Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number

Hotline Miami 2 is one of those games that makes the most out of video games as an artistic medium. This game wouldn't work as a book or a movie. The story and experience of Hotline Miami 2 is inseparable from the gameplay itself. Very few games marry their presentation and mechanics with their thematic elements so masterfully. This game understands itself so well it's incredible. Story and characters are awesome. Visuals are slick. Music is killer. It's a masterpiece. Buy it.

I am currently being locked up inside a mental asylum after just three hours of playing this game

Many deaths feel cheap and unfair half of the time someone just pops up and shoots you without you being able to see them even with the camera thingy which felt like poor game design, and having No official cloud save support really fucked me over many times, i haven't played the first one so i cant say if its the same for that too, plus they kept reverting my binds every time i restarted the game which drove me insane.

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number on Steam is an intense, visceral follow-up to the acclaimed original, pushing the boundaries of its brutal, fast-paced gameplay and dark, stylized aesthetic. From the outset, the game immerses players in a violent and chaotic underground world, set against a neon-lit, retro-inspired visual palette that captures the gritty essence of 1980s Miami. The pixel art style, combined with a pulsating synth soundtrack, creates a hypnotic atmosphere that is both mesmerizing and unsettling. The game’s art direction is deliberate in its rawness, emphasizing blood splatters, shattered environments, and grotesque imagery, which reinforces its themes of violence and psychological turmoil. This visual style, paired with its haunting soundtrack, establishes an environment that is as captivating as it is disturbing, ensuring players feel fully immersed in a world where chaos reigns. Gameplay in Hotline Miami 2 emphasizes relentless, high-stakes combat that rewards precision, quick reflexes, and strategic planning. The game is designed around short, intense levels where players must clear rooms filled with enemies using an arsenal of weapons, fists, or environmental objects. The controls are tight and responsive, allowing for swift movements, quick kills, and seamless transitions between weapons. One of the game’s standout features is its emphasis on player skill; there’s a steep learning curve, as each mistake can be fatal, and success often relies on memorizing enemy patrol patterns, timing attacks perfectly, and making split-second decisions. The levels are crafted with meticulous detail, often featuring multiple approaches and hidden secrets, encouraging experimentation and replayability. The game also introduces new mechanics such as the ability to switch weapons mid-combat and the inclusion of new enemy types, adding layers of complexity and variety to the core gameplay loop. Narratively, Hotline Miami 2 delves into the stories of various characters, exploring themes of violence, trauma, and the cyclical nature of brutality. Unlike the original, which had a more straightforward storyline, this sequel presents a fragmented, non-linear narrative that invites players to piece together the connections between characters and events. The storytelling is abstract and often surreal, filled with cryptic dialogues and symbolic imagery, which can be interpreted in multiple ways. This narrative approach complements the chaotic gameplay, emphasizing the psychological toll of violence and the blurred lines between reality and hallucination. The game’s soundtrack, featuring a mix of synthwave, punk, and electronic music, further amplifies its intense emotional landscape, heightening the sense of urgency and chaos with every level. While Hotline Miami 2 excels in delivering a challenging and immersive experience, it is not without its flaws. Its brutality and graphic violence may be too intense for some players, and the game’s emphasis on perfection can lead to frustration, especially for newcomers or those unfamiliar with its punishing difficulty. The narrative, while rich and layered, might also feel disjointed or overly cryptic for those seeking a more straightforward story. Additionally, some players have noted that certain levels can feel repetitive due to the high difficulty and similar gameplay mechanics, although the game attempts to counter this with level design variety and new mechanics. Technical issues are minimal, but occasional bugs or performance hiccups can disrupt the flow of gameplay. Overall, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is a bold, uncompromising experience that continues the series’ legacy of brutal action and stylized storytelling. It demands patience, precision, and an appreciation for its artistic vision, rewarding players who enjoy challenging gameplay with a dark, hypnotic world that is as thought-provoking as it is visceral. Its pixel art, soundtrack, and narrative complexity make it a standout title within the indie and action genres, appealing to those seeking a game that is as intellectually provocative as it is mechanically demanding. For fans of high-octane, adrenaline-fueled combat combined with a dark, thought-provoking story, Hotline Miami 2 remains a compelling and unforgettable experience. Rating: 9/10

First one was short and decent, fun for when you are bored. This one is long and boring, and frustrating not because it is hard but because the levels are massive, so enemies just straight up one tap you from off screen 100% of the time you die you will die from that and not because its some big brain play.

