Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number Hands-On

Hotline Miami was an indie success story when it released on October 2012. Featuring an excellent soundtrack, brutal difficulty and a strange story which kept you guessing until the very end, Hotline Miami was one of the indie highlights of the year. Luckily, for the fans of the first game, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is bringing back more of the same, but is the sequel little more than a glorified map pack?

 

The demo we got to play at EGX Rezzed involved the first three chapters of the sequel on both the PC and the PS Vita. Needless to say, Hotline Miami 2 feels just like its predecessor in every way: once again, you have an incomprehensible story told to you by people wearing animal masks through cutscenes between each level. Once again, you have a catchy and great soundtrack to go with your senseless murdering. Once again, you’ll be shouting at the screen when, out of nowhere, you get shot and killed by an enemy who spotted you from outside the screen. It’s just like nothing ever changed.

 

 

It didn’t take me long to familiarize myself once more with the controls and playstyle of Hotline Miami. After only a couple of failed attempts, I got warmed up and started taking down enemies by slamming doors against them, shooting them in the face or giving them a good ol’ fashioned beating. It felt just like the first game. Almost too much like the first game. Whilst there is nothing wrong with that, I am more than happy to get more of the same when it comes to Hotline Miami, I was expecting a little bit more. There are a few new masks from what I’ve been able to see from the first couple levels, but that’s all I was able to spot which differed from the original. Granted, we only had access to a small portion of the game, so there is still plenty I haven’t seen, but from what I’ve been able to see, there aren’t that many new additions in Wrong Number.

 

There really isn’t much to say about Hotline Miami 2, it’s just more Hotline Miami. If you liked the original, chances are you are gonna like this too and vice-versa. Whilst I am sure there are more than a few new masks in the sequel, there is no way of knowing just yet, so I would recommend  waiting for reviews to be up before buying - unless you are on board with the idea that this feels more like Hotline Miami 1.5 instead of a full-fledged sequel.