I’ve never taken amphetamines, I don’t think I ever will. However second hand accounts and Wikipedia results would lead me to believe the experience on said drugs could be compared to Hotline Miami, an indie hit of 2012 produced by Dennaton games. Stimulating, addictive and surprisingly affordable . Hotline Miami is a heart-stopping, relentless trip with rock-hard gameplay, mind-bending visuals and a euphoric soundtrack that given the right mood and environment can be happily enjoyed.
The game is a top-down twin stick shooter that can be compared to the likes of Smash-TV and the original GTA. The player takes control of a fledgling hit man who’s goal is to essentially massacre buildings of Russian criminals. Psychedelic pixelated visuals mixed with the neon backdrop of the 80s combine in what feels like a fever dream or hallucination. Gameplay is intense and sometimes brutally difficult but never feels cheap or broken in execution. Its a one shot kill in Hotline Miami but an instant restart is available upon death with no load times providing that one more try mentality. Throughout the course of the game the player will collect masks that can be equipped to receive a perk for that particular level, perks that include the ability to run faster, fatal bursts through doors or the ability to start with a weapon and many more. At the end of each level the player is awarded points for completing the level and style bonuses for being fast or daring, on the whole a very old-school arcade experience.
On paper this game would not appeal to me, I’m not a big fan of depictions of violence, death or gore. Three things that are becoming increasingly common in the video game industry to the point where it has become a cause for concern to some people. I can’t say I’m in that boat but I do think that the market is saturated with war simulators and power fantasies. What I like to see is something a bit different just to experience new ideas…Until, I played Hotline Miami, a game that is overtly violent, gory and morbid but is presented in such a way of gruesome beauty that I fell in love with it. The last game that has struck me in a similar way was Dark Souls, probably my favourite game in recent years. A game with an awe inspiring atmosphere of gorgeous bleak art that seeps through to the very core and clenched me throughout my experience.
Getting back to the subject, Violence and death are things that should never be glorified in reality yet I do think that it has it’s place in media and works of fiction. I am an adult and I have the intelligence to separate reality from fiction I also extend this ability to the majority of people around me and I do think that when there is a case where a person claims that they could be influenced by such works of fiction to replicate acts of violence on to another we should look to the mental state of said individual rather than the source material. Rant over.
Each level starts with the player (Who fans have referred to as Jacket) receiving a phone call in spy speak, giving idea of your job of the day but in the cryptic message of a request for a mechanic or “cleaning” to not arouse suspicion which I love and feels creepy. You then walk to your Delorean and travel to the location and begin the mission. After choosing your mask frantic gamplay ensues with you running into the fray using trail and error gameplay and split second decision making to kill before you’re killed. You’re planning the most efficient/safe route to completion all the while intense electronic music buzzes in the background. The first few levels you find yourself playing cautiously like other games you’ve probably been used to, but as you get going you become more accustomed to the fast pace and the controls and like Jacket you become a more efficient killer. A stand-out moment for me was around level 6 to which point I’m a good way into the game and suddenly the music picks up because the setting is a disco. What is significant about this is that this a particularly catchy and dancey piece of music and you can feel yourself become more engrossed and getting into a rhythm. As a result it felt like very clever choice from a design stand point and it’s definitley one of the aspects which makes gameplay so addictive.
I feel Hotline Miami is a very psychological game to what extent that was intended by the developers I’m not sure. I’m no expert but it feels like the whole game revolves around the psyche of the player character and the progressive degeneration of his mental state as he becomes a serial killer. Right at the beginning of the game you are confronted by three characters wearing similar masks to Jacket. These characters could refer to the players conscience or perhaps the people Jacket work for and combined with a fever dream filter they question what’s going on and pretty much break the fourth wall by asking “Do you like hurting people?” which if you’re a sane enough person you don’t. Yet each mission involves you brutally killing dozens of people. At no real point in this game did I feel that Jacket was a Hero or a Badass I just accepted my role as a psychopath and it was interesting. Before I had mentioned that you wear a selection of masks, each a creepy visage of an animal and having their own perks and even male names which is more than we can say for Jacket. These masks are very thought provoking, symbolising an alter-ego for Jacket to hide his human identity, possibly to scare people and could represent the transformation into something feral with the ability to act on fight or flight instinct without human conscience. If we look into the etymology of the word mask (thanks Wikipedia) we find roots in words like “Covering/hiding ones face”, “Nightmare” and “To Ridicule” which give you an idea of where I’m coming from. Other strange points in the game come up at the end of every level when you have to physically walk back to your car to leave the scene. The catchy music that accompanies the gameplay comes to an abrupt stop once you have finished off the final bad-guy creating an exclamation point on the scenario, killing your buzz like a come-down and making you take in the horror which you have created, it can be quite chilling and highlights the gravitas. One last interesting point I’ll talk about without revealing any spoilers is after every mission you play as Jacket briefly as he does everyday recreational things like go to a bar or a video rental store hinting that this may be the way he chooses to unwind or forget about the massacres that have recently ensued. In each place you will be greeted by a friendly face who seems always happy to hook you up with a Pizza or what not on the house but all strangely look like the same guy giving a real sense of paranoia as you play. I’ll leave it there.
There is one thing I’d like to quickly address, it’s that this game is clearly inspired by the film Drive and the developers do mention that even in the end credits. Hotline Miami does emulate a lot of things from Drive but I had noticed one stark and interesting difference. While watching Drive you are treated to some beautifully shot visuals with emphasis on complementing colours that are attractive to the eye as well as a stellar electronic soundtrack, truly food for the senses, you feel like you’re in an audio visual bathtub filled with warm Angel delight that is up until the mid part of the film where the floor falls out beneath you and shocking violent scenes jolt you out of you’re comfort zone leaving you feeling vulnerable and craving Angel delight again revealing Drive’s true identity. Hotline Miami goes about this in the opposite way. Immediately you are faced with the brutal violence juxtaposed with visuals and soundtrack but it’s at the games mid point everything comes together to be an addicting and enjoyable experience. I think this is a noteworthy exception to highlight between these two products that are in many ways similar.
To sum up I would say as a game Hotline Miami is an outstanding achievement that should be acknowledged. As I listen to the games soundtrack I eagerly await a potential sequel and to those who haven’t
yet tried it I highly suggest picking it up on Steam and at £7 it’s an absolute steal!
Thanks for reading,
Kris.
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