3/5 ★ – DrippyHippy's review of Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number.

This really pains me to say but I personally think that Hotline Miami 2 is just okay to decent at best. The difficulty gap between this game and its predecessor is nuts. Hotline Miami 1 was pretty difficult on its own but this game is in a league of its own. And while it may not seem like that big of a deal at first, as the levels go on, you soon start to realize that the level design is just straight up bullshit. Not only that, but you can’t even choose masks anymore, which was one of the best parts about the first game. I usually used the Tony mask in Hotline Miami 1 which had the ability of Lethal Fists and it was so much fun but in this game, it got nerfed and can only be used in like 1 or 2 levels. And I get it, the story is much more present in this game which is why you can’t choose masks but when the story is still confusing as all hell, it creates a loss on both ends. Now, I obviously don’t hate this game. It’s still got the insanely addictive gameplay along with a killer soundtrack and badass characters. This is why I have the game at a 3 stars because at the end of the day, it’s just more Hotline Miami, which I’ll always be down for. Overall, while Hotline Miami 2 still maintains most of the best parts in the first game, it’s confusing story, bullshit level design, and lack of gameplay variety (masks) brings it down a whole lot. If you liked the first game, I’d still probably recommend this game, but not without hesitation.