(Photo courtesy of Devolver Digital)“Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number” is not an easy game — nor was its predecessor.
The tough-as-nails series (think Contra) appeals to a particular crowd of players — for example, those who enjoy the “Dark Souls” series. You fight, kill, die, learn from your mistakes and try again.
For someone that isn’t much into gaming, think of the “Hotline Miami” series as “Groundhog Day” starring Bill Murray in game form. Instead of repeating the same day however, you’re repeating the same level because a small slip-up caused you to eat a steel pipe.
The framework of the two games are simple. In each bird’s-eye-view level, you control a character that strategically eliminates enemies off the map until there are none left.
It sounds easy, but there are a number of things to keep track of on each section – enemy patterns, what weapon they carry, and so on.
Compounding on this are complexities such as big guys that absorb bullets before bleeding out, and the occasional roaming dog(s).
I should also mention you’ve only got one life to clear a room, which raises the stakes even higher. It’s endlessly frustrating to rip through a whole room only to be killed by a baddie you didn’t account for, thus having to restart the room all over.
But restarts are quick, and there’s nothing better than being able to breathe after finishing up a level, especially if you’ve come so close to death (or it’s your 20th retry). It’s fast-paced, technical and satisfying when you learn enough to form a plan that works.
“Wrong Number” carries that same setup as the original, which is great news for returning fans. And while there are things to praise, the negatives weigh the game down considerably.
Deserving praise are the graphics which are just as colorful as the last, with trippy, 8-bit visuals on hand to give the blood and gore a near comedic tone.
The soundtrack is perfectly spot-on again as well, with thumping beats from 40 artists providing some memorable tunes to the mayhem.
In the original game, the story was presented as a sort of psychological fever dream, with one character going on murder sprees against the Russian mafia for a group of vigilantes.
It showed the main character as someone who was dealing with the weight of his actions as he did the wet-work. Against the backdrop of a Vice-era Miami, it was solid.
In “Wrong Number,” we’re treated to flashbacks/forwards, all under a story seen through multiple characters that range from a detective to a journalist that doesn’t kill.
It’s an interesting deviation from the original, but the sudden jumps from one character to the next don’t offer up much coherence and it soon becomes tricky to follow the tale.
That isn’t to say that the story itself is bad — it’s quite good, as it deals with the aftermath of the events of the last game. But the method of telling the tale is off-putting.
This bleeds into the gameplay as well, where use of ability-giving masks from the first game is greatly reduced to compensate for the new characters.
Also not fun is the enemy intelligence of the game, which can be deaf, cheap and glitchy in the same area. There were times where I had shot someone at close range but the resulting noise didn’t call in the nearby cavalry.
The more I tried to like “Hotline Miami 2” as much as I did its predecessor, the more disappointed I felt. While as tightly designed as the original, the screwy enemies and awkwardly told story don’t quite provide the same thrill.
Weaving the story and the gameplay together was a huge plus for the first game, but “Wrong Number” doesn’t carry that same gravitas here. However, if you’re looking for a challenge and don’t mind giving into a bit of luck, you might find it here.
Reach the reporter at djulienr@asu.edu or talk to him on Twitter @legendpenguin.
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