keen sense of intruders as you can be sniped off screen before you even have a chance to tie your shoes. Thankfully, there will be a content creator mode that will allow you to make rooms that do not have huge open corridors or too many windows.
Overall, this game can be a sour experience at first if you are a fan of happy endings and windowless rooms, not to mention some bugs and glitches that can ruin your killer streak. Despite all that, I can gladly recommend it to anyone who loves a fast paced murder train simulator with a banging soundtrack and looking at the tops of people’s heads.