It’s a trade-off a negotiation between some of Hotline Miami 2’s more arcade-like aspects and a more fully fleshed-out story that allows for the exploration of several different tones and moods.įortunately, an unlockable Hard Mode prevents some loss in replay value. In terms of story, a restraint like this makes sense and is a great way to get us closer to what’s happening and why, but in terms of gameplay, it can feel limiting. The carnage wreaked by the chainsaw- and gun-wielding brother-sister duo in Swan masks was especially fun to play, but I also enjoyed the sequences featuring characters who don’t even wear masks at all. While many levels are bound to a particular character, there are a few that do offer some choice, either variations of a mask or other accessories that grant different abilities.
Playing through these levels is very close to the lethal ones, mechanically speaking, but it’s still an interesting example of a character’s personality changing things up. Knocking someone down and picking up their guns results in an animation of you rendering the weapons non-lethal. One character, in a shocking twist for Hotline Miami, can actually get through a level without killing anybody (unless you manage to send him into a murderous rage). It also means that Hotline Miami 2 can explore new scenarios, thanks to character-specific goals. This saves it from falling into gross repetition or suffering from style over substance. You can play as a soldier who kills because he’s in a warzone, which is a very different reason from the copycat killers who recreate the crimes of the original Hotline Miami character. Hotline Miami has always been known for its mindless killing, but in Hotline Miami 2, the dozen playable characters are defined by their personal motivations. The upside is that it also allows room for Hotline Miami 2 to present new situations, interesting characters, and unpredictable events that break away from the typical expectations of a sequel. The more plot-driven approach means we don’t get as much freedom to choose how we tackle each level, because most are tied to a specific character.
It’s less of an ambiguous mystery, but just as bizarre and fun to piece together.
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The story has also grown into a layered multi-character saga that spans several years and involves a serial killer, a Russian gang war, and even an actual war. It’s a slightly unfair advantage, but serves to balance out the leap in difficulty that comes with Hotline Miami 2’s more sizable maps. Pushing the lock-on button instantly targets the enemy closest to your cursor if the enemy is outside your range of vision, a red arrow appears to point you to him until you either undo lock-on or track him down. What saves it from being overly frustrating are a few new ways of dealing with distant threats: most notably an improved lock-on system. There were several points when clearing even half an area became a painstaking task, and in a game where all of that progress can be destroyed in an instant by an off-screen enemy with a shotgun, it’s really tough. These large-levels can end up feeling a little too imposing for their own good. This is an interesting change of pace that demands a new, more cautious approach.
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Where Hotline Miami 1 had you shooting, stabbing, and bludgeoning enemies in a series of small rooms and hallways, Hotline Miami 2 isn’t afraid to drop you into vast, open areas, where danger lurks outside the boundaries of your screen. What’s changed most is the scale of the levels. Hotline Miami 2 carries on the same top-down twitch-shooter gameplay and ultra-violent retro art style of the original, shifted only slightly to make things feel fresh. Like the last game, the music is the fuel that drove me forward into each new challenge – and in Hotline Miami 2, there are plenty. The soundtrack, dripping with nervous synth and a pulsing bass, is even better than the last one a moodier and more expansive set of tracks merges appropriately with the symphony of door-busting, skull-crunching, and gun firing you’ll create yourself.
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This is a deep dive into an engaging alternate history full of masked fanatics, mobsters, drugs, war, and a few haunting figures from the past. It moves the setting ahead into the grungy ‘90s, but also occasionally whips us back to the mid-’80s in a feverish rollercoaster ride that further unfolds the twisted story. Hotline Miami 2’s style is a smooth continuation of the first game.