Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number

 PC
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 808 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 551 out of 808
  2. Mixed: 168 out of 808
  3. Negative: 89 out of 808

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  1. dohgeh
    Mar 13, 2015
    2
    There is no doubt that Hotline Miami 2 isn't a fun game, but it's a major disappointment.

    Hotline Miami 1 was so fast paced and fluid, Hotline Miami 2 is fast paced, but it's different. You no longer charge enemies at beat their head in. You now have to basically hide behind corners and lure enemies to you. It's just not as fun as Hotline Miami. It feels boring and just has zero    There is no doubt that Hotline Miami 2 isn't a fun game, but it's a major disappointment.

    Hotline Miami 1 was so fast paced and fluid, Hotline Miami 2 is fast paced, but it's different. You no longer charge enemies at beat their head in. You now have to basically hide behind corners and lure enemies to you. It's just not as fun as Hotline Miami. It feels boring and just has zero replayability.

    The level design has also been pumped down WAY too much. Through the entire game, you will feel like you've been through here 5 times already. It's so disappointing to see that what made the first game stand out and what made it good was completely ripped out and traded for a more focused story. Honestly the story doesn't interest me at all! That's not what made me like Hotline Miami 1! I liked Hotline Miami 1 for it's unique levels and awesome gameplay. The story is okay. It touches up queasy subjects like rape and torture.

    Overall, Hotline Miami is not a bad game if you've never played the first one, but it is a HUGE disappointment if you have played the first one. If you haven't played either and you are interested, buy the first once. You most likely won't regret it.    … Expand
  2. camptownrangers
    Nov 22, 2015
    4
    Hotline Miami was a game that was fun largely thanks to how I almost never needed to rely on guns. Hotline Miami 2 forces the player to use guns in the vast majority of levels.

    Difficulty is artificial, level designs are a big step back, it just took everything fun about the original and snapped it over its leg with a sickening crack. I really, really wanted to like it, the soundtrack    Hotline Miami was a game that was fun largely thanks to how I almost never needed to rely on guns. Hotline Miami 2 forces the player to use guns in the vast majority of levels.

    Difficulty is artificial, level designs are a big step back, it just took everything fun about the original and snapped it over its leg with a sickening crack. I really, really wanted to like it, the soundtrack is great and the story is as idiotic and crazy as ever (this is a good thing), but the levels are almost all designed to be slow methodical crawls as you avoid bullets shot from dozens of enemies that you can't see because they're off-screen and have ridiculous line-of-sight length. You can never just blitz through a level with a melee weapon and a death wish and come out victorious like you could in the first one, and that just kills it. Disappointment of 2015, and I really hate that I'm typing that down.    … Expand
  3. Cattington
    Mar 10, 2015
    3
    The level design of this game is so bad, it makes the deserved success of the first game seem like an accident. Instead of having a frantic fast paced feel, where you improvise your way through levels, you get a sluggish game where you find yourself constantly expecting yourself to get shot by someone off screen. The camera is tight and narrow, and even using the awkward hold-shift-to-lookThe level design of this game is so bad, it makes the deserved success of the first game seem like an accident. Instead of having a frantic fast paced feel, where you improvise your way through levels, you get a sluggish game where you find yourself constantly expecting yourself to get shot by someone off screen. The camera is tight and narrow, and even using the awkward hold-shift-to-look function, enemies will still shoot you from off screen. It takes agonizing memorization of randomized enemies to make progress through some levels. Utterly disappointing.… Expand
  4. Merebimur
    Mar 20, 2015
    1
    Where do I start?! I loved the first Hotline Miami which felt fresh, unpredictable and pumped full of adrenaline. Clocked up well over 200 hours on that title as the replayability was just superb.

    This sad excuse for a sequel is an abortion of game - incredibly erratic AI, frustratingly terrible level design and a storyline that feels it was written during a game of consequences! I    Where do I start?! I loved the first Hotline Miami which felt fresh, unpredictable and pumped full of adrenaline. Clocked up well over 200 hours on that title as the replayability was just superb.

