I'm going back into the Devolver well today. This time, I'm taking on a modern cult classic. BACKGROUND:
In a similar vein to Psychonauts, I heard of Hotline Miami mostly because of its strong cult following online. I've seen some gameplay of it and had plans to check it out myself, but I never got around to it until now. PLOT: The game is set in 1989 Miami. You play an unnamed protagonist who receives periodic phone calls about certain "jobs" around the city. The protagonist then visits the designated locations... and proceeds to kill everyone in the area. It so happens that each of these places are areas controlled by the mob. At first, the story seems straightforward: seemingly random dude performs hits on the mob as instructed by mystery caller. However, the protagonist slowly but surely loses their grip on reality, as increasingly surreal visions and hallucinations start manifesting as they carry out their tasks. Most of the story stuff is in-game (i.e. you control your character as things are playing out), which adds a bit of immersion to the experience. While I personally found the story fascinating, I don't think it's for everyone. If you're not into more esoteric and/or trippy narratives, you'll just come out of this game confused. However, I think the gameplay would be sufficient in carrying most players through. PRESENTATION: Hotline Miami's visuals are as retro as its setting, sporting the pixel art graphics of yesteryear. Though most of the sprites of objects or characters are simple, the level elements do look rather detailed. Despite the relative simplicity of the visuals, the violence still looks gruesome, and you still get a strong sense of the neon-colored '80s vibe they were going for. The soundtrack is excellent, taking on a synth/techno vibe that definitely works well in the '80s setting. Many of the tracks accompany the game's mile-a-minute action quite well to boot. GAMEPLAY: Hotline Miami is a top-down shooter (sometimes referred to as a twin-stick shooter). The game has a top-down perspective, and the goal is to move your character around and kill the shit out of everybody else. You usually start each level unarmed, with only a non-lethal punch in your arsenal. Punching enemies knocks them out momentarily, and while they're down, you can finish them off and execute them if you're quick enough. It's absolutely brutal, but this method is slow, and you'll likely be killed by another enemy while doing this. To even the odds, you'll have to pick up a wide variety of weapons and use them to your advantage. You can either find these weapons simply lying about in the levels, or you can disarm enemies and take their shit from them. Most of the weapons are melee (but you can throw said weapons as well to stun enemies), but you'll also be able to pick up guns. The guns are a reliable way to get kills, but they come with the drawback that enemies will be alerted to your presence. Plus, each gun has limited ammo with no way to reload. When it comes to enemies, most of the variance is based on the weapons they're holding. It's important to watch out for who has guns and who doesn't, and to plan your assault accordingly. There are unique enemy types, too (each with their own quirks), but there aren't that many at all to speak of. The tough thing about enemies overall is their AI; though a lot of their behavior is consistent, their responses to your actions can vary wildly per attempt. You'll have to think on the fly most of the time once enemies start coming your way. The game is split up into 19 chapters, the last four of which are a bonus side story featuring a different playable character. Each chapter is split into multiple individual rooms (called stages), and you'll have to kill everyone in each stage in order to progress. Mistakes are fatal here, as any sort of hit kills you instantly. Thankfully, you respawn at the beginning of the furthest stage you reached, so there's room for trial and error. Speaking of trial and error, you'll be doing a lot of it, because this game is not easy. It's just you against an entire room of enemies, and the enemies won't go down without a fight. Going full Rambo is usually not recommended, as it's extremely easy to get surrounded or picked off by an enemy you can't see. Though you can certainly try to just pick up an assault rifle and clear the room that way, it's generally safer to find and kill the biggest threats, employ stealth to avoid detection, and bait enemies one by one to pick them off. In addition, relying on guns is a good way to call attention to yourself; even a couple of shots will alert many enemies, and soon, they'll be swarming to where you are. The available weapons in a room are random each time as well, adding more improvisation to one's attempts on top of the unpredictable enemy behavior. Some chapters have special objectives, like retrieving items, sneaking past guards, and even fighting bosses. However, these unique missions tend to be just one stage of an entire chapter as opposed to its own dedicated thing. At the end of every chapter, you get a score total which adds up things like various kills, kill streaks, and more. Though it's mostly just for leaderboard chasers, passing the level's score threshold unlocks new animal masks for your protagonist to wear. These aren't just cosmetic items, as every mask (apart from the default) has a unique passive buff that can give you an edge in a fight. For example, one of the masks gives you a starting weapon right at the beginning if you wear it. Score also unlocks more weapons for you to find, but since weapons are generated randomly, it may take a while for you to spot these in your playthroughs. I mentioned the four bonus chapters earlier, and they're notable because you play as another character. Said character plays differently from the protagonist, as this fella has a starting weapon right off the bat, plus three throwing knives. The caveat is he can't pick up weapons in the environment, and has to rely on what he already has to kill everyone. Other than that, the core gameplay is pretty much identical. VERDICT: Hotline Miami can be a punishing game on the account of its tough layout, unpredictable enemies, and the need to scavenge for a way to kill everyone. But that's exactly what made it satisfying to me; every frustrating failure made me rethink my approach, and it felt cathartic to get that one successful run and fight my way to victory. Combined with the surreal narrative, simple yet striking art style, and pulse-pounding music, the game was an unforgettable experience. I don't think this is a game for everyone, on the account of its ultra-violent action, its unorthodox story, and its unforgiving difficulty. If you're OK with all of that (or can at least tolerate some of it), you should check it out for sure. Here's the game on Steam: Hotline Miami on Steam (steampowered.com) - end -
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July 2024
Derryck
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