(Game Review) Hotline Miami

Time to read: 2 min read

Game Cover Game Cover

Look at my face. We've met before...

Platform played on: PC

Review

This is an 8-bit 2D top-down action shooter with punchy gameplay with an amazing soundtrack. The game takes place in 1989 Miami and follows "Jacket" the silent protagonist who receives messages on his answering machine instructing him to commit massacres against the Russian mafia. The story has a surreal quality, such as the cryptic hallucinatory messages from the masks and the encounters in convenience stores with "Beard".

Even though the game is only 8-bits, it is very gory and ultra-violent, as the bulk of the gameplay follows Jacket through his psychotic rampages. The music also matches incredibly well with the overall aesthetic of the game, having both mellow funk music in the lulls inbetween missions as well as high bps techno tracks during the actual missions.

Gameplay Gameplay

The gameplay is simple yet very addicting; it's a skill-based game which requires hand-eye coordination as well as good timing. It's very satisfying to progress through the game as every level has its unique challenges and set up, and will require trial and error to uncover a tactic to earn the maximum amount of points. The level design is also extremely thorough for an 8-bit game, with hidden easter eggs and subtle design details, it's clear that the two devs put a lot of heart and thought into creating this game.

Conclusion

A simple concept executed extremely well.

Overall rating: 8.6

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