    This sad excuse for a sequel is an abortion of game - incredibly erratic AI, frustratingly terrible level design and a storyline that feels it was written during a game of consequences! I cannot believe that Devolver have anything to do with this game or, more depressingly, that they take gamers to be a gullible sack of tw@ts who are happy to part readily with cash for a rushed, half-baked buggy follow ups. Steer well clear of this mess!    … Expand
  5. Massaki
    Mar 12, 2015
    3
    To have a sequel where the developer's intention is to send a massive insult to fans of the original's lore is nothing short of incredibly ignorant.
    And unfortunately that's not an expression contained just within it's disappointing story.
    The level design in the later levels distances itself from the original 'Run in, Get out' standard Hotline Miami had set and is driven towards a    To have a sequel where the developer's intention is to send a massive insult to fans of the original's lore is nothing short of incredibly ignorant.
    And unfortunately that's not an expression contained just within it's disappointing story.

    The level design in the later levels distances itself from the original 'Run in, Get out' standard Hotline Miami had set and is driven towards a typical, un-original top-down shooter. All strategy and melee combat becomes completely redundant as the game starts throwing all of it's enemies at you at the one time, the placement in enemies and the level design in general has lost it's quality during the transition of games. The game becomes 'challenging hard' to just downright ****

    The story starts very promising til you discover it's entire narrative is based on explaining the events of Hotline Miami 1, it would've been definitely preferred if the ambigious mystery of the first game was left untouched. The ending serves itself as the biggest insult to fans of the original. A concept which the developers addmitedly enforced into the development of their game.

    The soundtrack and visual aesthetic is more richer than ever, which conflicts with the absolute deteriation of the game itself. If you are indeed a fan of the original, do yourself a favour, wait for The Level Designer and create your own narrative and levels, because the one made for you is nothing short of disappoiting.    … Expand
  6. bombrero
    Mar 12, 2015
    3
    First of all I must say: I consider Miami Hotline to be the savior of the little faith I had in "indie" game development In my scale it is the first one, even above "lone survivor" by a bit. For me, it is a Masterpiece, to the point that I've completed it 100% and gone through the story 5 or 6 times (cant even remember)

    Miami hotline 2: Wrong number is an extremely frustrating game for    First of all I must say: I consider Miami Hotline to be the savior of the little faith I had in "indie" game development In my scale it is the first one, even above "lone survivor" by a bit. For me, it is a Masterpiece, to the point that I've completed it 100% and gone through the story 5 or 6 times (cant even remember)

    Miami hotline 2: Wrong number is an extremely frustrating game for the following reasons:

    ·Mouse Issues:
    ->There are some major problems with the mouse handling, the first one, it presents a slight amount of input lag, feeling unresponsive every time you need a quick turn or aim.
    The second and most important would be the mouse resetting: every time a locked on enemy dies, the mouse points not in the direction he was before dying, but in the direction he was when you locked on him, which means, that if he ran towards you along with his friends, after you kil him, you will be suddenly aiming backwards at a blank space with your back turned on the rest of the enemies. This happens as well when you perform a roll with Corey, resulting in you rolling right AND places the cursor in the middle of the screen, slightly to your right. You can only avoid this by pressing a movement key while you role so the cursor is placed in the direction you are moving. This is a FATAL flaw, since it leaves you rolling and aiming in a complete different direction that you were expecting, sometimes turning yet again your back on your enemies.

