Hotline Miami

"Hotline Miami is a great example of why retro games are so timeless. It combines fast, fun arcade gameplay, a wacky story, and an incredibly addicting style into one very fun indie game. Hotline Miami is perfect for what it is, so I give it ten 8-bit samurai swords out of ten."

- Sohinki's verdict

Hotline Miami is a top-down shooter game featured on Smosh Games Review.

Game Information
Hotline Miami is a 2012 top-down shooter game developed by Dennaton Games and published by Devolver Games. Set in 1989 Miami, the game revolves primarily around an unnamed silent protagonist (dubbed "Jacket" by fans) who has been receiving messages on his answering machine instructing him to commit massacres against the local Russian Mafia. The game blends top-down perspective with stealth, extreme violence, and surreal storytelling, mixed with a soundtrack and visuals inspired by 1980s culture.

The game is divided into several chapters, each of which is made up of several stages. At the start of most chapters, "Jacket" wakes up in his apartment and listens to cryptic messages on his answering machine, which tell him to perform an arbitrary task at a certain location, which in each case is inferred as a metaphor for killing every person at that location. Before starting a mission, players can select an animal mask to wear, each providing a unique benefit. Occasionally, they must also defeat a boss at the end of the chapter or find key items as they explore. Some levels also include hidden animal masks for the player to find along the way.

Far outnumbered, the player, who is no more resilient than enemies, must rely on their increased awareness and skill in stealth or force to overcome challenges. Enemy AI also varies slightly, causing them to occasionally move unpredictably and making it difficult to plan a perfect approach. Fortunately, players can restart each stage as soon as they die. At the end of each chapter, the game grades the player's performance based on factors such a speed, variation and recklessness, with high scores unlocking new weapons and additional masks.

Hotline Miami received critical acclaim upon release, with praise given to its neon-soaked depiction of 1980s underground Miami, as well as its gameplay and soundtrack. A sequel was released in 2015, titled Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number.