Hotline Miami
A top-down shooter set in 1989 Miami against the Russian mafia.
Hotline Miami is a top-down shooter released in 2012 by the two-person team Dennaton Games and published by Devolver Digital. The story takes place in Miami during 1989 and centers on a silent protagonist, often called Jacket by players, who carries out violent attacks on the local Russian mafia. Players must clear each level by eliminating every enemy using any available method, and animal masks worn before a stage grant special abilities. The narrative follows Jacket as his mental state deteriorates and he is interrogated for his crimes. The game is designed to make players feel remorse for their actions, promoting a pacifist message.
Dennaton Games, made up of Jonatan Söderström and Dennis Wedin, built the game over nine months as their first commercial project. Söderström handled programming and writing, while Wedin created the graphics. The soundtrack, featuring electronic, techno, vaporwave, and synthwave, came from several artists. Hotline Miami launched for Windows in October 2012, with versions for OS X, Linux, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Vita arriving in 2013, and a PlayStation 4 port in 2014.
The game is often ranked among the greatest video games and is considered a major influence on indie titles. Early reviews praised its gameplay, soundtrack, and atmosphere, though some criticized its controls. Its themes and storytelling also received acclaim. It earned several award nominations and had sold 1.5 million copies by May 2015. Hotline Miami inspired other developers and helped drive a wave of indie game releases in the 2010s, while also boosting its publisher’s success and the popularity of synthwave music. A sequel, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, came out in March 2015. The series has since expanded into a franchise, including two compilations for platforms like the Nintendo Switch, a comic book spinoff, and multiple fan games.
**Gameplay**
Hotline Miami is a top-down shooter set in late-1980s Miami, split into nineteen chapters. Each chapter begins with Jacket receiving an answering machine message that tells him to go to a location and kill everyone there. Players can use melee weapons like crowbars or firearms, and can also knock enemies out with doors, use them as human shields, or kick them into walls. If an attack doesn’t kill an enemy outright, a special finishing move is available.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Hotline Miami
- Developer
- Dennaton GamesAbstraction Games developed the console ports.
- Publisher
- Devolver Digital
- Programmer
- Jonatan Söderström
- Artist
- Dennis Wedin
- Engine
- GameMaker
- Genre
- Top-down shooter
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Hotline Miami was developed over nine months as the first commercial release of Dennaton Games, a duo composed of Jonatan Söderström and Dennis Wedin. Söderström programmed the game and wrote the narrative, while Wedin designed the graphics. The game was originally titled Cocaine Cowboy, named after the 200... The soundtrack combines many music genres like electronic, techno, vaporwave, and synthwave, contributed by several artists. The game was released in October 2012 for Windows, followed by versions for OS X, Linux, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Vita in 2013, and a PlayStation 4 port in 2014. A sequel, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, was released in March 2015. The series went on to spawn a franchise, with two compilations of both games on platforms such as the Nintendo Switch, a comic book spinoff, and several fan games.
Reader's Guide
Hotline Miami has been frequently considered one of the greatest video games and one of the most influential indie games. Initial reviews highlighted its gameplay, soundtrack, and atmosphere, though some criticized its controls. The themes and storytelling were also praised. It was nominated for several awards and sold 1.5 million copies by May 2015. The game inspired multiple developers and contributed to a rise in indie game releases throughout the 2010s; it also contributed to the success of its publisher and the popularity of the synthwave music genre. The game advocates a pacifist message by making the player feel regret for their in-game actions.
Did You Know?
- The game was developed over nine months as Dennaton Games' first commercial release.
- The player can knock out enemies with a door, use them as a human shield, or kick them against a wall.
- The plot follows Jacket as he slowly loses his grip on reality and is interrogated for his actions.
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