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''Hotline Miami'' is a 2012
top-down shooter Top-down may refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Top Down", a 2007 song by Swizz Beatz * "Top Down", a song by Lil Yachty from ''Lil Boat 3'' * "Top Down", a song by Fifth Harmony from '' Reflection'' * "Topdown", a song by Channel Tres from th ...
game developed by Dennaton Games and published by
Devolver Digital Devolver Digital, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Austin, Texas, specializing in the publishing of indie games. The company was founded in June 2009 by Nigel Lowrie, Harry Miller, Graeme Struthers, Rick Stults, and Mike Wil ...
. Set in Miami in 1989, the game follows an unnamed
silent protagonist In video games, a silent protagonist is a player character who lacks any dialogue for the entire duration of a game, with the possible exception of occasional interjections or short phrases. In some games, especially visual novels, this may extend ...
—dubbed Jacket by fans—as he commits massacres against the local
Russian mafia The Russian mafia ( or ), also known as Bratva ( ; ) less as Obshchak (Общак) or Brigades (Бригады) , is a collective of various organized crime related elements originating or/and operating in Russia. In December 2009, Timur ...
. Throughout the game, he is interrogated for his actions and slowly loses his grip on reality. In each level, the player must defeat every enemy through any means necessary. Before each level, the player can choose one of several masks that offer unique abilities. The game was the first commercial release of Dennaton Games, a duo composed of developers
Jonatan Söderström Jonatan Söderström (born 9 October 1985), also known as Cactus, is a Swedish video game developer. He is best-known as the co-designer and programmer of ''Hotline Miami'' (2012) and '' Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number'' (2015), but had prior to th ...
and Dennis Wedin. Using a scrapped prototype Söderström made years prior, they developed ''Hotline Miami'' over the course of nine months. Söderström programmed the game and wrote the narrative, while Wedin designed the graphics. Several artists contributed to the soundtrack, which combines many music styles. ''Hotline Miami'' was released in October 2012 for
Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
, followed by versions for
OS X macOS, previously OS X and originally Mac OS X, is a Unix, Unix-based operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. With ...
,
Linux Linux ( ) is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an kernel (operating system), operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically package manager, pac ...
,
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
, and
PlayStation Vita The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, then in other international territories on February 22, 2012, and was produced ...
in 2013, and a
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
port in 2014. ''Hotline Miami'' received generally positive reviews from critics, who highlighted its gameplay, soundtrack, and atmosphere, though some criticized its controls. The game's themes and storytelling, which advocate an anti-violence message, were also praised. It was nominated for several awards and was a commercial success, selling 1.5 million copies by May 2015. The game has been considered one of the most influential and successful
indie games An indie video game or indie game (short for independent video game) is a video game created by individuals or smaller development teams without the financial and technical support of a large Video game publisher, game publisher, in contrast to ...
ever made, inspiring many developers and contributing to a rise in indie game releases throughout the 2010s; it also contributed to the success of its publisher. It has been frequently considered one of the best video games ever made, and to have one of the best video game soundtracks. A sequel, '' Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number'', was released in March 2015. Both games were re-released as part of the ''Hotline Miami: Collected Edition'' in Japan that same year. Another compilation, the ''Hotline Miami Collection'', released for
Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
in August 2019, and was later ported to
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...
, Stadia,
PlayStation 5 The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North ...
and
Xbox Series X/S The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are the fourth generation of consoles in the Xbox series, succeeding the previous generation's Xbox One. Released on November 10, 2020, the higher-end Xbox Series X and lower-end Xbox Series S are part o ...
. The series also spawned a
comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...
spinoff and several fan games.


