If you liked the fast paced, retro, ultra violent challenges that the first Hotline Miami had to offer then I assume you'll love Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number even more. Hotline Miami 2 comes with a revamped soundtrack that still holds the style of the prequels music and it gets you super pumped at times. The most notable thing about Hotline Miami 2 is the expansion on the game's lore. In the first Hotline Miami the player was left to make inferences and the only real bit of story occurred towards the game's ending. The story in Hotline Miami 2 gives insight on the first game and expands even more and ends up becoming a crazy existential crisis that leaves you feeling like you just got round housed by your own mother, assuming yo momma is fat. In Hotline Miami 2 the story is in depth and takes place over many different characters, locations, and time periods. The levels are also a lot bigger so if you like challenging fast paced game play Hotline Miami 2 delivers even better than it's predecessor. The story in this game is one of the things that kept me motivated to keep playing. Even after all the dying in each level finding out what came next in the story compelled me to keep trying.
A sample of the awesome soundtrack.
If there was anything negative I had to say about Hotline Miami 2 it would be that sometimes the rooms within the level are far too big and cause a lot of stress and anger. But with a cool head you can still enjoy the game.For those of you who are new to Hotline Miami I have one tip for you, and that is to not get angry. Dying is a very big part of this game and there's no health bars. One bullet and one hit can kill you faster than you can say, "What the hell was that?" One more thing that slightly upset me would be that the creators of the game got rid of masks and replaced them with the multiple characters. There is still variety, and even more depth to the game because of the new characters, but it still doesn't have the classic Hotline Miami feel without the multiple masks that added more of a challenge to the game and allowed you to mix up your play style. Another thing that let me down personally is that the main character from Hotline Miami 2's prequel : Jacket is only shown briefly and is not playable.
If you do find yourself looking for more of a challenge you can try out the hard mode that unlocks after you beat the game for the first time. Hard mode adds in extra special enemies, and gives them a better reaction time which is harder to get around than it sounds. Hard mode also flips each levels layout which makes each level feel refreshed and new. There's also an added secret in hard mode that will put things in perspective. For those of you reading who have played Hotline Miami 2's prequel you should keep your eyes peeled for secrets and Easter Eggs to get more of an insight on the game's story line.
A small peek at the game's play style.
All in all I'd give Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number an 8.5/10 As no other game has made me feel like more of a badass killing machine than this one.