    --> Level design is completely unprofessional. In the first game, the narrow corridor carnages tested both your handling skill and your tactical improvisation: some enemies had ranged weapons and were mixed with melee fighters, so you wanted to get the weapon guys first while avoiding the melee fighters so you could survive the encounter. This was the essence of their motto "Recklessness is rewarded", since thinking a thorough plan to wipe the enemies wont work on a 3 vs 1, so you had to simplify the plan, pick a primary objective, and let your skills and reflexes carry out the rest for you, enhancing the combos, since you took on 3 enemies at one time in a split second, and if anyone barged in, you automatically reformulated the process to kill him and anyone that could have seen you. Nevertheless, that gameplay mechanic needed some brakes, otherwise, the whole game would have been a continuous slaugtherfest with little to no difficulty, so they put some stages with windows and huge rooms in order to slow you down, and pace the game artificially. Those stages were really nice implemented, and after the quick battles you felt it was natural to encounter some resistance from time to time, after all you are singlehandedly killing dozens of armed people. Nevertheless, it was the most boring and frustrating part of the game: no room for combos, slow paced, cheaply difficult... It was simply an artificial drag down perfectly implemented. The problem with Miami Hotline 2 is that THIS is the primary gameplay and level choices... You have a WHOLE game designed after the most unfun parts of his predecessor. As a result, the fast paced twitchy combat that made your adrenaline rush is now a CHORE to play. Imagine a mortal combat where every fighter was Goro, and then you fight Shao Kahn... Not fun at all.

    I wont talk about the story because I feel so impotent when playing this game I havent touched it since my first time playing.

    Please: BEWARE OF THIS GAME, IT PLAYS NOTHING LIKE THE ORIGINAL, FEELS BUGGY AND DOESNT IMPROVE A THING, IT MAKES IT WORSE!!    … Expand
  7. albionzion
    Mar 12, 2015
    2
    first game was amazing, 10/10. this **** is full of glitches, the lock system is totally broken, maps are too large and enemy can shot you from a distance superior then your max visual, all in all a HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT. also the music is far inferior than HM1. 2 years to make this ****ty game is a joke. wait until is free with psn cause giving money for this work is a crime
  8. Unearthlyxbox
    Mar 12, 2015
    1
    Hotline Miami 2 really shows how easy it is to mutilate something that had so much potential.
    Even if it were viewed on its own it would still be awful
    Incomplete game(Riddled With bugs) Little to no replayability Awful Level Design Focuses Way too much on telling a story(not bad on its own, but a sequel should reflect the format of the original game, I wouldnt be complaining if it    Hotline Miami 2 really shows how easy it is to mutilate something that had so much potential.
    Even if it were viewed on its own it would still be awful
    Incomplete game(Riddled With bugs)
    Little to no replayability
    Awful Level Design
    Focuses Way too much on telling a story(not bad on its own, but a sequel should reflect the format of the original game, I wouldnt be complaining if it wasnt a problem.)

    The amazing soundtrack is the only reason it gets a 1 rather than a 0    … Expand
  9. lakin777
    Mar 22, 2015
    4
    The sequel has better story and better variety in well everything. however thats where the cons end.
    The first one had awesome puzzle like melee combat and awful gun play, well this time melee is completely useless since from first mission almost everybody has guns and oh they will shoot you since theres plenty of giant maps so you cant even see whos got you.
    the variety in masks    The sequel has better story and better variety in well everything. however thats where the cons end.
    The first one had awesome puzzle like melee combat and awful gun play, well this time melee is completely useless since from first mission almost everybody has guns and oh they will shoot you since theres plenty of giant maps so you cant even see whos got you.
    the variety in masks actually screw you over since 75% of them i found making the game harder and the 25% had some useless effect,
    protip: try taking no weapons mask and all missions are hell.
    Like i said the missions are harder and actually way longer then they used to be, still checkpoints are only every map and saves are only per mission, leading to an hour of gameplay and then ragequit, after which u realise u have to do even the easy bits of that mission again.
    4/10 truly disappointed as i truly enjoyed first one. :(    … Expand
  10. Kamamura
    Mar 14, 2015
    4
    Unfortunately, this sequel of the awesome Hotline Miami 1 is quite bad. Almost in all aspects, I have to say.

    How is that possible? The developer has apparently decided to emphasize the weak points of the game while neglecting the strong points. First of all, the control scheme is mediocre. You can either play with mouse and keyboard, getting better precision, but the problem is that    Unfortunately, this sequel of the awesome Hotline Miami 1 is quite bad. Almost in all aspects, I have to say.

    How is that possible? The developer has apparently decided to emphasize the weak points of the game while neglecting the strong points.

