Miami hotline
| Miami hotline | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio |
 Dennaton Games Abstraction Games (ports)
|
||
| Publisher |
 Devolver Digital
|
||
| Senior Developer | Jonatan Söderström Dennis Wedin |
||
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
Microsoft Windows: October 29, 2012 macOS: March 18, 2013 PlayStation 3, PS Vita: June 25, 2013 June 26, 2013 Linux: September 9, 2013 PlayStation 4: August 19, 2014 August 20, 2014 Android: March 30, 2015   |
||
| platform | Windows , macOS , Linux , PlayStation 3 , PlayStation Vita , PlayStation 4 , Android | ||
| Game engine |
Game Maker PhyreEngine (PS3, PS Vita, PS4) |
||
| genre |
Shoot 'em up 2D top-down action |
||
| Game mode | Single player | ||
| control | Mouse , keyboard , gamepad (optional) | ||
| system advantages preconditions |
1.2 GHz processor, 512 MB RAM, DirectX 8-compatible graphics card with at least 32 MB graphics memory, DirectX 9.0c, 250 MB storage space, Windows XP or newer | ||
| medium | Download | ||
| Age rating |
|
||
Hotline Miami is a shoot-'em-up - computer game by the Swedish developer duo Dennaton Games, on 23 October 2012 for Windows was released. Versions for other platforms appeared later.
Game designers Söderström and Wedin were inspired for Hotline Miami by Nicolas Winding Refn's Neo-Noir -Film Drive and the documentary Cocaine Cowboys .
In March 2015, the sequel Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number was released . There are no plans for further offshoots.
action
The player slips into the role of a nameless protagonist who sets off after ominous calls to kill resident gangsters at the given address. He woke up in his apartment on April 3, 1989 and received a message on his answering machine for the first time: to pick up a package of "biscuits" and read through the list of ingredients. When opening the package, the protagonist finds a first animal mask and is instructed to get a suitcase from certain rooms and kill everyone there. In the following weeks and months, the protagonist receives further assignments, until he decides against an assignment to kill a prostitute who happens to be present, instead takes her in and starts a relationship with her. During an assignment, the protagonist is finally assigned to come to the building of a telephone company. When he arrived there, he found all the employees dead and met "Biker", who attacked him after a short conversation. This is where the story splits up.
The version of the protagonist
In a fight, the protagonist succeeds in killing bikers, from this point on the experiences become increasingly disturbed and the lines between reality and imagination become increasingly blurred. The plot culminates in the murder of the protagonist's girlfriend by “Richter”, another contract killer, in the protagonist's apartment. Richter shoots the player, but only seriously injures him instead of killing him. After being in a coma for a while, the protagonist escapes from the hospital and breaks into the police station, where Richter is now imprisoned. He kills all police officers, the corrupt police chief, but spares judges. Then, thanks to Richter's advice, he goes to the seat of the mafia boss and kills him. The game ends for the first time with the protagonist, who is smoking on a balcony and giving a photo to the wind.
The version of the biker
Now the player slips into the role of Bikers, whose action begins some time before the encounter with the protagonist. Biker also receives the same calls as the protagonist, it becomes clear relatively quickly that Biker is increasingly questioning his orders and does not take them for granted as much as the protagonist. In his attempts to get information, he goes to the telephone company and kills several employees - until the protagonist shows up and tries to stop him. In this version, however, Biker easily manages to kill the protagonist. He then goes to the headquarters of the mafia boss and meets a caretaker who is fleeing from him into the sewer system. After he tries to hack a computer and fails with the password, he follows him into the sewer. There Biker meets two caretakers with several animal masks and a large telephone system.
Regular ending
Biker confronts the caretaker and demands an explanation for their actions, which they justify with "boredom". Biker asks whether this is all just a game for them, whereupon they ask him back whether it is not the same for him and whether he has not enjoyed it. With this little twist, the game breaks through the " fourth wall " to the player. Biker kills both caretakers and leaves the scene on his motorcycle. The credits follow.
Alternative ending
If the protagonist has found various secret combinations of letters and solved a puzzle during the main game, the biker can crack the computer's password and find out the real intentions of the caretaker. Confronted with their deeds and the evidence, they now explain to him that they are part of the patriotic group "50 Blessings" and want to harm the Russian-American coalition by systematically exterminating the Russian mafia. They also explain to him that both he and the protagonist have actively joined the organization and that there are countless departments of the organization across the country. Now the player can decide whether he wants to kill the caretaker or not. Then he leaves the scenery on the motorcycle, the credits follow.
Gameplay
The game is divided into several chapters, at the beginning of which the protagonist in his apartment is given the task of where he should strike next. Before starting the mission, the player must choose from a constantly growing selection of animal masks that give him certain bonuses or add a special challenge to the chapter. The aim of each chapter is to kill all enemies present. Various weapons and everyday objects are available to the player. The opponent is consistently in a numerical superiority and has the advantage of being able to see and attack the player even from greater distances, with every hit leading to immediate death. An important part of the game is therefore watching opponents, trying out tactics and using the principle of trial and error . Each chapter concludes with an overview of personal performance in the respective game section. Points are awarded for efficient procedures and variety, but also for the time and attempts required. The number of points reached automatically unlocks additional weapons, and the player also has access to another animal mask after each chapter.