Gameplay

''Hotline Miami'' is a
top-down shooter Top-down may refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Top Down", a 2007 song by Swizz Beatz * "Top Down", a song by Lil Yachty from ''Lil Boat 3'' * "Top Down", a song by Fifth Harmony from '' Reflection'' * "Topdown", a song by Channel Tres from th ...
game. It is set in
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
during the late 1980s, and is divided into nineteen "
chapters Chapter or Chapters may refer to: Books * Chapter (books), a main division of a piece of writing or document * Chapter book, a story book intended for intermediate readers, generally age 7–10 * Chapters (bookstore), Canadian big box bookstore ...
". At the beginning of each chapter, the player character "Jacket" receives a message on his answering machine, instructing him to travel to a different part of Miami and kill all enemies at that location. The player is able to defeat their opponents through a variety of melee and ranged weapons, like crowbars and firearms. The player can also knock out enemies with a door, use them as a human shield, or kick them against the wall. If an enemy is not immediately killed in an attack, the player can perform a specialized attack to finish them off. Later stages have the player take control of a different character, known as the Biker, who can only use knives. The player and enemies can both be felled by a single attack each. To compensate, the player is able to quickly restart the current stage after death, allowing them to rethink their strategy. Different types of enemies appear, such as dogs and boss characters. The enemy AI is inconsistent, with reactions to attacks ranging from responding immediately to doing nothing. The player is awarded points for each enemy they kill, with bonus points awarded based on the method of execution or the number of enemies killed in quick succession. The player has the ability to lock onto an enemy and not have to aim. On the
PlayStation Vita The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, then in other international territories on February 22, 2012, and was produced ...
, the functions of the mouse, including aiming, are shifted over to the
touch screen A touchscreen (or touch screen) is a type of electronic visual display, display that can detect touch input from a user. It consists of both an input device (a touch panel) and an output device (a visual display). The touch panel is typically l ...
, with locking onto enemies requiring the player to touch them on-screen. Before each chapter begins, the player can choose from a variety of animal masks to wear, which grant different abilities. These attributes include the player's finishing moves being sped up and allowing them to see further. At the end of each chapter, the player's total score is tallied and they are given a rating based on their performance. The player's score is further adjusted based on their play style, which is given a classification like "coward" or "sadist". High scores unlock new masks and weapons for the player to use. Achievements are obtained by doing specific challenges such as killing two enemies by throwing one brick at them.


Plot

In April 1989, Jacket receives a message on his answering machine and a package is delivered to his door containing a rooster mask. The package contains instructions advising Jacket to retrieve a briefcase from the Russian mafia at a metro station. After carrying out the mission, Jacket continues to receive messages instructing him to conduct more massacres. After each mission, Jacket visits a store or a restaurant where a man known as Beard meets him and gives away free items such as pizza, films, and alcoholic beverages. During an assault on the estate of a film producer, Jacket rescues a girl and takes her to his apartment, nursing her back to good health and developing a romantic relationship with her. Afterwards, he is visited by three masked personas: Richard, Rasmus, and Don Juan, who question him for his actions. These encounters continue throughout the game. In another assault on a phone company, Jacket finds everybody dead except the Biker, who is trying to access a computer, and the two fight to the death. As Jacket's attacks continue, his perception of reality becomes increasingly more surreal. Talking corpses begin appearing at Beard's places of work until Beard himself abruptly dies, being replaced by a bald man named Richter that offers Jacket nothing. After coming home one night, Jacket discovers his girlfriend murdered by Richter, who shoots Jacket and places him into a coma. In one final encounter, Richard tells Jacket that he will "never see the full picture" and tells him that he was reliving the events of the past two months while comatose. After waking up, Jacket overhears that Richter has been arrested, and escapes the hospital in search of him. Jacket storms Miami police headquarters, killing almost everyone inside and confronts Richter, who he discovers had also been receiving messages. Jacket spares his life and steals the file on the police investigations of the killings before heading to a nightclub to where the calls were tracked, killing everyone there as well. He then goes to the Russian Mafia headquarters and confronts both leaders of the syndicate. After Jacket injures him and kills his personal bodyguard, one of the leaders "spares him the pleasure" and commits suicide. When Jacket confronts the other, he contemplates the things he did and allows Jacket to kill him without resistance. Afterwards, Jacket walks out onto a balcony and lights a cigarette, and throws a photo off of the balcony. After completing the levels centered around Jacket, the player unlocks an epilogue centered around the Biker. Similarly to Jacket, the Biker has been receiving messages on his answering machine, and is dedicated to finding their source. After the encounter with Jacket depicted earlier and various interrogations, he finds the source of the messages to be 50 Blessings, a group operated by two janitors that attempt to undermine an "anti-American" alliance between the Soviet Union and the United States by telling their operatives to massacre Russians. The game features two endings, with the full ending requiring the player to find puzzle pieces scattered throughout the game to crack 50 Blessings' password. If the player cracks the password, the Biker uncovers their secrets and political agenda. Without the password, the Biker is mocked and fails to discover the truth. In both endings, the player has the option to either kill or spare the janitors. After this, the Biker departs from Miami.