    First of all, the control scheme is mediocre. You can either play with mouse and keyboard, getting better precision, but the problem is that you aim via a near-invisible cursor that easy to lose sight off. Because mouse aiming is relative, you must know which direction you are aiming - and with twitch aiming, this just does not work. Gamepad has the "lock nearest enemy" function that almost feels like cheating, and the analog stick aiming is absolute, but the precision is far worse.

    Another problem is that the game is horribly pixelated and thus the artificially low resolution can cover only a small part of the battlefield. The solution is to SHIFT - peek out of your normal vision range in a given direction that is both clunky and unfit for a fast-paced, twitchy game.

    That all is less of a problem in small, close quarters map, where stealth, melee and careful planning is most important. That's why the developer has decided to go for large maps with tons of automatic guns, where you get shot from beyond your visual range most of the time, so you must carefully shift-creep through the levels. Frustrating, slow, bad.

    The prevailing theme of the sequel is the prevalent American "MORE" - more player characters, more guns, more enemies, bigger levels, more story threads. Unfortunately, it all results in a worse game - big levels are tedious to play, ranged gun play emphasizes poor controls, too many story-lines shatter the focus of the game narrative without really going anywhere. The gruesome acts of violence get exhausted fast as a shocker.

    4/10 - Disappointing.    … Expand
  11. pepikJS
    Mar 12, 2015
    2
    This sequel is like: "Hey, lets make levels huge as fuk with more enemies!" It's not fukin working. Hotline Miami 1 was a gem with greatly designed levels, this sequel is a cambric tea. I don't want to play thiís game anymore, it's fukin annoying! The levels are annoying as fuk! Music is annoying as fuk!
  12. hotHEAD69
    Jan 17, 2019
    2
    2 points for music. That's it.
    The difficulty? It's a **** joke. I love the first game because it was difficult but not unfair.
    Most of the game you hide behind something and **** pray because levels are so big that you can't see every enemy which results in a bullet from off screen. It's not a FUN game. How they managed to **** UP such a good and simple concept is beyond me. I've made    2 points for music. That's it.
    The difficulty? It's a **** joke. I love the first game because it was difficult but not unfair.
    Most of the game you hide behind something and **** pray because levels are so big that you can't see every enemy which results in a bullet from off screen.
    It's not a FUN game. How they managed to **** UP such a good and simple concept is beyond me.
    I've made this account just to write this **** review.    … Expand
  13. Ridash
    May 7, 2016
    0
    If you like being shot from the other side of your screen on each and every level feel free to buy this game. Not even the amazing soundtrack and interesting storyline can save this horrific level design ****
  14. Chronykle
    Mar 13, 2015
    4
    Graphics are weak, gameplay is borish. Its an extremely violent game which is made to hook kids. I dont like those marketing ploys. Now if it were guided towards adults I would give it a 7 that is not the case though.
  15. Garfoodle
    Mar 12, 2015
    0
    It's bad, very bad. Where to start? It's incredibly buggy, not much fun, is too long, and just kinda sucks. The original was good. There isn't any denying that. But this rendition is a poor cash in on something that never really needed a sequel. Maybe the addition of a map edition, set to release some time, will liven it all up. Honestly, though, I doubt it. It's not good. Replay theIt's bad, very bad. Where to start? It's incredibly buggy, not much fun, is too long, and just kinda sucks. The original was good. There isn't any denying that. But this rendition is a poor cash in on something that never really needed a sequel. Maybe the addition of a map edition, set to release some time, will liven it all up. Honestly, though, I doubt it. It's not good. Replay the original, get the OST off of YouTube, and play with the Payday 2 masks that came with it, but don't play the game itself.… Expand
  16. Kingdemise
    Jul 12, 2015
    4
    The first game is still one of my most favorite game of all time, Hotline Miami is clearly in my top five of the games I most enjoyed in my life. But this sequel is boring, no offense to the creators but you really screwed it up. I do not even think a sequel was needed, the one was a masterpiece and a clearly beloved game. So why did the creators of the game felt like it was necessary toThe first game is still one of my most favorite game of all time, Hotline Miami is clearly in my top five of the games I most enjoyed in my life. But this sequel is boring, no offense to the creators but you really screwed it up. I do not even think a sequel was needed, the one was a masterpiece and a clearly beloved game. So why did the creators of the game felt like it was necessary to take the risk of a sequel in the first place ?