Compre este juego con las expectativas del mismo caos del primero, y me encontre con un caos narrativo que me hizo dudar si estaba jugando un juego o leyendo un guion. Los niveles son largos. No tensos. Largos. Lo Bueno: -La musica sigue siendo buena -El estilo visual sigue siendo reconocible Lo Malo: -La historia. Esto ni es una historia ya, es un lio. Y no el tipo de un lio divertido -Niveles demasiado largos y frustrantes. Conclusion: Hotline Miami 2 es como una secuela que queria ser arte, pero termino siendo el cuadro abstracto que nadie pudo lograr entender y que cuelgan igual por compromiso. Este para mi ha tenido que ser el bajon mas grande de la serie de Hotline Miami. Si el primero era una droga potente, este es el bajon. No lo termine. No me gusto. Lo deje ahi. Y no pienso volver

This game took all the bad levels of the first game, doubled the number of them, sometimes removed your ability to even grab weapons, turn all the levels into open floor plans, and then finished with a story that makes even less sense than the first games, which is saying quite a bit.

Peak Hotline Miami performance. IMO, it is the refined gameplay experience of the 1. The history 10/10, the comics, wonderful, incredible narrative and world building. Dead under, besto level on the game.

Very fun arcade-style shooter. The movement and action is extremely satisfying, and you're always having to develop strategies and plans of approaching a level as you play it. Getting a big combo with rapid-fire kills and weapon swaps will never get old. The military levels were a little annoying with the limited ammo mechanic, but other than those, everything was fun from start to finish. I'm sure there's a good story to be told in this game, but as someone just played it for the first time, it was kind of impossible to follow. It kept jumping between different plots, and I had no idea how or even if they were connected. Even the individual subplots were a little hard to follow because of the overall discontinuity. I'm sure watching some YouTube video explaining it all will help. Either way, the story is just a nice bonus. The main draw of this game is the gameplay, and that very much delivers.

I'm a supermassive fan of the first Hotline Miami, and I've 100%'d both games and played them both on several platforms. Hotline Miami 2's gameplay loop is still impactful and catharctic like its predecessor and the story ties together the events of the first game in a neat and satisfactory way if you're one to pay attention to it. As well as this, the soundtrack is as perfect as they get. As much as I love everything about the Hotline Miami games, I can only really alott a soft recommendation here unless you really enjoyed the first game. There are a few divisive points about this game's design that could be alienating towards more general audiences: 1: There's a noticeable jump in difficulty from the first Hotline Miami to the second. If you thought the final levels in the first game were difficult to the point of frustration, you'll probably feel even more annoyed playing its sequel. 2: The level design is generally much more open than the first game. This makes the gameplay loop more patient unless you're one to blind fire down open corridors to preemptively dispatch off-screen enemies. Some may enjoy this style of gameplay more, others may not. 3: In Hotline Miami 2, you play as a lot of different characters who have different styles of play, masks, and traits. This is unlike Hotline Miami 1 where you played as Jacket the whole game and had his whole wardrobe of masks you could choose at the beginning of a level. This means you have to tackle every level differently at the cost of there being less overall choice. If none of this sounds like it would peeve you, I highly recommend this game.

It's a normal game, but it quickly gets boring to play the same thing over and over again.

