I had pretty high expectations for this game and it mostly delivered. The gameplay itself is pretty basic: movement is done by double clicking a place on the screen and combat has only two buttons (attack or block). Most of the odd controls are due to the game being an iOS port, but beyond the odd phrasing of the tutorial the controls are pretty decent. The game gets better when it starts giving you puzzles: early on you unlock the power to "sing" and can interact with the environment to progress. Mostly this boils down to clicking on the screen like a maniac until you figure out the order of things to press but there are few times where the game actually surprises you beyond the cookie-cutter puzzles that are introduced at the start of the game.

However, the story more than makes up for the decent gameplay. The game presents you with a fairly original fantasy universe where most of the lore is told in the background. Once you finish the first act, you gain access to a device that allows you to see what other characters think about the events going on; this gives more lore and occasionally hints about how to progress. Our universe's lingo mixes in occasionally: words like "upload" find their way into the dialogue and help create a mix of fantasy and contemporary. The game surprised me with its unique sense of humor as well; the game is narrated in first person and this often leads to humorous self-revelations. The game is a visual treat with its stylized and elongated pixel characters and rich backgrounds. Of course the music is also incredible: the game was made with the music in mind and it shows.

The game took me around 4.5 hours, which is decently long for a cheap indie game. It doesn’t lend itself to be replayed, although there are a few easter eggs you may miss on your first run through. The game splits itself into 4 parts; the third part notably takes a whole lunar month to complete (unless you are a cheater). I suggest you follow the game’s recommendation to take a break between acts; it helps break the sometimes repetitive gameplay. Overall, it’s worth the asking price and is for sure a buy if it goes on sale for $5 or less.

This game is no joke. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'VE EVERY CRIED AT SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED IN A VDEO GAME. Since the game is 90% story, I'm not going to spoil anything besides the premise: It's the zombie appocalpyse and you've got to make some hard choices along the way. The Walking Dead is an adventure game in the truest sense, although it leaves the annoying inventory combining mechanic of past adventure games behind. All of the gameplay revolves around choosing dialogue, quick time event button mashing, and sometimes shooting. The minimalistic gameplay sometimes works to the game's advantage in the cases where it gives/takes control away in spots you might not expect it. Go into this game expecting an interactive novel, almost a more linear choose-your-own-adventure and you have an idea of what type of game this is. The game tells a mature story filled with some of the most moraly gray decision making i've had to do in this medium. If you ever get the chance to play this do it, it's 100% worth the time.

What is to be said about this game that hasn't arleady been written? Hotline Miami plays a bit like a top down Super Meatboy. You will glide around alot and you will die alot, but the pleasure you get from beating a level is incredible. You unlock animal masks as you progress and can choose which one to wear at the start of a stage, with each one offering different bonuses. There are plenty of weapons (they spawn randomly in the stage) and you can unlock more the higher your scores are in each level. The game takes place in the late 1980's in Miami, where you recieve messages on your answering machine to go and take down some baddies. What seems like a simple task actually goes much deeper than I imagined, and the story takes some pretty interesting twists and turns. You will get frustrated by this game, but the thrill you get after beating a stage after trying for 30 minutes is unmatched. There is even some replayability in trying to get higher scores, although there are no official leaderboards.

Make sure you stay after the credits!