    The soundtrack and the art direction are still very good, but everything else is dull and boring. The level design make you lure your ennemies most of the time into you, you can't rush and rely on your reflex/instinct to clear out levels like in the first one. This time, you'll have to find good spot on the map and play very carefully if you do not want an off-screen ennemy to kill you. Believe me, there is a lot of Off-screen enemies in the game. Plus, this time the game make you play the way the creators want you to play. You almost can not choose masks, you have to play with characters and their stupid abilities. The roll is useless, the "twin brothers" are random and the bear's ability clearly make him more vulnerable. There is some nice idea, like the reporter who can not harm people or the fact that tony mask can not pick weapon (tony's mask was clearly broken in the first game) but everything else feel really forced.

    Plus, you have no good new weapons to use. Knives are still the most useful melee weapon and they thought a Sniper could be a good idea. It is not, you can not aim past ten meters with it thanks to the core mechanics of the game. Seriousely...

    I did not had enough with the first game, I spent almost 80 hours into it. But this time, the game was so boring that I felt that it was too long, it was like the game never ended. The game IS longer than the first one, but you will felt like it is way longer than it should have been. Plus, there's a lot of dialogue and the story is really unintersting. At least, the one did not make you focus on the story, but this one heavliy insist on it and it is really bad.

    Really, stick out with the first one. Do not touch the sequel, it is not worth it at all.    … Expand
  17. pepemichael146
    Sep 5, 2017
    4
    I was a sucker for the last game, but this one is almost **** The trippy style is still in place, music is even a bit better (they chose music with some space instead of pure club banging, big plus), gameplay is still same, but they really **** up the maps. They made big corridors filled with enemies, who can shot better than we do. Even if they let us have some smaller rooms theyI was a sucker for the last game, but this one is almost **** The trippy style is still in place, music is even a bit better (they chose music with some space instead of pure club banging, big plus), gameplay is still same, but they really **** up the maps. They made big corridors filled with enemies, who can shot better than we do. Even if they let us have some smaller rooms they instantly fill that with windows, making it painful to hide or fight with melee weapons. If I was killed by someone with melee I felt like it was my fault, but when w was shoot from across the map by an enemy, only because I wasn't able to push trigger and bumper almost at the same time I felt that something was wrong. They also filled maps with gun only killable enemies so we HAVE TO use the guns, to get anywhere. Almost all of the last game bugs are back. They added way too much object that we can't run through but can shoot through.
    Mask mechanic is deleted, you can't collect them, you just have a character with 3-4 "abilities' to chose from (because sometimes they don't use masks at all) for me it is scandalous, they cut off a symbol of Hotline Miami. The story is still nice, although to understand it you still need to make an investigation. Overall, if you came here for good Hotline Miami, go back. It has its pluses and, just maybe, you'll like it more than. I don't recommend it as a game unless you're a really big fan of the last one and just have to experience it yourself instead of reading plot online.    … Expand
  18. nyeven
    Oct 29, 2018
    4
    I loved the first part because it had a cool convoluted story, the gameplay was super fun and fast paced, and the soundtrack was awesome.

    The sequel only covers the amazing soundtrack. The story has so many characters whose stories don't intersect so following their individual stories becomes near impossible. The gameplay is the same, except that the game has so many bugs. For    I loved the first part because it had a cool convoluted story, the gameplay was super fun and fast paced, and the soundtrack was awesome.

    The sequel only covers the amazing soundtrack.

    The story has so many characters whose stories don't intersect so following their individual stories becomes near impossible.

    The gameplay is the same, except that the game has so many bugs. For starters, enemies will kill you off screen more times that you could count, so more often than not you will have to resort to a more passive gameplay style of luring them behind the corners.

    Also, enemies will often bug through walls, get stuck behind furniture, etc. I even experienced a game breaking bug. On the 24th scene of the 6th level, two dogs spawned inside a fountain and couldn't get out, and to my misfortune I have picked the knuckleduster so I couldn't pick up weapons. That meant I couldn't kill the dogs and after 1 hour of wiping on that level I had to restart the level...

