Following in the footsteps of its predecessor, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number capitalizes on the strongest aspects of the original game and welcomes new mechanics, new characters, new weapons, and a deeper story that aims to directly teach the player a cryptic lesson about morality, consequences, and the concept of Cause & Effect through its characters' interactions. Hotline 2 is more of the same with explosive (sometimes literally!), fast-paced, incredibly-challenging gameplay mixed with blood & guts galore. As a bonus, the game received an online-friendly level editor that encourages players to keep playing long after they've run through both the game's story mode difficulties (Oh yes, there is now a Hard Mode for people who found the game's normal mode "Too easy").

There are few drawbacks to this game, but said drawbacks are noticeable. Sometimes, the player may encounter a spawning glitch at any point of any given level that either traps them in an inescapable loop of deaths and respawns, prevents them from obtaining something they need to progress, or causes an enemy to run far outside the level's boundary lines, rendering the level impossible to complete. Additionally, players may find themselves hindered by the game's way of handling weapon pick-ups when there are multiple weapons lying in close proximity. For example, if you kill two enemies (one holding a bat or pipe and the other holding a shotgun) and the weapons are next to each other, then depending on the enemy you killed first, you will ALWAYS pick up that enemy's weapon. So in essence, if you killed the guy with the bat first, then the shotgun guy and you want the shotgun, you're forced to pick up the bat and throw it away to get the shotgun. This is often the case in levels with a lot of enemies and consequently, the result of many player deaths. This issue was prevalent in the previous game as well and evidently, did not receive an alternative.

To conclude, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is an excellent addition to the Hotline series and offers a lot in replay value, challenge, and investment that will have players coming back for more... if they haven't been discouraged by the amount of times the "You're Dead, Press A to Restart" has graced their vision.

Following in the footsteps of its predecessor, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number capitalizes on the strongest aspects of the original game and welcomes new mechanics, new characters, new weapons, and a deeper story that aims to directly teach the player a cryptic lesson about morality, consequences, and the concept of Cause & Effect through its characters' interactions. Hotline 2 is more of the same with explosive (sometimes literally!), fast-paced, incredibly-challenging gameplay mixed with blood & guts galore. As a bonus, the game received an online-friendly level editor that encourages players to keep playing long after they've run through both the game's story mode difficulties (Oh yes, there is now a Hard Mode for people who found the game's normal mode "Too easy"). There are few drawbacks to this game, but said drawbacks are noticeable. Sometimes, the player may encounter a spawning glitch at any point of any given level that either traps them in an inescapable loop of deaths and respawns, prevents them from obtaining something they need to progress, or causes an enemy to run far outside the level's boundary lines, rendering the level impossible to complete. Additionally, players may find themselves hindered by the game's way of handling weapon pick-ups when there are multiple weapons lying in close proximity. For example, if you kill two enemies (one holding a bat or pipe and the other holding a shotgun) and the weapons are next to each other, then depending on the enemy you killed first, you will ALWAYS pick up that enemy's weapon. So in essence, if you killed the guy with the bat first, then the shotgun guy and you want the shotgun, you're forced to pick up the bat and throw it away to get the shotgun. This is often the case in levels with a lot of enemies and consequently, the result of many player deaths. This issue was prevalent in the previous game as well and evidently, did not receive an alternative. To conclude, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is an excellent addition to the Hotline series and offers a lot in replay value, challenge, and investment that will have players coming back for more... if they haven't been discouraged by the amount of times the "You're Dead, Press A to Restart" has graced their vision.