So you finished Hotline Miami? (Spoilers... but only very vague and small ones)
So you finished Hotline Miami huh? (Well the story at least the bonus level will come after I finish typing this… Like right after o.O) Now that the story is over you will begin to experience PHMD (Post Hotline Miami Disorder). The main symptom of PHMD being the uncontrollable lust to murder hundreds of bald buys in white suits and blue shirts. This review will hopefully help you to come to peace with your new condition. (kinda but not really)
When this years steam summer sale rolled around I sat and pondered my life before restricting myself to two cheap titles. The idea was to buy Don’t Starve and CS:GO spend a little money and be done, (if you have participated in the sale before you know how bad this plan was) bright eyed and bushy tailed I bought those games only to see that Hotline Miami and Bastion were cheap as chips as well. Next thing I know I have all four downloading tearing my precious gigabytes to shreds! If this game wasn’t on special and if I hadn’t seen it when I was buying other things I might never have grabbed it in the first place. The idea that one of the best games I have ever played in my life could have slipped through my fingers just because of these things that have nothing to do with the actually game experience is really worrisome. So after playing this perfect storm of difficulty, gameplay and atmosphere I understand why the fans of this beast are so die hard. Enough with the intro lets just dig in!
This is a wonderful example of what can be done with the retro style. The game looks like the old GTA games on PS1 and sounds like an 80’s action classic that has just been forced through a VHS player on cocaine. AND YES, this is a good thing! When I bought it, I won’t lie I was worried about these aspects but at no point while playing it did the graphical style bother me and the sound track is so bad ass you will probably find a way to buy it cause, well, I know I did. Each song from the game is memorable for it’s place and how it is used. The best example of this I could find happened towards the end of the first story, I hope that makes sense. Up until this point of the game I had used the end of level tune to unwind and stroll back to my car over the mountains of corpses I had left throughout the various places I had brought the apocalypse down upon. Then at the end of this certain level on the way out BAM, unavoidable death, I jumped out of my chair with shock and never left a level the same way again. The fact that this song could put me into such a safe place and then break that feeling so suddenly with such a “simple" graphical style was amazingly fresh and just proved how clever the game was. Now as for the graphics I say “simple" due to the retro pixel style it uses, however at no point was the art truly simple. Each level, character, and prop looks fantastic and vibrant in such a chaotic game it is nice to never feel like you are lost in it. The classic yet jaunty 80’s soundtrack matched with these graphics perfectly thanks to the atmospheric elements and distortion used. Now if you haven’t played Hotline Miami let me try and explain what it might be like best I can. Find a building with mirrors all over the roofs, take a heavy drug of your choice and stare directly up then attempt to guide your way through the premises and kill everyone you can… Obviously don’t do that tho. The fact that it is distorted and the level can rotate as you move around makes this game so much more then just a top down killing machine sim. It adds a sense of realism and natural movement to the game, also pumping the difficulty to the exact right place. It is truly an amazing achievement that this game looks and sounds the way it does. It proves that you don’t need roided out AAA graphics or sound to make something that is visually outstanding and has one of the most memorable soundtracks I have heard in years.
This had to be my main concern entering this game, because most of the good things I had heard before buying it was that the soundtrack was amazing. So looking at it with that mind set that the soundtrack was the main draw it was easy to feel concerned about gameplay, but the key was in the graphics! The style suits the gameplay almost perfectly even in large chaotic fights you might be screaming and confused but you never feel lost. That being said this game is not easy you will die a lot but the quick respawns with just the tap of a button really makes up for this. Constant death can be annoying but only if it is a chore to die, Hotline Miami makes death a learning tool the only way to plan your full approach is to have played the scenario before and it feels fantastic. But why do we die so much? Well it is due to the game treating you like an adult, in a landscape of regenerating health and bulletproof heroes Hotline Miami puts you on the same level as the other basic enemies, one hit and your dead. In some cases enemies would only die from certain weapons or you might only have a baseball bat to fight three gunmen so you are constantly changing your strategy to adapt to the situation. For the last part of the game they throw some curveballs your way like a stealth level with no weapons and then being limited to only a knife and three throwing knives per level. These changes come at a point in the game where you need a boost to keep playing and they totally work. Without the juxtaposition of the extreme chaos and choices to the limitation of some levels really is what makes every aspect of the gameplay shine. This game does a great job of making you feel like an unstoppable, out of control killing machine. Then at the perfect time they force you to become more strategic and calculated to proceed these levels test everything you have learnt up until this point and take away all of your bonuses you have been using and abusing. If you are prone to rage quitting this game could push you over the edge a couple of times but if you love a challenge or even just retro gaming difficulties this might be up your ally.
Overall this was one of the most immersive experiences I ever had in gaming, every death I didn’t see coming made me jump, yelp slightly and then laugh uncontrollably. The graphics and soundtrack take you into this amazing world and the gameplay seals the coffin that you and Hotline Miami will be buried in together. Now it is worth mentioning the story, due to spoilers I don’t wanna go into it to much. Basically at the start of the level you will wake up in your apartment answer the phone, get an address and walk to your car, then you visit a bar or a video store, before we are off to the killing. It is in these places you have brief dialogues coming from the employees and phone messages that you can really reflect on the clues you are getting about the world around you. It is a complicated story tho so be prepared for a couple of play throughs to really feel like you have a grasp on it, that is if you can ever feel confident in your conclusions. Whatever your drive is to play games (as long as you don’t mind a few restarts) Hotline Miami will probably be able to scratch that itch. It has some of the most amazing graphics and sound design I have ever seen, the gameplay is difficult but rewarding and addictive, finally the story is confusing and delightfully fun to move through. Hotline Miami is an amazing super death simulator with a gooey detective vibe in the centre and backed by a great soundtrack it is really hard to find problems with this game.
Thanks for reading my first ever review for All Range Mode hope you enjoyed the review and stay tuned for more!
