Kind of funny how I replayed Hotline Miami, which was one of my favorite games, then disappointingly realized it aged poorly, followed by its sequel bringing back the familiar satisfaction the original made me feel in 2012.
Hotline Miami 2 recontextualizes the original's flawed commentary about violence, changing the framing approach to the issue by using elements that were already in the first game, bringing it to a whole another level of complexity. This sequel isn't so much about merely shaming players for enjoying violent video games, but a reflection of human nature's self-destructiveness on the cycle of violence, and the insidious influence of nationalism and propaganda. While secondarily working as a criticism of the film industry, similarly as how Hotline Miami was to gaming, still flirting with the notion of glorifying violence, it does so in a more nuanced and thought-provoking manner.
If you enjoy games that make you think about its themes and philosophy, this is your wet dream. It's been a long time since a game made me ramble in my own thoughts this much. I do have to point out that there are some ideas here that maybe I don't know if I 100% agree that much, mostly about how nihilistic some of its commentary is, but overall, this game is fucking awesome, and a reminder as to why I love this medium so much.
Lastly, something I have to mention. I'm seeing a recurring complaint people have about this game and its level design, which is players dying by off-screen fire... Question, you all know you can press SHIFT to move the camera further, right? I know it sounds like I'm being an asshole, but I'm not. I didn't know either; I tried like 3-4 different times to get into this game, but never could... and I think not knowing I could use the SHIFT button was the main reason. So, yeah... use it, lol.
★★★★ – Excellent ✅
Hotline Miami 2 recontextualizes the original's flawed commentary about violence, changing the framing approach to the issue by using elements that were already in the first game, bringing it to a whole another level of complexity. This sequel isn't so much about merely shaming players for enjoying violent video games, but a reflection of human nature's self-destructiveness on the cycle of violence, and the insidious influence of nationalism and propaganda. While secondarily working as a criticism of the film industry, similarly as how Hotline Miami was to gaming, still flirting with the notion of glorifying violence, it does so in a more nuanced and thought-provoking manner.
If you enjoy games that make you think about its themes and philosophy, this is your wet dream. It's been a long time since a game made me ramble in my own thoughts this much. I do have to point out that there are some ideas here that maybe I don't know if I 100% agree that much, mostly about how nihilistic some of its commentary is, but overall, this game is fucking awesome, and a reminder as to why I love this medium so much.
Lastly, something I have to mention. I'm seeing a recurring complaint people have about this game and its level design, which is players dying by off-screen fire... Question, you all know you can press SHIFT to move the camera further, right? I know it sounds like I'm being an asshole, but I'm not. I didn't know either; I tried like 3-4 different times to get into this game, but never could... and I think not knowing I could use the SHIFT button was the main reason. So, yeah... use it, lol.
★★★★ – Excellent ✅
7 Comments
En el original había una mascara que incluso te permitía ver más lejos con la tecla shift, a veces la usaba jajajs
@ThinkingFella You should totally replay them, it's kind of unfair how this sequel gets shrugged off.
And hell yes, I love Funny Games. It's kind of the perfect example of Hotline Miami 1 done right. Really need to get into more Haneke whenever I come back to movies.
And hell yes, I love Funny Games. It's kind of the perfect example of Hotline Miami 1 done right. Really need to get into more Haneke whenever I come back to movies.
@Blowing_Wind Seeh, aprendí a usarlo ahora jajaja. Supongo que en el 1 por lo menos no es tan necesario, por eso me pregunto si la gente sabrá que tiene un uso.
This is such a great review. I’ve tried to play the first game a few times, but never got into it, partially due to the difficulty (I really suck). After reading this though, I’m incredibly curious to see how the story and themes pan out so I’m 100% gonna give it a proper shot now.
@Yobyoni Thank you 🙂. I'd say to make the game easier 1. Use middle mouse button to lock into enemies when you can. 2. Melee weapons are mostly better than guns since it's kind of hard to aim. 3. Peak over wall to bait the enemy into your position. 4. Use gun fire to bait enemies that are in another room. 5. Knifes are really useful because it can kill when you throw them sometimes. 6. The game works as a puzzle; take it slow, figure out the pattern.
Thanks for the advice! Number 6 definitely seems like the main thing I need to keep in mind. It felt frustrating being sent back to the start of the level after making a tiny mistake, but the levels are so short, so I definitely shouldn't be getting salty at that haha.
ThinkingFella
8 months ago
Lol, I just wanted to go a bit off topic and ask if you have seen any version of Hanekes "Funny games", regarding an effort at making art criticising our desensitisation towards violence in media, but then I checked the Letterbox account in your bio and saw that you are already based as fuck.
Also that last paragraph in your review is valid, I constantly used that feature and couldn't imagine the frustration of not doing so