Video Games have, for the most part, always been pretty violent. Even relatively simple games, such as Space Invaders, have you killing enemy ships to continue, even if it is only to increase your score. Rarely, however, does a game revel in killing, in brutal murder with little justification as to why, exactly, you are doing such things. Enter Hotline Miami.
While the game has been available for sometime, this year saw the release of the PlayStation Vita version and it is fantastic. It is a game that takes all the arguments about the hyper violence in the medium and goes “Yeah? What of it?” There is a brutal delight in taking out the enemies here, and given the retro art style of the game, it is amazing it is done with such amounts of blood and gore, a real testament to the designers skill.
The game, on a mechanical level, is a top down action game. The point, at least at first, seems to be murder everyone in a given level then move on, clearing out each stage until the level is over. To do this, you use a variety of weapons. Metal pipes, machete’s, knives, katana swords and more serve as your melee weapons, while shotguns, machine guns, pistols will take out goons from a far. There is, however, a vital difference to the two.
That difference is simple: guns make noise. This is crucial, as Hotline Miami is a brutal game not just in its violence, but its difficulty level. Ostensibly, it is not so hard its unfair, but you will die, and you will die a lot. Playing the game isn’t a challenge, it is figuring out how to approach each section of each level. You have to know how all the games systems work together to maximise your approach to a given situation. So yes, guns make noise, which will attract all nearby enemies, all of which are no joke. But you can also use that to your advantage, using the shotgun to take out one or two guys, hiding while the rest come runnings, switch out to a melee weapon or your fists and take out the guys you couldn’t get to without being shot.
The game makes you vulnerable, with only one hit killing you instantly, but also rewards you for being bold. This might seem like it contradicts what I said above, but as you get into the game you just kinda know how to approach a given situation, so you get bolder and bolder and before long you are running headlong into the breach to try and get through it as quickly, efficiently, and brutally as possible.
It is a fantastic bit of design and once the revelation comes that you are not punished for death, you realise that each one means you learn a little more, adjusting your strategy on the fly as you work out the best way to deal with the enemies reactions to your killing of their comrades, using each death to perfect your run. Of course, there are times when you end up getting lucky, but for the most part it is the methodical, efficient approach that is the most rewarding.
The game pops with a screen at the start that says ‘Best enjoyed with headphones’ and it is the best piece of advice it can give you. The whole thing is saturated in neon, and is set in the 80’s. It is bright, colourful and drips style from every inch of the Vita’s gorgeous screen. The sound is just as good, with music that will have you bobbing your head without even realising it as you murder your way through various locations.
As the story progresses, it gets surprisingly disturbing, explaining why the animal masks you unlock have human names and giving you some kind of reason for all the violence. It is a really good out of left field twist and really fits with the dark brutality of the rest of the title.
There are a couple of niggles though. For some reason I found the dual stick control to be weird, as moving with the left stick was fine, but turning with the right seemed really clunky, allowing for sharp up, down, left, right movements. I don’t know if I was just doing it wrong, but I spent most of my time with the game adjusting orientation with the right stick once or twice, then just using the left for all movement.
This idea was helped by a lock on targeting system that uses the touch screen. Simply press on a enemy to put a target on him, and your character will always point towards that target. It helps, but having to take your hand away from controls to do so can mean the difference between living and dieing a gorey death.
In some ways, Hotline Miami is the perfect game for the Vita. It can be played in short bursts, but allow it and a couple of hours will disappear without any thought. You just get sucked into the neon, chiptune infused world, in all its gory detail. It is brilliant, and while it won't be a system seller for the handheld, it definitely should be.