HOTLINE MIAMI
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Released: 23 October, 2012
Genre(s): 2D top-down action
Publisher(s): Devolver Digital
Developer(s): Dennaton Games
Ansh Patel says:
Hotline Miami is an incredibly entertaining game if you have the stomach to handle the pixel brutality. It is also a very rich experience, where every component of it is entirely essential. Think of it as a house of cards, where every part of it is essential to the experience. Remove any one element—reckless combat, feverish music, or its brutal depiction of pixel violence—and the game ceases to be the same. How much enjoyment you take from Hotline Miami depends entirely upon you. It is satisfying, at the very least. But beyond that, it is an equivalent of an experimental music track. It might beat to odd rhythms, but once you get into its groove, all the essential elements click: its visual aesthetic, its catchy tunes, and its recklessly fun gameplay. It’ll be hard to get this tune out of your mind.
Sahil Arora says:
Hotline: Miami is one of the most groundbreaking games of this generation. I predict more games being made in the future that explore similar themes to Hotline: Miami. Hotline: Miami’s success is also owed to the cultural shift towards retro and minimalism. It’s a gruesome game that achieves a lot and doesn’t even try. Saying that the background score plays a big part is an understatement. It influences the way you play and make your moves in the game. Never have we seen such an influence from the OST. The game is like an acid trip, and a very special one at that.
