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If there is one thing you can say about Hotline Miami (originally release in 2012), it’s that it is bloody violent… and bloody BLOODY for that matter. A faux retro, pixelated neon acid trip down a rabbit hole of insanity, hyper violence and, more often than not, baldness inducing frustration mixed with a kickass soundtrack and a surprisingly engaging storyline. I for one enjoyed the hell out of it, but the question on the table today is – can it’s sequel, Wrong Number, live up to the standards set by the original?
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From the get go there’s an immediate sense that you’re right back in Hotline Miami, the graphics, the music and the feel of the game are all spot on, the only change is that these things are tightened up and refined. Everything from the introduction of game chapters and levels, to character animation has been built upon and improved. The “continue” option is just fantastic, offering access to every chapter and level (referred to as scene’s ingame) by choosing tape cassettes from VHS cases and box sets to represent each level of the game. Every aspect of the game has been reflects this attention to detail.
As with the original the soundtrack is intense and serves to give the player a sense of rhythm, which is critical to gameplay more than you might realise; Wrong Number, like it’s predecessor offers only a single level of difficulty, which can only be described as brutal. Any single mistake will get you killed, no questions asked. So, it’s imperative you take down all of the enemies in the right order, and more often than not it’s that beat in the background I find myself timing my actions to, whether intentional or not on the part of the developer. In short Wrong Number’s soundtrack is fantastic, offering up a slew of new music which matches the games style perfectly.
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Unlike with Hotline Miami, the story of Wrong Number is told through a series of different characters rather than just a single main character. The central story still revolves around the unnamed main character from the first game who is now on the run from the police, Wrong Number has been described as the conclusion of the story which started in the first game and given what I’ve seen so far it’s going to do so with all of the visceral and intense action that the first game is know for. The opening stage takes place in what turns out to be a movie set, followed by the mask wearing gang hitting a rival gang, and then onto to a police detective involved in a gang shootout in a store, and that is just in the games first few levels. Following the story can be confusing if you’re not paying attention, but shifting between characters adds a layer of variation in how you approach the game as the different characters move and engage in combat at different speeds and with varying levels of capability.
In many ways Hotline Miami is all about the combat, it’s raw and gritty and all too often it’s too easy to get sidelined by a weapon pickup or surprised by an enemy you didn’t spot, and it’s very much a game where losing is half the fun. Building up combo kills and effortlessly cutting through dozens of enemies is incredibly satisfying, especially knowing that any one of them along the way could have put you down if you flinched or hesitated for a second.
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In the end it’s Wrong Number’s gameplay and combat which are the central feature, which is often referred to as “twitch gameplay” I honestly can’t disagree. It’s defining feature, much like Hotline Miami’s is in finding that delicate balance between well thought out strategy, perfect timing and blind luck, so prepare to for frustration and elation in equal measure all over again. While playing the game I had a very hard time finding anything negative about it, and for this reason Wrong Number get’s a recommendation for anyone who enjoyed the first game, as well as people who love punishingly hard gameplay that will challenge and reward the player.
