Hey Kids, want to go on a trip? How about a psychedelic murderous rampage against some gangsters with a variety of weapons while wearing a pig mask? Hope you're not shy about stomping guy's heads into a wall and slitting peoples throats! Welcome to Hotline Miami!

It only took a few levels to realize that holding Shift to look around the level & middle mouse to auto target a specific enemy was mandatory to succeed. Thinking about this game as something like Smash-TV would be a mistake. Each level must be approached with carefully planning, usually with repeated failures, to navigate the level in a way that allows you to dispatch enemies without bringing down the whole level on your head. Gameplay is tight. I never felt like I died because of the controls; I just made mistakes. The AI is unforgiving and surgical with their weapons but it's also a logical construct you can figure out and manipulate to complete a level. Weapons feel like they pack a punch and even with the old-school aesthetic felt very satisfying to use. The surprisingly graphic kill animations and amount of blood certainly help with player feedback.
There is a point system that rewards you for risky play as well as quick subsequent kills with more points added on top if you vary your kill methods. Personally, I was mainly concerned with simply completing the level than going for a high score but some masochists will want to battle for high scores, I'm sure.


As for the story, you're playing as a hit man that gets thinly veiled phone calls directing you to slaughter a whole bunch of seemingly bad people. Maybe. The story is intentionally thin and vague with the tip screens encouraging you to pay attention to details. Bits of story are handed out peace-meal over time, sometimes by men in animal masks. Something bad happened to your girlfriend. I know that. And you're in the 80s. American Psycho comes to mind as you quickly start to suspect that's what's occurring on screen may or may not be real. Saying more about the story may ruin the experience.

Music is both 80s and trippy depending on the scene. It's also so phenomenal that I almost want to buy the soundtrack. Weapons sound retro yet decidedly punchy. Enemies faces smoosh in a disgustingly satisfying fashion. Blood splatters on walls and pools around bodies that will pile up into gory, nightmarish scenes. When the media talks about video games being "murder simulators" they're usually wrong but this game might actually win the moniker for real.
Fair warning, Hotline Miami doesn't have any graphical options to speak of; not even resolution or v-sync. Perhaps this was unintentional or perhaps the developers didn't feel it necessary because of the aesthetic they chose. The game will take you between 4 and 6 hours depending on how many times you die. And you will die, a lot. I did encounter some legitimate frustration during certain boss battles due to a lack of direction but again, this seems like an intentional design decision. I picked up Hotline Miami for 5$ on a Steam sale and for that price, it's definitely worth purchasing. While I enjoyed my time with the game, this may not be for everyone. Games have made steps forward to be more directed experiences in the last 10 years. I would not call Hotline Miami very accessible so be warned. If this type of experience sounds good, I would highly recommend snapping it up during the Steam Christmas sale.
4/5
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