Hotline Miami was once released to the fanfare of rapturous cheers and hateful cries. Few could leave anyone indifferent to this brutal, beautiful and, to a good extent, insane game. Of course, the success of the first part guaranteed the sequel, and now, almost 3 years later we are offered to enjoy Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number. Was it a sequel or an addon for the price of the full game, you can find out in this review.
The plot of the game revolves around several novellas, which are in different time intervals, and only rarely intersect. The actions of Jaquette (the main protagonist of the first part) launched a chain of events: there appeared a group of followers called "Fans", who also receive calls with places to kill, in parallel, a film based on Jaquette's story is being shot, etc. In total, we are told about 7-8 solid and not-so-solid stories, but the hectic nature of the narrative, even after the ending, leaves the question, "What's going on here?" open.
Of course, such a large and varied story has affected the gameplay as well. The gameplay didn't change at all: we still run around the location with a view from above and kill everything that moves. Now masks - it's not just a gimmick that gives certain bonuses, each mask is tied to one character. There are, for example, "Tiger" Tony, who can tear enemies apart with his bare hands, but can't use weapons, or a pair of "Goose" Alex and Ash, but one of whom carries a chainsaw, and the other covers it with a firearm.
ONE OF THE "FAN" MISSIONS. FOR THEM, ANY MASSACRE IS JUST A MEANS OF ENTERTAINMENT.
However, the big minus of all these divisions into "classes" is that the maps are customized only for certain characters, and to pass them for others, quite difficult, but possible.
In general, as for the complexity, it has increased at times: the enemies are much more, and their reaction has increased. In addition, we will complicate life with new types of enemies, such as "Ninja" with katanas, which can only be killed in close combat, or, scripted half-bosses.
Locations have become much more extensive and diverse. If in Hotline Miami, except for the apartments and nightclubs, we have seen nothing else, then here we will visit the port controlled by the mafia, and the Amazon jungle, where the Russian military camp is located (Well, how could it be without them). Expansion of locations made it almost impossible to pass the game without firearms, which also affects the complexity and variety.
Although the variety in the game enough and without it, the game is a lot of small, and more, game situations that either cause a wild delight and bewilderment, or do not cause any feelings at all, which is typical for Hotline Miami in principle.
The music was also updated, and it still sounds cheerful and excites interest to the game, and as in the first part, some songs want to add to your playlist, but there are much less than in the prequel. But here it's up to someone, I think the opinion will be divided, and everyone will choose a soundtrack to his liking.
By the way, it did not do without bugs. Bugs, of course, are not fatal, but noticeable to the untrained eye: dogs often like to hang in one place and walk in circles (probably a tribute to realism), and the regular guards can easily get stuck in the door.
TOTAL: Yeah, there's nothing more to say about the game, really. No matter who says what - it's still the same bloody, spectacular, driving, crazy and inarticulate shooter with a view from above, which leaves behind a sea and a lake of impressions. It's just like the first part, it's fun to beat the high score, replay levels in different styles, think about the plot and experiment. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Numbers is the same Hotline Miami, only multiplied by three. Definitely worth joining if you haven't already.