I just played Hotline Miami 1 for the second time before playing 2 and I can say the first game is superior to the second game in every way except visually. From a game play perspective, the choice to not let you choose from a list of masks as well as having each character control a little different makes the game not fun to play for me. Some characters can't use guns (Tony), some are slower than others (Martin Brown), some can't pick up weapons (The Soldier), some will do a roll when you try to kill an enemy (Corey) and etc. Because you keep switching characters it’s hard to get use to their different strengths and weaknesses. While with the first game you played as Jacket for 15 consecutive chapters and Biker for 4 consecutive chapters. You knew those two inside and out. With the masks in the first game, I could alter Jacket for my gameplay style. The levels in this game are terrible. There too big and because of that you constantly get killed by someone off screen. Theres also glass panels everywhere so you think you took cover somewhere safe only to get shot through a panel. The levels are clutter, it’s hard to take cover during enemy attacks. The enemies also tend to blend into the background and you won’t know some of them are there until they kill you. It's a total sensory overload. You will often get killed trying to switch your weapon. You might throw your gun and then try to take a melee weapon from an enemy so you can kill the next enemy running towards you is silent but instead you’re probably going to pick back up that gun and let everybody know where you’re at. The enemy AI is all over the place. Sometimes I fire a gun and enemies will show up from the opposite side of the level. Sometimes you fire and no one come from other rooms. It makes it hard to plan your attacks and set enemies up to be killed. You can do one tactic that works to lure enemies and then get killed, try the tactic again but none of the enemies are playing like before. There timing chances per death loop. You can play the level five times and expect to enemies to come from the left. Now for the sixth time three enemies will come from the left. It throws you off and often that what gets you killed. The enemies will get random weapons during next death loop. So last death loop the enemy had a shotgun and you have a plan for it this loop but he now has a pipe. They also have longer sight lines, so they can kill you from far away before you can notice them. The story telling while ambitious is too hard to follow with the different characters and time skips. I’m going to watch a YouTube video that puts everything in chronological order after this review to figure out what the story was really about. I will say it was genius how some scenes hid the fact that someone was in the trunk of a car and to notice someone is planting a wallet. The final level/scene 25 Apocalypse is something I never seen before in a game. This makes me hype to see a film by these guys. Look this level up on YouTube. Gameplay 4/10 (Level design destroys this game.) Story 6/10 (I liked the story. Just wished I understood it.) Art Style 5/10 (Too many characters looked the same and it made it hard sometimes to follow the story.) Replayability 0/10 (After playing 14 hours including the bonus level, I’m not touching it again. I beat the original Hotline twice on PS3 and twice on Steam.) Innovation and Originality 10/10 (I can give them props for trying to do something different. This game makes me want to see a film by these guys more than another game.) Sound and Music 10/10 (It was great in the first game and its great in the second. I died dozens of times on levels and I never hated the music.) Final level 10/10 (This level should be study in gaming schools. I never seen visuals like that in a game.) This game proves bigger is not always better. The first game may have been smaller but it was more polish for it.

i know most people don't care about this but it absolutely completely ruins the story of the first game. it's a ton longer then the first game for no reason too, and the gameplay is noticeably worse.

So addictive, challenging and fun! It will make you want to throw your monitor out of the window at times, but this is what makes you come back for more. Fantastic game!

this game has singlehandedly fuelled my hatred towards Russians and Americans. Paints the true picture of young men dying for ultra nationalism for countries who don't care for them

Good game, though I liked the first one more. This game is more of the same but with a different storytelling approach which some may find a bit incoherent, but I think the strangeness of the story suits this game and I do think it was somewhat memorable. In the first game you follow one guy. In this game, the story switches back and forth from being about a gang of 4 thugs, a crooked cop, some guy who was in vietnam, and a different character that I didn't expect to play as during the last couple of levels. The soundtrack in the first game was alittle better. 3.75.5

I am proud to say that after a mere 100 hours of reading the wiki, I now mostly understand the story. Also, the game is fun.

