Classic Games

Hotline Miami

Do you like hurting other people?

Dennaton Games' Hotline Miami combined ultraviolent top-down action with surreal narrative and pulsing synthwave to create an unforgettable fever dream.

pcPlayStationvita actionindietop-down 2012

Overview

Hotline Miami drops players into a neon-drenched nightmare of ultraviolence. Each level is a puzzle: clear rooms of enemies using guns, melee weapons, and quick reflexes. Death comes instantly and frequently. The synth soundtrack pulses relentlessly. Cryptic narrative sequences question the violence you’re committing. It’s uncomfortable, addictive, and impossible to forget.

Fast facts

  • Developer: Dennaton Games (Jonatan Söderström, Dennis Wedin).
  • Publisher: Devolver Digital.
  • Genre: top-down action.
  • Style: retro-pixelated ultraviolence.
  • Soundtrack: synthwave artists (M.O.O.N., Perturbator, etc.).
  • Sequel: Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number (2015).

The gameplay loop

Violence as puzzle:

  • One-hit deaths: both player and enemies.
  • Planning: scout rooms, plan approaches.
  • Improvisation: adapt when plans fail.
  • Instant restart: death sends you immediately back.

Thematic darkness

Questions behind the violence:

  • Masked phone calls: who’s ordering these kills?
  • Surreal interludes: therapy sessions, fever dreams.
  • Self-awareness: the game asks why you enjoy this.
  • Unreliable narrative: what’s actually happening?

See also