Hotline Miami--It's like that 80's song pt. 1

Hotline Miami by Dennaton Games

Another daily message on your answering machine, "This is 'Thomas' from the methadone clinic. We've scheduled a short meeting for you tonight. We're at NW 184th street, APT 105. And don't worry... We know discretion is of importance to our clients."  The only truth in this message--and all the other messages you receive--is the address, the rest is a lie.  When you arrive at the address in your stylish Delorean, you choose from a variety of animal themed masks, put one on, and lets the bloodshed begin.



Hotline Miami is set in the late 1980's (guess in which city). The ultra violent retro adventure was so inspired by the movie Drive that the creators mention the film's director in the game's credits under special thanks.  It is not the video game it seems to be at first, both from a gameplay and narrative perspective.  It's a top down game that has you playing as a nameless, violent, assassin who has access to a large variety of weapons.  Many are impromptu: baseball bats, lead pipes, golf clubs, and in one case a pot of boiling water.  Others are more official killing tools: katanas, uzis, and shotguns.  However the player must use these items with caution. 

Kill--but kill carefully.
Source

Running into a room guns a blazin' will only attract more members of  the Russian mob you've been contracted to kill.  A stealthier approach may be needed.  Precision, speed, and planning are necessary if one wants to survive Hotline Miami.  You don't want to go rushing into a room with four armed mafia men who want your head.  Instead you'll find yourself waiting for one to walk by a door--then you'll swing that door open from the other side knocking that gangster to the ground.  You throw a knife at one of his accomplices across the room cutting his life short.  You rush back over to the downed man and bash his head into the ground before he can recover.  Grabbing  his weapon you run over to finish off his two comrades before they finish you.  That's what the gameplay is like--fast paced and quick thinking--and you might want to leave a little room for improvising in case things go wrong.  This isn't just action, it's a puzzle game as well. You'll constantly ask yourself, "how do I best navigate through this maze of mafia men without them handing my ass to me?"

The storyline begins in a fog.  We don't know why Jacket (the name given to the main protagonist by the fans) is going from one mafia safe house to another killing the dangerous men within, but we know what's motivating him, mysterious answering machine messages he receives in his home giving him the address to his next "appointment." 

Hotline Miami tells a story in subtle ways all while using Nintendo era graphics.  In the level titled Decadence, Jacket rescues a junkie/prostitute from the clutches of the Russian gangsters.  He takes her home out of sympathy and we see them living together between chapters.  While not a word of dialogue is spoken between them, we see the hitman's home getting a "woman's touch" overtime.  The apartment gets cleaner, and we see their two beds being moved closer together over time.  It's story telling at it's most subtle, but also at it's finest.  Here lies the strength of indie games, they can tell a powerful narrative without the photo-realistic graphics of mainstream titles.


Nah man, nothing is alright in this twisted tale.
Source


The cut scenes in the game are chilling and confusing like a David Lynch movie.  Within each of the game's four acts, Jacket is confronted by three masked beings in a creepy undisclosed location.  Much like the disturbed protagonist, they wear animal mask.  The rooster Richard (representing the superego), Ramsus the owl (the ever brutal, ever rude, id), and Don Juan in her horse mask (the ego).  Richard, clearly the leader of the group, ask Jacket (and by proxy the player) these four questions:  

1. Do you like hurting other people?
2. Who is leaving messages on your answering machine?
3. Where are you right now?
4. Why are we having this conversation?

Whoever is leaving the messages on Jacket's answering machine guarantees one thing--the hitman is not alone on his masked massacre.  There are others running rampant at the orders of this mysterious organization.  Jacket will encounter a few of them, and it won't be pretty when he does.

In a chapter titled "Neighbors" the protagonist faces one of these killers.  The pink vested, helmet wearing, cleaver swinging, rival assassin has been dubbed "Biker" by fans.  Assuming Jacket has come to kill him, a boss battle ensues, and if things go well for the player, Jacket ends up playing a friendly round of golf with Biker's head.  With a fellow assassin dead you'd think things would be getting better for Jacket, but from here things only get weirder....

to be continued....