Hotline Miami

Overview

Set in the neon-soaked underground of the 1980s, Hotline Miami is a surreal tale of blood, guns and masks. Focusing on raw brutality and skull-crushing close combat, the game forces players to use their wits to choreograph their way out of impossible situations. It was developed by Dennaton, a collaboration between designer Jonatan Söderström and artist Dennis Wedin.

Hotline Miami features over 20 levels and features 35 unique weapons. It also boasts 26 different masks which alter the gameplay and provide fresh challenges.

Releases

The game was released on Steam and GOG on October 23, 2012 for the PC, and March 19th 2013 for the Mac. On February 19th, 2013 a port to Vita and PlayStation 3 was officially announced, being developed by Dutch developer Abstraction Games. These were released on June 24th, 2013 (a day ahead of its initial release date due to scheduled maintenance on the PlayStation Network on the 25th). On March 24th, 2014 a port for the PlayStation 4 was announced and it saw release on August 19th, 2014 and all versions of the game supports Sony's Cross Buy program.

Gameplay

Hotline Miami is a top-down close quarters action game that combines reflexive real time combat and a need to tactically plan the approach to each level. The player is a nameless, silent protagonist. Each mission begins at the player's apartment, with a message on the answering machine. After receiving the location of his job the main character walks out to their DeLorean and are transported to the level where the action takes place.

The player must choose a mask to wear at the start of each level. These masks are fashioned after animals and confer bonuses to the player such as faster walking, further viewing distance, or the ability to start the level with a weapon already in hand. Each mask is named and they can be unlocked by a combination of high scores and as pick ups within the missions themselves.

Most missions are two level buildings, a series of rooms filled with criminals and guard dogs, all of whom the player must kill to progress, however both the player and the enemy can kill and be killed with a single hit. The player can use any method within their means to kill each enemy, including but not limited to, a barehanded knockdown, a one hit kill from any of the games melee weapons, impalement from a throwing knife or at a distance with one of the game's many firearms. Any weapon in the game can be picked up and used to either attack or be thrown, inflicting a kill or knock down depending on the type of weapon and which part of it hits the enemy. If an enemy is knocked-down the player must approach and finish them. This can mean embedding a katana into their head, cutting their throat, or bashing their brains out with a bat. Each kill is rewarded with points which contribute to the player's level score.

Hotline Miami combines elements of stealth gameplay (silent kills, line of sight, alerting enemies to the player's presence) with rapid arcade style action. Whenever the player is killed, a quick press of the R button returns them to the beginning of the floor; it's not uncommon for a life to last but a few seconds. This absence of hit points and the very fast reaction time of the enemy AI means that every encounter must be dealt with a combination of planning and reflexive response, giving the gameplay a distinct flow. Upon clearing the whole building the music dies down and the player can safely backtrack through their trail of carnage to return to the entrance and complete the chapter. Finally, the player's level points are accumulated and tallied, and the player is then given a grade score for the level, which may unlock a mask or weapon if high enough.

Story

Hotline Miami takes place in 1989 throughout the titular city of Miami, Florida. The player assumes the role of a nameless anti-hero--officially nicknamed as 'Jacket'--starting the game in a derelict basement, being instructed in the finer points of murder by a homeless man. After a vague, dreamlike confrontation with a trio of masked individuals, the player is thrust into a flashback of his "first encounter" with the rooster mask and the game begins in earnest. It is not clear how stable the main character's mind is throughout the game; now and then he will appear to hallucinate and see characters whose jaws are barely hanging on or who have bullet holes in their faces. The game implies that everything the player is seeing is on a VHS tape which is periodically fast-forward, rewound, and mysteriously edited.

The story develops in various ways as each mission unfolds. The player glimpses portions of the story through the environmental details of Jacket's home, the newspaper clippings of Jacket's exploits, the messages left on Jacket's machine, and the post-mission payment pick-ups in the form of some free goods at one of four rotating businesses (including a VHS Rental and Pizzeria). Through these glimpses it ultimately becomes clear that the criminals Jacket kills each night are affiliated with the Russian Mafia. Discovering who is providing the work and ordering the hits remains the primary story goal of the game up to and beyond the final chapter.

Endings

Hotline Miami has three separate endings. The first is the resolution of the main character's story. After completing the 15th chapter and defeating the (supposed) final boss there is a cut-scene and the credits sequence begins. Then the tape rewinds, and three more missions that task the player to find out who is behind the answering machine messages become available. The twist comes in that the player is now controlling a character who had been previously encountered as a boss. Completing these chapters and defeating another boss will unlock the second ending. The third ending can be seen by using a computer terminal in chapter 19 and inputting a password. This password is gained by collecting the letters (signified by small purple pixels with a white dot in the center) in each level and placing them in order in the pause menu "Puzzle" screen. Once unlocked this password will automatically be entered into the terminal on the next play through and award the final ending.

Chapters

• Metro (Prelude)
• No Talk (Chapter One)
• Overdose (Chapter Two)
• Decadence (Chapter Three)
• Tension (Chapter Four)
• Full House (Chapter Five)
• Clean Hit (Chapter Six)
• Neighbors (Chapter Seven)
• Push It (Chapter Eight)
• Crackdown (Chapter Nine)
• Hot & Heavy (Chapter Ten)
• Deadline (Chapter Eleven)
• Trauma (Chapter Twelve)
• Assault (Chapter Thirteen)
• Vengeance (Chapter Fourteen)
• Showdown (Final Chapter)
• Safehouse (Chapter Sixteen)
• Fun & Games (Chapter Seventeen)
• Prank Call (Chapter Eighteen)
• Resolution (Chapter Nineteen)
• Highball (Bonus Chapter)
• Exposed (Special Chapter)

Masks

There are 26 masks available in the game. Each mask, with the exception of Richard, provides some bonus or modification to gameplay. These masks are unlocked by either achieving high scores or finding them as pick-ups within the levels.

Music

Since its release, Hotline Miami's soundtrack has won numerous awards and accolades and for many fans of the game it is a large contributor to the title's success.

System Requirements

PC

Minimum

• OS: Microsoft® Windows® XP / Vista / 7
• Processor: 1.2GHz processor
• Memory: 512 MB RAM
• Graphics: DirectX 8-compatible graphics card with at least 32MB of video memory
• DirectX®: 9.0c
• Hard Drive: 250 MB HD space

Recommended

• OS: Microsoft® Windows® XP / Vista / 7
• Processor: 1.4GHz processor or faster
• Memory: 1 GB RAM
• Graphics: DirectX 8-compatible graphics card with at least 32MB of video memory
• DirectX®: 9.0c
• Hard Drive: 250 MB HD space

Mac

Minimum

• OS: Mac OS 10.6+
• Processor: 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo or better
• Memory: 1 GB RAM
• Hard Drive: 130 MB HD space

Recommended

• OS: Mac OS 10.6+
• Processor: 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo or better
• Memory: 2 GB RAM
• Hard Drive: 130 MB HD space

*Only the Windows version has native controller support