This is one of the most confident games I've ever played god damn

Every single aesthetic choice is a masterstroke. It manages to be equal parts funny, disturbing, and thought provoking. I don't even have much else to say other than I'm blown away by this.

Oh yeah and the games industry needs to get its shit together in regards to sound design. This runs circles around almost every game coming out nowadays, make some bold choices! Drown your voice actors in reverb + bass! It's fucking cool!!

In the name of Harman...

For my whole time in the video game world, I was told "Hotline Miami 1 is infinitely better than Hotline Miami 2." And despite that being the safe answer. However when I beat it, Hotline Miami 2 instantly became my favorite video game of all time, and one of my top 3 favorite pieces of art. Believe what people tell you. This game is brutally difficult. It takes a lot out of you, and the first was not as hard. However, I never found the overwhelming difficult nature of the game excruciatingly bad. I just wanted to keep playing to finish the story, because of how invested I was in the characters. The Narrative of Hotline Miami 2 is very confusing. Everything is in a loose order. Through this style of storytelling, you wanna keep playing the game to unpack it. And overall, I was mesmerized by the gameplay. It's so fun and intense, and this is one of those games where you need to plan your kills out. And I am not going to spoil the story of the game, nor the ending. You have to play it for yourself. Just letting you know, It does not end on a hopeful note.