Neon, synths, and ultra-violence - that’s the game. And it works much better than it has any right to, largely due to an impressive commitment to capturing the essence (rather than the specific details) of a particular time and place (Miami, 1989), as well as frenetic and freewheeling gameplay that meshes beautifully with the synthwave soundtrack.

Take a look at a still photo of Hotline Miami gameplay, and it may strike one as crass, even amateurish. It’s only in the act of play that this aesthetic comes to life. The immensely satisfying gunplay, the way the doors spring open wildly as the player character bursts into a room, the way the screen subtly shifts and sways as you navigate the level - it’s details like these that make the play seem so ineffably rhythmic. The controls are bit odd and the difficulty will likely take some getting used to - but ultimately the gameplay here doesn’t really feel like anything else I’ve played. And that’s extremely valuable.

The story here is a surreal look at the PC’s psyche being slowly destroyed by the consequences of meaningless violence (one of the subtle and brilliant ways the game sells this is by abruptly cutting off the music and forcing you to walk back through the path of devastation you’ve wrought at end of each level). The story works best in the early and middle sections when everything is mysterious and suggestive. The final act is more or less a dud - the game is missing a genuine climax - but the flavor and atmosphere had me engaged till the very end.

Narrative misgivings aside, this is a unique game that shouldn’t be missed (assuming one isn’t queasy about violence).