MysterD's Verdict:
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED...only after you play Hotline Miami 1.
THE REVIEW:
Hotline Miami is one of the most memorable Independent games in recent memory + actually ever developed - loaded with a thrilling soundtrack, old-school style of gameplay (with its diffuculty) + visuals; an absolutely insane story; action galore; & tons of violence. Hotline Miami 2 is the action-packed, top-down action-packed shooter/steatlh game, which follows this up with more of the same, for the most part - and then some.
HLM2 feels much bigger (took me around 21.2 hours in my first playthrough, BTW); much more sprawling; much more ambitious; & much more epic of an endeavor. While the original game was quite difficult at times, HLM2 definitely ups the ante here in difficulty much quicker & expands on the original game in many ways. In some ways, HLM2 is a much better game - but in some "ways", it's just not. Those few "ways" shouldn't stop fans from playing, though - Hotline Miami 2 is a great sequel.
HLM1 mostly had you play as Jacket & Biker, two characters who were getting mysterious phone calls from somebody to basically go off + kill certain people & groups. HLM2 serves as both a prequel + sequel to the game, as well as filling in much more explanation as to some of the things left vague, ambiguous and/or unexplained from the original. HLM2 doesn't tell these events in order + the story does jump around quite a bit, as you will be playing as numerous different characters from numerous different groups and/or agendas to give this whole crazy story a much-much larger picture.
HLM2 experiments here with often much bigger, wider, & more open-spaces for levels. Levels, in general, are much more varied in locations + the actual sceney in the game. You won't always be wearing a mask, as you will not always be a serial killer here. Sometimes, you might have a group of characters you're with. Instead of selecting a mask, you might be given the option to select from one of a few different members from a certain group; or go into a level with two members from a group. You might even have to in one level be forced to be all the different members in the group, at different parts of the level. You might not even be allowed to use weapons in a level.
This is just a start of the experimentation in HLM2. You might be forced with a certain weapon throughout the entire level + find ammo within the level. Some characters even have their own special skills (like rolling/dodging or you control two characters at one time where you have the option to shoot as one or melee as the other). HLM2 varies so much in its gameplay, style & scenery - that it's easily the much more ambitious title of the two games.
One-shot kills is the name of all the HLM games, as in if you take one shot, you're dead + you will have to redo the entire floor you're on. If you finish a floor, you can go to the next + death results in you restarting your current floor. Finish an act, and you move onto the next. You will be scored + graded on how many combos + quick kills you make, which will make the game replayable for those who want to replay the game and/or its levels/chapters.
I played with mostly the XBox Controller here, BTW - and it played absolutely fine, for the most part. Locking onto enemies worked fine + firing away was absolute bliss + often a rush in adrenaline, when you get into big shootouts. When playing stealthy - which you can + should do when necessary, BTW - it can be very satisfying to take enemies down strategically, thanks to the game's overhead/top-down viewpoint.
Not everything is paradise-like here, for the gameplay. Sometimes, locking on didn't lock onto the enemy I wanted + sometimes b/c levels are so massive & open in size + space, you might get killed from an enemy way off-screen cheaply & have to redo the entire floor. Frustration that can arise b/c of the game's difficulty can set in, but there's the other hand here that when finishing a level, especially some of the later levels, it can be extremely satisfying once you finally take care of business.
Just like the original game, the soundtrack here is absolutely amazing. Pulse-pounding electronic beats will fill your eardums + often get you into the action, with an overdosage of caffeine that can absolutely get your adrenaline going, perfectly going right along with the intense action. It is nothing but sonic + musical bliss here, with tracks from the likes of MOON, Megadrive, El Tigr3, Scattle, Perturbator, El Huervo & the even more extensive list of musicians that contribute to this tour de force of a soundtrack.
If HLM2 isn't enough on its own, with this game also having a Toolset + being on Steam Workshop - there is likely more HLM2 for the player to experience, even if its not from the game's developers, to actually keep them going. That, or one can build their own HLM2 levels, if they so desire.
Hotline Miami 2 is much more difficult - especially early on even + it really ramps up even more later on, too - and the story pretty much requires knowledge of the original, as this game serves as both a prequel + sequel to the original. If the player can get past these minor hurdles & actually sink their teeth into this game, they're in for much more ambitious sequel here + a real treat here, to say the very least.
Hotline Miami 2 is a great game, even despite its very few flaws. While it might not have the freshness + "new-ness" of the original here, it does try to out-do it in many ways. Not only that, but the amount of variety in scenery + gameplay is excellent, especially when compared to the original. It succeeds in some ways, doesn't in others. But, the failures here are absolutely very minor here - and that just shouldn't stop you from playing this game, if you've already played the original. Hotline Miami 2, even despite its very few flaws, is a very ambitious follow-up & succeeds in most fronts, making it a very easy to recommend to fans of the original masterpiece.
ing bonkers.
