it's strange to me that this game has received a lukewarm response compared to its predecessor when it builds upon everything that came before it. the levels are more varied, there's more going on in the narrative to draw you in, and the music is to die for. everyone and their dog complains about "big open areas with too many gunners", but i only found that to be an issue in the soldier's levels (dear god getting A+ on the soldier's levels was always An Ordeal Of The Day). i think this game is worth your time if you liked hotline miami 1, because there's so much more going on under the hood here, both from a narrative and gameplay perspective.

okay so design wise the game is a bit of a downgrade from the first, there's too many instances where you're going through the level the first time and you get blasted in the face by a dude through a window and you die and he was like the 87th guy out of like a hundred enemies and it's annoying like I get it BUT

In defense of Hotline Miami 2. The art is upgraded and the portraits on characters and the pixel art in general look better than ever. The OST is more than doubled in size since the first game, with every level now having a unique track associated to it and the expected quality of a hotline miami soundtrack still holds true in 2 (the main title theme and the abyss level theme being a few favs). Also, the universe of Hotline Miami gets expanded in 2 with a continuation of the story after the first game, showing the effects that Jacket's actions in the first game had on the world through a decently sized playable cast of characters who all have their own stories and motivations weaved into this Tarrantino-esque narrative. As someone who was surprisingly engaged in what little the first game told of the world story wise, I was eating well with the narrative of the second game and found it to be pretty pleasing. The hotline miami universe is pretty cool!

And I'll go as far as even spinning positively about the level design! Like I said it sucks when you're going through the game the first time because you're approaching the game a lot slower and treating it more like a puzzle game but genuinely, going through the game a second time with the layouts of the level more familiarised in my mind, lead to me having a really good time playing 2. Endurance runs start turning into skillful mowing downs of hordes and the satisfaction of beating a large level + the click of the music finally matching the gameplay style was pretty gratifying.

All in all, the game definitely has flaws but there's plenty of stuff put into this sequel that makes it a worthy successor to the original.

While some find the level design to be a step back from 1, I disagree, the frustration it can add certainly creates tension, but in a way that benefits the games story and themes tenfold.
The story is both deeply layered, interesting, and proves its point in such a beautiful manner.
The Soundtrack is possibly one of the best in gaming, and the muddy grungy graphical style helps sell this bleak world incredibly.
One of, if not my favorite game of all time, certainly one of the most influential pieces of art I have experienced in my life.

A much better story, soundtrack and visuals. The combo counter and S rank are a nice touch.
However the gameplay is honestly worse in this sequel. Enemies can shoot you from across the map in these very open areas and there is less variety in how you can successfully approach a situation. A lot of the time you will be peaking from cover in order to bait enemies over to you. Situations like these make levels such as "Dead Hard" an absolute nightmare. The lack of masks also reduce the variety in how you can approach a level. All that said, there can still be fun moments in this game and the story is really good once you unpack it all.