    I'd recommend this game to anyone who likes to get annoyed by video games. Otherwise, skip it and enjoy the original.    … Expand
  19. Jackermy
    Sep 23, 2020
    4
    I didn't find anything new in this game. The same gameplay, the same strange storyline, the same music. Also, I find a lot of bugs, that I didn't see in the first chapter. This game still is just for fun, but now with attempts o build some kind of a story and connect these two chapters. Also, the problem is random stealth and spawn of NPCs.
    I don't recommend you to play this game. It is    I didn't find anything new in this game. The same gameplay, the same strange storyline, the same music. Also, I find a lot of bugs, that I didn't see in the first chapter. This game still is just for fun, but now with attempts o build some kind of a story and connect these two chapters. Also, the problem is random stealth and spawn of NPCs.
    I don't recommend you to play this game. It is much better to play the first chapter and forget about this series.    … Expand
  20. bigsilverhotdog
    May 4, 2016
    4
    Hotline Miami was great because of the complex and dynamic action gameplay based on improvised violence. The levels were claustrophobic and you needed surprise on your side. Things happened quickly, your reflexes had to be perfect, and if you wanted to get a high score (I've got top 100 global on every level of HM1) you had to perfect a strategy and then execute it (haha). There were someHotline Miami was great because of the complex and dynamic action gameplay based on improvised violence. The levels were claustrophobic and you needed surprise on your side. Things happened quickly, your reflexes had to be perfect, and if you wanted to get a high score (I've got top 100 global on every level of HM1) you had to perfect a strategy and then execute it (haha). There were some AI bugs, engine weaknesses (the pickup delay after executions was just unforgivable), and other minor complaints, but the core gameplay was truly excellent.

    Hotline Miami 2 takes most of that gameplay away and throws long linear hallways and endless large rooms of windows at you, along with more offscreen gun enemies 'shooting you before you can see them' than you can shake a stick at. Less melee weapons, less guns, less variation with FAR more emphasis on drawn out gun battles, and more bugs. Even the AI is worse, somehow. The maps are poorly designed, huge, with open spaces galore, and packed with massive amounts of enemies. The combo system has been revamped for the worse. The controls are sluggish, and the game feels far less smooth. Overall the gameplay is worse and more limited in every single area.

    Hotline Miami 2 is the end result of a developer unaware of what made his first game a success. People didn't buy it because of the marginally interesting story. They didn't buy it because the developer was a cult of personality. They bought it because it had highly refined core gameplay with violence, violence, and more violence. It's not even an action game at its best: it's a puzzle game.

    "How can I hit those two guys in that room and still combo the guy way in the back?"

    Which guy needs to die last, and how to kill him, to drag this 12x combo upstairs..."

    And so on.

    The pacing and gameplay of Hotline Miami 2 simply isn't rewarding or enjoyable at all. The game feels bad, and it plays bad. It's less game than HM1, and that's just pathetic. A huge, huge disappointment.    … Expand
  21. StarkAgentos
    Feb 25, 2022
    4
    Точь в точь, как первая часть, без каких-либо изменений. Разве что вторая часть не такая сложная, как первая, но всё равно это непроходимо.

Awards & Rankings

30
#30 Most Discussed PC Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 67 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 40 out of 67
  2. Mixed: 23 out of 67
  3. Negative: 4 out of 67
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    May 13, 2015
    84
    Dark, violent, thought-provoking and powerful. Although satisfying, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is not the masterpiece its predecessor was. [Apr 2015]
  2. Gaming Age
    May 8, 2015
    42
    Dennation had a hit. It was dumb, it was violent, it was addictive. What it wasn’t, was mean. It wasn’t punishing. It wasn’t gross. By trying to go further, and bigger, and better, Dennation spoiled a winning recipe
    Read full review
  3. Games Master UK
    May 6, 2015
    83
    '80s style and sociopathic stealth return in the bitingly hard, brilliant-but-unfocused sequel. [May 2015, p.56]
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