Better than the first one and I'm not sorry for saying so. Hotline Miami 2 is a sequel just as unhealthily obsessed with its predecessor as its fans are, with each one of it's dozen protagonists latching on to one key aspect that made the first game special: the gore, the mystery, the action, and the aesthetic. As we barge through its levels, we seek that first game, its simple pleasures, and we never find them. Neither do the characters. The gore is present, but it feels almost always defensive in nature. The mystery of the first game is stretched so thin that it feels exhausted. The action remains, but in spurts so difficult and grueling that they hardly give off "fun." Nothing is as you remember it, for you or the characters you control. Eventually, all of you, fictional or real, must give up on the first game. The second game cannot be it. It can offer something else, something less satisfying, less revolutionary, something more profound, but ultimately something different. Games are defined by their moments, and 2012 was a long time ago. We all buried Hotline Miami 1, and in response the light buried us. Not that we're complaining.

you really enjoy hurting other people, don't you?

Gunline miami. Still a fun game, but a downgrade from the original in every way. In hotline miami 1, speed and skill are rewarded. This game feels more like some puzzle, stealth game especially hard mode. Getting A+ is insanely annoying and not worth the time. Did it on switch and it's a frustrating experience. You basically need to play most levels a very specific way, not breaking a combo to get that A+ or S. The game doesn't allow for much creativity in your approach like the first. Dennaton stated in a 2022 interview confirming they agreed with most people's issues. (They haven't even beat hard mode themselves, imagine not beating your own game) funny how the guys that made a game that makes fun of it's fans, has a r*pe scene and some hardcore, edgy violence got butthurt over mean comments on the internet and refuse to talk to their fan base. (Have they ever seen what people will say to you in a CS or TF2 lobby?) Indy devs really are something else and masters of shooting themselves in the foot. (Phil fish, Edmund McMillen with repentance, yandere dev, etc.)