GAME-A-WEEK - HOTLINE MIAMI

This week, I will be taking a look at one of the more controversial titles out there right now, Hotline Miami.  It's a hyper-violent action game that the creators proudly admit is heavily inspired by the movie Drive.  The game is being called a "murder simulator" by critics.  I have to admit, I wasn't really interested in playing this game, as much as I was curious to see what all the hype was about.



What were my expectations going in?
Not much, honestly.  I watched several Let's Play videos, I watched TotalBiscuit's "WTF Is...?" video, and read a lot of threads on Reddit, and really the game did not interest me at all.  I knew the soundtrack was supposed to be completely amazing, and that it was brutally hard, and incredibly gory, with a garish pastel color palette.  I really did not expect to like this game.

Animal masks are a running theme in this game.

So how was it?
I'm surprised at how incredibly compelling this game turned out to be.  The entire thing feels like a surreal 1980s-themed bad acid trip.  I don't say this as a criticism; this is kind of what they were going for, and they nailed it.  Every aspect of the game is incredibly unsettling, from the graphics to the soundtrack to the way the faux-3D fonts weave in and out and the entire world sort of twists in this woozy off-kilter way as you play.  The whole point of the game is to make you feel disoriented, like the main character (referred to by fans as "Jacket", because of his distinct letterman jacket).  It's very surreal, and I kind of liked it.

Does that jacket on the floor look familiar?

The gameplay has been repeatedly compared to Super Meat Boy, not because of any sort of platforming, but because it's brutal, swift, and you reload almost instantly.  There are no load times, no wait, nothing.  You hit "R" to respawn, and it's instantaneous.  Good thing, too, because you will die.  A lot.  Jesus fucking christ.  This game is merciless.  And yet, it's also fair; the controls are tight enough that if you die, it's probably because you fucked up, not because of the game itself.  I actually found the challenge very refreshing, and it's a big part of what kept me coming back.  I wanted to ragequit so many times, but I just could not stop playing!

It's amazing how violent a game like this can be.  When I saw pics and video, I thought "But it's all pixels and retro styled, how violent can it be?"   Once you get your hands on the game, it sinks in.  When you knock a man down and bash his skull into the ground or gouge his eyes out with your thumbs as a finishing move, it starts to hit you.  Yes it's low-res pixel animation.  However it's JUST enough to tell what's going on, and the implications sink in with a sort of weight to them.  Blood spurts everywhere, and death is swift.  By the end of any given level, it's a goddamn massacre.  Sometimes the blood is theirs, sometimes it's yours.

All this violence happened in less than three seconds.

The levels are very short.  Each level is a building, viewed in a top-down perspective.  You can hold down Shift to look around and get a feel for what's in store for you, and where all of the enemies are.  Your goal?  Kill everyone.  That's it.  By fist, melee, or gun, you have to kill everyone.  But be quick; the second they see you, they will come for you, and they can kill you just as quickly as you can kill them.  The enemies don't seem to have any real AI, but they also don't always follow set patterns, nor are they equipped with the same weapons between respawns.  It's a precarious balance between carefully planning your attack and rushing in reckless abandon.  Too much of either one will get you killed.

Time to die, Danny Tanner...

As you progress, the game rates you on your performance.  How you kill your enemies, how many times they spot you, how quickly, etc.   Higher point totals unlock more weapons, and more masks.  I quite liked the mask system; different animal masks give different abilities, completely changing your strategy for the level.  My personal favorite was the Don Juan mask, which makes doors lethal.  Normally, opening a door into an enemy will knock them down and stun them, allowing you to pounce for a finishing move.  With this mask, opening a door into an opponent is an instant kill.  

The story of the game is intentionally obtuse.  You are never completely sure why you are performing these murders; each level begins with a message on your answering machine telling you where to go.  Apparently they are all Russian mobsters?  I'm not entirely clear on that. Between chapters, you find yourself in a darkened room with three masked men, each of whom has a different opinion of you and the situation.  As the story progresses, you begin to have strange visions, and the lines between what's real and what's in your head begin to blur.   Lots of fan theories have sprung up about what's really happening, but honestly it's both the game's greatest strength and biggest weakness.  You never really know what's going on.  And who is the strange redheaded hippie that seems to work everywhere?

The soundtrack is...interesting.  It's incredibly effective, for what it's attempting to do in the game.  The tracks are primarily full of heavy synth dance beats very reminiscent of the 80s club scene.  It meshes perfectly with the atmosphere of the game.  But there are some tracks, most notably "Hydrogen" and "DeepCover" on the official OST, that just sort of make your skin crawl.  This actually works incredibly well in the game, as you sort of feel unsettled, like the music is reflecting those frayed edges of your sanity beginning to unravel from all of the heinous acts you've committed.  "Hydrogen" in particular has a sort of grating sound in its beat that sets my teeth on edge, like nails on a chalkboard.  While I can't imagine enjoying it outside of the game, within the gameplay I found it had a huge impact.

I'm shocked I only used the word "brutal" twice in this review.

All in all, I'm not sure that I can say I liked Hotline Miami, but I did find it incredibly compelling.  I could not put this game down all week.  It almost haunted me.  The story never hooked me; I never gave a shit why I was killing people.  It never transcended anything for me, I played it as a video game, not a work of art.  But it was very atmospheric, it was very effective, and most of all it was fun.  The challenging difficulty level kept me coming back for more, because I KNEW if I could just take out that one guard, make it around that corner to take out the next guy, and so on, I could beat this level.  This game is definitely not for everyone, and certainly not for kids, but I highly recommend giving it a shot if you can stomach the violence.  

Play time:  About 6-7 hours
Finished:  No
Recommended:  If you can handle it, pussy.
Available For:  PC