HOTLINE MIAMI COLLECTION / DEVELOPER: DENNATON GAMES / PUBLISHER: DEVOLVER DIGITAL / PLATFORM: SWITCH / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Fancy a double whammy of a critically-acclaimed indie game and its equally highly-lauded sequel, both bundled together in a single easy to purchase package? Yes? Well, you’re in luck!
Released in 2012 and 2015 respectively, Hotline Miami and its sequel, Wrong Number, follow the life of “Jacket” (named by fans in the years since the game’s release – we don’t find out what he’s called in the game itself), a mysterious man whose existence seems to entirely revolve around answering the telephone and following orders to massacre members of the local Russian mafia.
Both titles share the same gameplay, guiding Jacket around each level from a top-down perspective, stalking his prey and dispatching enemies either by brute force or through stealthy interactions. Run in all guns blazing and you’re sure to alert every enemy in the level, quickly becoming outnumbered, overwhelmed and, ultimately, killed. But take your time to plan out your route, use melee weapons to kill quietly, and utilise a variety of unlockable animal masks (because why not?) to gain helpful abilities, and eventually you’ll emerge victorious. Death is par for the course in Hotline Miami, and trial and error is often the best way to figure out the optimal path – you’re able to restart immediately (like, immediately) after dying, and you’ll soon find yourself saying “just one more try” before realising it’s 4 in the morning and you should have gone to bed hours ago…
Based in the 1980s, both games feature lots of brightly coloured pixel art and suitably synthy soundtracks. Wrong Number‘s levels are larger than those in the original, making them trickier to navigate, but it does have a slightly better soundtrack, so swings and roundabouts and all that. Both games were an absolute joy to play at the time of their initial releases, and they both hold up extremely well today – there aren’t many games that are as violently addictive as these.
The Hotline Miami Collection is yet another perfect fit for the Switch, with short levels being perfect for playing on the go but also looking (and sounding) incredible on the big screen. A joy to play and a cult classic for all the right reasons, don’t hesitate to pick this one up as soon as possible!
