Hotline Miami is one of the most iconic top down action indie games. It has over the top violence, and has been banned in some countries and yet there is a simple elegance in it. The two games in the series have now arrived on Nintendo Switch, and I am pleased to say the porting is good for the most part and really takes advantage of what the system has to offer.
Both Hotline Miami and its sequel play extremely well, and there is overall a silky-smooth performance. I will not go into detail regarding the game’s story, because this would spoil far too much. I will state though, that the games are not for everyone and may be a bit too graphic or violent for some players. This isn’t a form of gatekeeping or calling some players wusses, but simply pointing out that the game is very aggressive.
You will violently take down enemies using a variety of weapons, and fight in gory ways as you seek to make sense of the situation you are in. There will be people telling you the path to take, but are they really on your side? Or are they using you for darker means. This is a very intense I was worried how the games would perform on the Switch, but that proved to not be an issue as they are very well optimized for the platform. I especially liked that touch controls worked when selecting in the menu, and that was a nice addition. After a couple of minutes, I got into a groove that let me play for hours without having any problem.
A good way to describe these games are like Retro City Rampage, but without the humor and with the violence dialed up to eleven. There were parts, especially in the second game that I found questionable (which I cannot go into here due to spoilers), but the overall gameplay is fine. What I said earlier really stands, and do not just go for these games if here is a chance you will be turned off by intense content. If, however, you are looking for a great action game and don’t mind a story that sometimes goes a bit far, then this is the game for you.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided