I never figured out what the description of Ramsus the Owl meant by “An Eye for Secrets.” I started a round with a possibly secret mask, Oscar the Mole, and very much disliked the “Darkness” effect, encouraging me to revert back to my trusty Tony the Tiger mask with is “Fists of Fury.” I imagine that this mask is both a play on the surgery cereal-peddling Kellogg’s mascot as well as the Rocky theme song, “Eye of the Tiger,” and the famous and eponymous boxing protagonist. To be honest, I only used four throughout my entire playthrough. They seem to be without number, and beyond the default Robert the Rooster mask, each one provides the player-character with bonus traits that help him achieve his goals of mass murder. Perhaps the most iconic mechanic in the game involves the masks. Sound sensitivity combined with the mechanic of limiting ammunition in weapons to discourage camping, it would behoove players to be as stealthy as possible, meaning that there is a place for melee weapons throughout the game. Arsenal possibilities range from baseball bats, katanas, and even scissors-which are unlocked the more the game is played-alongside ranged weapons such as double-barreled shotguns, automatic rifles, and silenced pistols. The latter is a particular boon because enemies in adjacent rooms can respond nose made from gunshots. This makes cornering and reflex shooting possible in a game where being too slow on the draw will yield a savagely molested player-character and a “You’re Dead” caption. The Smash T.V. reference is most relevant here because Hotline Miami controls precisely like the twin-stick shooter from 1990, but with modern features such as the ability to lock onto targets from different rooms to complement the 360-degree movement and aiming. For this review, I used the Logitech F310. In this game, not even the dogs are safe.Ī gamepad is recommended.
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Guns litter every stage, and no matter the lethal methodology, one can be sure that every floor of every stage will be lousy with mutilated bodies. the player-character adds throat-slits, skull-bludgeoning, and brain stabbing to the execution variety. Depending upon the melee weapon presently in hand. The nature of the violence in Hotline Miami, however, is macabre to the degree that I am not sure if I should be impressed or concerned that someone would animate low-res sprites to perform fatal eye-gouges, curb stomps, and choke outs for unarmed assaults. For suggestive themes, there is a single woman in the game who is discovered in her underwear, but nothing which necessitate putting the children to bed. As far as vulgar language is concerned, a few of the four-letter variety reveal themselves, but not as frequently as I expect of games catering to the “mature” demographic. If the usage of Smash T.V. and GTA as creative inspiration are not indications of the content in this game, then Manhunt and Hatredshould render a clearer picture.
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Eventually, the player-character begins to wonder about the purpose of all of this carnage, and it is then when things really begin deteriorating.
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HOTLINE MIAMI OWL SERIES
Set in the late 1980’s, due to some undisclosed effects between insanity, schizophrenia, and coercive persuasion, the unnamed player character is prompted to go on murderous rampages through coded messages left on his answering machine, such as “go to a bake sale ” or “ welcome the ViPs.” As the players advance through Hotline Miami, the player-character begins to mentally short-circuit after a series of interviews with three animal mask-wearing people who may be real or figments of the player-character’s id, ego, and superego. This is the part of the game where I sense the influence of Fight Club. with the pixelated sprites, top-down perspective, and plot of DMA Design’s (now known as Rockstar North) Grand Theft Auto, sprinkled with a dash of Fight Club. With its sequel literally around the corner, I decided to see what all the ruckus was about and finally play this game that has been in my backloggery catalog for an embarrassing amount of time.
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Hotline Miami is the product of Dennaton Games combining the violence, reward system, and one-hit-kill mechanics of Williams’ Smash T.V.
HOTLINE MIAMI OWL WINDOWS
Platforms: Windows (reviewed), Mac, Linux, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Playstation Vita