Soundtrack
The game's soundtrack consists of 23 pieces by artists Jasper Byrne, MOON, Perturbator and others. a. and is hailed by critics as a standout feature of Hotline Miami. Hotline Miami received an award from IGN for the "best soundtrack in a PC game in 2012", and PC Gamer also named the Hotline Miami soundtrack the best of 2012. Due to the great popularity of the music, a soundtrack album was available for download and released in the form of a collector's edition on vinyl .
reception
| publication | rating |
|---|---|
| GameStar | 76% |
| IGN UK | 8.8 / 10 |
| Eurogamer.de | 8/10 |
| Eurogamer.net | 10/10 |
| 4players | 77% |
| Metacritic | 85% |
Germany
The German trade press praised the captivating gameplay, the highly addictive factor and the driving soundtrack. Above all, the high threshold of frustration and the lack of variety were criticized. The graphic style took some getting used to, but was felt to be coherent, and in some places was also mentioned with praise, as it alleviates the violence and leaves it to one's own imagination.
“Insanity and anarchy, drastic violence and stealth tactics - everything packed in absurd amounts of pixel blood and psychedelic electro. An unusual, but also frustrating experience. "
"You can be bothered by the weak graphics and the lack of variety, but you miss a coherent, atmospheric action game that is far more well thought-out and intelligent than its surreal blood facade reveals at first glance."
“Hotline Miami” is one of the best games of the year - even if it doesn't look like it at first. The graphics of the game developed by two Swedes are on the Commodore 64 level. The picture wobbles and flickers. Nevertheless, the game is atmospherically dense, with direct gameplay that shows the competition that quality doesn't always need high-gloss graphics. "
“If video games are there to immerse yourself in worlds you would like to be in, but society / reality / physical laws don't allow you to be, then I hope I never meet the people who think that way about Hotline Miami . Until this gruesome day, I'll just play it. "
International
Hotline Miami achieved a Metascore of 85% on Metacritic.com , international media such as IGN.com (UK) and Eurogamer.net (UK) gave top ratings. In addition to the "Best Soundtrack in a PC Game in 2012" category, Hotline Miami was awarded the IGN rating in the categories "Best PC Action Game", "Best Story", "Best PC Game of the Year", "Best Action Game" and " Best Game ”nominated. At the Independent Games Festival 2013, Hotline Miami was nominated in the “Excellence In Audio” category and for the “Seumas McNally Grand Prize”.
continuation
Shortly after the publication of Hotline Miami, a short message from developer Jonaton Söderström via the short message service Twitter gave reason to believe that work on a sequel had begun. Shortly afterwards, Söderström announced that there would be a successor, as the scope of the additional material, which was actually intended as DLC , had become too large. In July 2013 it was announced that the successor would appear under the title Hotline Miami 2 : Wrong Number . It was released on March 10, 2015 for Windows, macOS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita.
Others
As a result of a cooperation between Dennaton Games and Overkill Software , a Hotline Miami DLC for the co-op shooter PAYDAY 2 with a new heist, weapons and masks from Hotline Miami was released on September 30, 2014 . The successor Hotline Miami 2 can also be purchased as a Digital Special Edition on Steam, with which the protagonist of the series is activated as a playable Heister in PAYDAY 2 under the name "Jacket". Jacket wears the cock's head mask "Richard's return" as standard and, as in Hotline Miami, is silent. Instead, it communicates through voice messages played on a tape recorder. In addition, some exclusive animal masks, as well as the motorcycle helmet from Biker, the submachine gun "Jackets Part" (since the Spring Break 2018 update also as an Akimbo variant) with a selection of its own modifications, the melee weapon "Zimmermann's best friend" and the "Sociopath" will be unlocked "Advantage deck. By owning the first part of Hotline Miami on Steam, Payday 2 players will also receive a number of animal head masks that are not otherwise available, as well as the melee weapon "50 Blessings" briefcase ".
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ The creators of Hotline Miami on inspiration, storytelling and upcoming DLC on Eurogamer.net , accessed November 14, 2016.
- ↑ IGN.com: Best PC Sound 2012 (English).
- ↑ PCGamer.com: The Best Music of the Year 2012: Hotline Miami (English).
- ↑ GameStar : Hotline Miami - PC - Rating .
- ↑ IGN UK : Hotline Miami - Review (English).
- ↑ a b Eurogamer.de : Hotline Miami - A feverish dream made of blood and neon lights .
- ↑ Eurogamer.net : Hotline Miami - Review (English).
- ^ Metacritic : Hotline Miami , accessed January 31, 2013.
- ↑ a b Spiegel.de: Alluded to: "Hotline Miami" is terribly good .
- ↑ 4players.de: Test (rating) on Hotline Miami .
- ↑ GameStar.de: Hotline Miami in the test - conclusion of the editors .
- ↑ IGN.com: Hotline Miami - Review (English).
- ↑ Eurogamer.net: Hotline Miami - Review (English).
- ↑ IGN.com: Best PC Action Game 2012 (English).
- ↑ IGN.com: Best PC Game 2012 (English).
- ↑ IGN.com: Best PC Story 2012 (English).
- ↑ IGN.com: Best Overall Music 2012 (English).
- ↑ IGN.com: Best Overall Game 2012 (English).
- ↑ IGN.com: The nominees of the Independent Games Festival 2013 ( Memento of the original from February 5, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Twitter.com: Tweet from Jonatan Söderström .
- ↑ Stern.de: “Hotline Miami” developer makes hints of Sequel ( Memento from December 4, 2012 in the Internet Archive ).
- ↑ PCGames.de: Hotline Miami: Bloody retro action game gets a sequel .
- ↑ GameStar.de: Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number in the preview - Klingelingeling, here comes the pig mask man (accessed on July 31, 2013).
- ↑ GameStar.de: Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number - release date is set .