this game is a big up from the first one, but there's some things that need to be adressed: - the no skipping on bosses still exists and it's still annoying; - the game got 200% harder and got frustrating at some points, but also 200% more satisfying when you beat the puzzles/levels; - i got some dumb bugs where i couldn't enter the car or i got stuck in the car (??); the good: - the soundtrack; - the gameplay; - the visuals; story wise, they went deeper into it and the finale was really interesting, but its still confusing i would say. 7.2/10

---{ Graphics }--- ☐ You forget what reality is ☐ Beautiful ☐ Good ☑ Decent ☐ Bad ☐ Don‘t look too long at it ☐ MS-DOS ---{ Gameplay }--- ☑ Very good ☐ Good ☐ It's just gameplay ☐ Mehh ☐ Watch paint dry instead ☐ Just don't ---{ Audio }--- ☐ Eargasm ☑ Very good ☐ Good ☐ Not too bad ☐ Bad ☐ I'm now deaf ---{ Audience }--- ☐ Kids ☑ Teens ☑ Adults ☐ Grandma ---{ PC Requirements }--- ☑ Check if you can run paint ☐ Potato ☐ Decent ☐ Fast ☐ Rich boi ☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer ---{ Game Size }--- ☐ Floppy Disk ☑ Old Fashioned ☐ Workable ☐ Big ☐ Will eat 15% of your 1TB hard drive ☐ You will want an entire hard drive to hold it ☐ You will need to invest in a black hole to hold all the data ---{ Difficulty }--- ☐ Just press 'W' ☐ Easy ☑ Easy to learn / Hard to master ☐ Significant brain usage ☐ Difficult ☐ Dark Souls ---{ Grind }--- ☑ Nothing to grind ☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks ☐ Isn't necessary to progress ☐ Average grind level ☐ Too much grind ☐ You'll need a second life for grinding ---{ Story }--- ☐ No Story ☐ Some lore ☐ Average ☐ Good ☐ Lovely ☑ It'll replace your life ---{ Game Time }--- ☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee ☐ Short ☐ Average ☐ Long ☑ To infinity and beyond ---{ Price }--- ☐ It's free! ☑ Worth the price ☐ If it's on sale ☐ If u have some spare money left ☐ Not recommended ☐ You could also just burn your money ---{ Bugs }--- ☐ Never heard of ☑ Minor bugs ☐ Can get annoying ☐ ARK: Survival Evolved ☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs ---{ ? / 10 }--- ☐ 1 ☐ 2 ☐ 3 ☐ 4 ☐ 5 ☐ 6 ☐ 7 ☐ 8 ☐ 9 ☑ 10 ---{ Author }--- ☑ https://vojtastruhar.github.io/steam-review-template

There is a reason why this game is a cult classic. Story to game and level design, everything is simply perfect. Its retro vibe is adding so much to the game. Just amazing. 9/10

10 years later still a banger. play this one. people are mixed about it now because everyone is so "enlightened" and "media literate" dawg just play it. so good.

just don't play the fucking hard mode. edit: just beat it and they reverse the ending scenes too. really cool game i love to bits but god DAMN. hard mode should be called hell. please do yourself a pleasure and play the game.

a deep story fun levels and great gameplay absloute masterpice

A phenomenal story and sense of style which tops the original while bringing together all of its loose ends. Unfortunately, while HM2 still has the same combat that made the original fun, its pacing suffers somewhat from ABSURDLY large levels - as in levels so large that even when panning the camera to the maximum distance you still can't see the enemies that are killing you. Not only does this make aiming a matter of trial and error on top of the rest of the game's mechanics, but it makes the slight randomization of enemy placement infinitely more frustrating, as walking down the same hallway will result in your death only one in three times, or similar. Recommend for the story, but expect to find yourself playing HM2 like a tactical shooter during some of its weaker gameplay moments.

fun game with good level design and some parts of extreme difficulty also has good story telling for those who care about it

Banger trailers, great game, just get ready to spam the retry key a lot

this games story fulfills what the first one was lacking in. Truly peak as you get to experience the different sides of the story in chronological order to give you a clear picture. the evil chicken killer lives on in all of us...

