A brutal top-down shooter with a strong '80s vibe

Jan 5, 2015 02:03 GMT  ·  By

Our incoming 2015 series focuses on the most important game launches of the next 12 months, and next up we talk about an ultra-violent rendition of the '80s, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, from Dennaton Games.

What we know

The retro styled top-down action game was initially expected late last year, and the dev decided to postpone its launch in order to add some polish to the experience.

Players who enjoyed the first entry in the series will be able to pick things up pretty much right where they left them, continuing the killing spree in the same kind of neon-colored locales.

Gamers are placed in the shoes of an unnamed protagonist who receives a series of seemingly benign messages on his answering machine, and then proceeds to kill everyone at the revealed locations.

Hotline Miami was lauded by both critics and players, praised for its simple and challenging mechanics and for the way it manages to blend old-school aesthetics and systems with a more modernized, mood-heavy atmosphere.

Although it might not be readily apparent, Hotline Miami also has a pretty interesting story, complete with a shocking ending, and even goes to the trouble of rewarding completionists with a secret ending.

Why it matters

The blend of surreal narrative and brutal, dexterity-testing gameplay won the hearts of fans the world over, and its iconic animal head masks started popping up more and more as cosplay homages at conventions. Its impact on the gaming world, and more specifically the indie scene, cannot be denied.

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number will introduce a number of new gameplay features, including but not limited to dual wielding machine guns, using chainsaws to mow down opponents and other such neat additions.

The game will also ship with a level editor, enabling those itching to design colorful levels to do so, providing the title with potentially limitless replayability potential.

The pixelated experience managed to garner a lot of praise, and it's going to be interesting to see whether the sequel will be able to deliver something along the same lines now that the novelty factor will no longer weigh in its favor.

One of the most important elements of the distinct '80s vibe that Hotline Miami tried to sell us was its music, as its retro-styled electronic soundtrack had numbers from a ton of talented artists, and seeing how the sequel will manage to stack up to it will also be an interesting development.

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number screenshots (6 Images)

Just your average Tuesday
Neon colors aboundWho's ready for some batting practice?
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