We all know cult classics. Games that despite rave reviews, it never took off and therefore garners a small, dedicated, cult fanbase. The original Hotline Miami took a long time to gather some steam, but it successfully gathered a small and extremely dedicated following. A game about repetition, about doing the same 30 second task over and over and over again until you eventually succeed. It was about precision, about creating a killing rhythm along with its pounding 80's electro soundtrack.
When the unexpected sequel to the top down shooter was announced, the internet hardly set on fire, but those who had played the original were busy preparing for the onslaught that was to come.
Story was one of the original Hotline Miami's weakest points. Despite packing a great story, it was presented out of chronological order with confusing dialogue and a lack of explanation as to what the hell was actually going on. It was a story of sex, drugs and ultra-violence in 1989 Miami, telling the tales of 'The Jacket' and 'The Biker', two people who are instructed to kill people through their home telephones.
Hotline Miami 2 takes place across six years (Before, during and after the events of the original Hotline Miami) from 1985 until 1991.
After the Jacket kills the Russian mob leader at the end of his portion of the first Hotline Miami, he has been put on trial after having killed the hundreds of people standing between him and the mob boss. HM2: Wrong Number follows members of a neo-nationalist organisation called the 50 Blessings as well as characters who were involved or affected by Jacket's rampage, all of whom stem from a squad in the 1985 cold war.
What follows is another rampage inspired by the Jacket's original spree and following each characters motive's behind doing so.
So if you got lost there, don't worry. That synopsis itself was put together using online forums to help me piece together what happened over the course of the game. It is more coherent and understandable than the original Hotline Miami, but as a whole, thanks to a jumbled timeline of events, is still a hell of a task to piece together.
However, much like the original game, once you can figure the story out, you are treated to a brilliant, brutal and rather unique storyline.
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number plays more like an expansion pack to the first Hotline Miami than a straight up sequel. There are no changes to the core gameplay whatsoever. Your goal is still to clear each screen of enemies without being hit or shot, all whilst having crazy colourful visuals forced into your eyeballs and electro music pumped through your ear holes. This game is your brain on acid.
But that being said, its not another 10 hours of the exact same game. Rather than change the core game, Hotline Miami 2 introduces small, temporary changes to the gameplay to keep it fresh.
Each character has a particular skill, for example one can roll under bullets, one can dual wield SMG's and one cannot pick up weapons.
These abilities spice up the gameplay that you will have most likely already come to master through the first game, therefore making it feel more like an expansion rather than a sequel. That is also one of HM2's biggest mistakes, it will automatically assume you have played the original Hotline Miami. Now whilst this is a good idea to do regardless, I haven't played Hotline Miami in well over a year so by the time I started HM2 I had forgotten what buttons did what, requiring me to have to learn on the fly.
On top of this, Hotline Miami 2 is extremely difficult, now for players of the original this is no surprise, but what you may not have expected is it is more difficult than its predecessor due to the massive change in level design.
HM2 features a lot of open levels, compared to the originals close quarters environments. Though Wrong Number does have close quarters levels, you are constantly having different size levels thrust your way. The danger of being left out in the open leaves you vulnerable to gunfire from off-screen and this can prove extremely frustrating, especially in the latter parts of the game when the difficulty gets ramped up to at times simply absurd levels. The game is never impossible, but its just a matter of learning enemy movement patterns and level layout as well as getting into a killing rhythm. Racking up the combos to earn points, training your thumbs to be precise instruments of murder.
Going back to the character's individual abilities for a second. This is another problem that comes with ever changing level design. Some characters are really not suited to some environments, yet are forced into them for the sake of the story. It also means that at various points throughout the game you are changing character on a floor by floor basis, this is extremely disruptive to the flow of gameplay. Like I have already spoken about in this review and even in my review of the first game, Hotline Miami is about getting into the swing of things, its about engrossing yourself to the sound and creating a rhythm to play by. By changing how characters move and what weapons they are able to use every five minutes screws up that major gameplay point.
Finally, Wrong Number also contains a lot of non-combat sequences, though there are 20 stages in both Hotline Miami games there are actually less typical levels in HM2 because of this. Therefore actually making it a shorter game than its predecessor, only given a longer lifespan because of its difficulty level.
Hotline Miami has a very distinct visual style and that has not changed in the sequel, you'll be able to distinguish it from a mile off. The retro style visuals can take some getting used to, its about training the eyes to avoid distractions, the flashing lights at the side of the screen, the enemies that can occasionally blend into the scenery and the likes. Its about spotting movement and acting upon it within a fraction of a second. It also retains its heavy blood and gore that made the original so satisfying.
The soundtrack to Wrong Number is equally as stunning as the first game's and is one of the games best features. The 80's electronic club music penetrates your ears with violent force and surges through your body, turning you into a lethal killer. Featuring many returning artists as well as some remixed favourite tracks from the first game, the soundtrack is somehow an improvement on perfection itself and something I will absolutely be listening to outside of the game.
So here comes the verdict. I suppose the question you are begging to know the answer to is whether Wrong Number is a better game than the first. The answer is no, it is not better. But that does not mean it is a disappointment and it is still a simply amazing game.
The problem Hotline Miami 2 suffers from is that it is trying to follow up on something that was one of the most original and freshest top down shooters in decades, one that executed it near flawlessly too. By trying to top that it creates new problems, by trying to be bigger it becomes more frustrating, it takes risks that don't necessarily pay off and it still struggles to tell a cohesive story that will resonate with its audience.
But what it provides is a worthy continuation and satisfying conclusion to the Hotline Miami storyline. Fans of the original are sure to enjoy the 2nd because its more of the same but bigger and bolder than before. Newcomers should absolutely avoid by a 50 foot minimum safe distance though and play through the original game first, this is a game for seasoned veterans only.
Now if you'll excuse me, my phone is ringing, my trigger finger is itchy and my animal mask collection are giving me funny looks.
Hotline Miami 2:
Wrong Number – 9/10
+Excellent Conclusion To The Story
+Even More Ultra-Violence
+One Of Gaming's Best Soundtracks
+A Natural Progression From The Original
-More Unfair Than Challenging
-Inconsistent Minor Gameplay Changes
-Story Is Still Overly Confusing