Addictive and great music.

Actually a masterpiece and no i'm not "incelcore" for playing a fun ass game

It gets fucking hard, but the story is worth it. If you can power through the final stretch of levels, the ending is amazing.

fast addictive and violent

I remember I bought this game and the original Hotline Miami for some Payday 2 content back in 2015. Now its 2025 and everything from the music, the story, the characters, the music, the gameplay, that ridiculous Dead Ahead level on Hard Mode, and of course the music, has left such an impression on me that to this day I still think and daydream about what the hell this game is truly about... Its the music.

An amazing sequel to a great indie title and as a game on its own, improves on every aspect of the first while adding on to it. Much more challenge and reward, achievements are alright but genocide sucks

Probably the angriest I've ever been while playing a game. Now that's immersion

Loved the storyline in Hotline Miami 1, it hooked me in instantly. Such a great series. In Hotline Miami 2 I shot a dude then somehow blew up half the city. Not even mad tho, 10/10!!

This is an amazing game.It has the one of the best soundtracks ever in a video game and the story is better and easier to follow than the first one(although still a bit confusing).Would Highly recommend

Fast-paced and brutal, this game keeps you on your toes with its challenging levels and intense action. The story is darker and more complex than the first, and the soundtrack still slaps. It’s not for the faint of heart, but if you like tough, stylish shooters, it’s worth a try.

great game, great soundtrack, a little confusing at times but still enjoyable to play for people who care about gameplay and for story.

Great game! Really fast paced, simple and lots of fun. The game is stylistically retro and has a mysterious story that keeps the player engaged. Excellent work by the studio and developers to make such a unique game.

the boat level has forever traumatized me yeah fun game i guess.

Haven't played the game's campaign that much but I love the level editor and currently have 4 levels on there right now.

The official soundtrack slaps, gameplay is even better than the first, Dark plot so play with sexual violence disabled if you're more squeamish (or inviting a more squeamish player to play)

Not as good as the first game, but if you liked it perhaps you should give this game a try

Great verity in play styles but level design is much more linear feeling then the first game.

I love this game, its a great sequel to hotline miami 1 and does pretty much everything the first game did but way better. The story is pretty cool too. One thing I didn't really enjoy were the vietnam missons. I get why theyre in there tho

Amazing game with bigger levels, more weapons, and more levels than the first. Even though the sequel's level design is built more for guns, it still is fun and enjoyable to play. With the player playing as multiple new perspectives. Richter, the antagonist from the first game. "The fans", who are a group of friends that carry out similar acts of violence to try and replicate what Jacket did. Also, Pardo and the Writer. Pardo is a police detective investigating a series of violent murders. The Writer is a character who is trying to write a book about the "1989 Masked Maniac killings", and will do anything to find information to help complete it. Lastly, near the end of the game you play as Beard and the Son. "Beard" is part of a US special forces squad who's mission is to clear Russian camps in Florida. "The Son" is the son of the the Russian Mafia boss that you kill in the first game. Aside from the intensive plot, harder difficulty, and various characters, the soundtrack is also an iconic part of this game.

If Hotline Miami 1 was self-evidently art, it's even more true with Hotline Miami 2. Great story with good gameplay only occasionally broken by dogshit level design.

It's really fun and get's your adrenaline pumping, but it's also very hard.

this game is perfect except maps patterns are trash overall story is banger

I keep coming back to this game every once in a while with the drive to complete this game. I've finish HM1, but this game sports levels that are designed to suck quarters out of you each time you die. Luckily, I'm poor already so they got nothing from me, but my lord have mercy with some of these levels. I'll take a stiff breeze as cover. One day I'll beat this game and remove it from my backlog.