Development

''Hotline Miami'' was developed by Dennaton Games, a duo composed of designer and programmer
Jonatan Söderström Jonatan Söderström (born 9 October 1985), also known as Cactus, is a Swedish video game developer. He is best-known as the co-designer and programmer of ''Hotline Miami'' (2012) and '' Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number'' (2015), but had prior to th ...
and artist Dennis Wedin. Söderström had previously developed numerous
freeware Freeware is software, often proprietary, that is distributed at no monetary cost to the end user. There is no agreed-upon set of rights, license, or EULA that defines ''freeware'' unambiguously; every publisher defines its own rules for the free ...
indie games, such as the puzzle game ''Tuning'', which won the
Nuovo Award The Nuovo Award or Innovation Award is an award given at the Independent Games Festival (IGF), an annual event that takes place during the Game Developers Conference, one of the largest gatherings of the indie video game industry. The award is g ...
at the
Independent Games Festival The Independent Games Festival (IGF) is an annual festival at the Game Developers Conference (GDC), the largest annual gathering of the independent video game industry. Originally founded in 1998 to promote independent video game developers, ...
in 2010. Many of the projects that he worked on earlier in his career were never completed. Among these was a top-down shooter called ''Super Carnage'', where the goal was to kill as many people as possible. He began work on it in 2004 at the age of 18, but later abandoned it after facing difficulties with developing the AI. Years later, Söderström met Wedin, a singer and keyboard player for
synthpunk Electronic rock (also known as electro rock and synth rock) is a music genre that involves a combination of rock music and electronic music, featuring instruments typically found within both genres. It originates from the late 1960s when rock b ...
band Fucking Werewolf Asso. The two collaborated in making a promotional game for the band, titled ''Keyboard Drumset Fucking Werewolf'', as well as a separate project named ''Life/Death/Island''. As the latter project became too much work for them to handle, it was abandoned. Following the project's failure, the two decided that their next project was going to be a commercial release. Wedin began searching through Söderström's unfinished works, and came across ''Super Carnage''. Seeing potential in the concept after previously playing similar games like '' Gauntlet'' (1985) and ''Chaos Engine'' (1993), the two began developing ''Hotline Miami''. The game was originally titled ''Cocaine Cowboy'', named after the 2006 documentary ''
Cocaine Cowboys ''Cocaine Cowboys'' is a 2006 documentary film directed by Billy Corben, and produced by Alfred Spellman and Billy Corben through their Miami-based media studio Rakontur. The film explores the rise of cocaine dealer Jon Roberts, described by pr ...
''. Throughout development, Söderström posted updates on his Twitter account and blog. The first playable version was created within the first week of development after Söderström assembled the basics of the game, including a temporary soundtrack. It was developed using the
GameMaker GameMaker (originally Animo, Game Maker (until 2011) and GameMaker Studio) is a series of cross-platform game engines created by Mark Overmars in 1999 and developed by YoYo Games since 2007. The latest iteration of ''GameMaker'' was released ...
engine over the course of nine months, with the developers working twelve hours a day, six days a week. Although it was initially planned as a smaller project, it expanded after development studio
Vlambeer Vlambeer is a Dutch independent video game developer based in Utrecht. Founded in 2010, the studio was composed of Rami Ismail and Jan Willem Nijman. The studio is known for the games ''Super Crate Box'' (2010), ''Serious Sam: The Random Encount ...
shared a demo with Devolver Digital, who offered to publish it. Uncertain of whether the game would be successful and working with little to no budget, the team lost and regained motivation repeatedly. In an interview with ''
Edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...
'', Wedin described the development as "fucking hard"; At one point, he was hospitalized for two weeks during development due to depression caused by a breakup. Development difficulties were further fueled by the outdated version of GameMaker that the duo was using, causing compatibility issues with newer operating systems and several bizarre bugs that were reported by playtesters. Among these bugs was one that would cause the game to crash if certain printers were plugged into the player's computer.


Design

In a 2022 interview with Noclip, Wedin stated that they designed ''Hotline Miami'' as a game that they wanted to play, initially being unconcerned with what an average consumer or a critic would think of it. According to him and Söderström, this design process allowed the team to determine what would "fit" the game or be liked by other players, based on whether or not they personally found it fun. In the same interview, the team said they designed the game as an "arcade game first, and a reality simulator second". When designing the AI, the team were conflicted about whether to make it more "believable" or to intentionally make it varied in behavior, but eventually chose the latter. Wedin later stated that they "never wanted to do realistic behavior", and Söderström partially attributed the limitations of GameMaker to the varied behavior of enemies. Some of the mechanics, such as the ability to throw weapons at enemies, were initially coding errors that were turned into proper game mechanics. The levels featuring the Biker were created near the end of development. The plot was inspired by several movies that the team watched before starting development. Among these movies were the works of
David Lynch David Keith Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 16, 2025) was an American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Lynch was often called a "visionary" and received acclaim f ...
, the superhero comedy film '' Kick-Ass'', the ''Cocaine Cowboys'' documentary, and ''
Drive Drive or The Drive may refer to: Motoring * Driving, the act of controlling a vehicle * Road trip, a journey on roads Roadways Roadways called "drives" may include: * Driveway, a private road for local access to structures, abbreviated "drive" * ...
''. ''Drive'' inspired the minimal dialogue and critique of violence, leading to the creation of the masked personas and their associated scenes. In a June 2012 post on his personal blog, Söderström said that he wanted the project to have an interesting, but "unintrusive" story that players could skip through if they wanted. Another inspiration was
Gordon Freeman Gordon Freeman is the silent protagonist of the ''Half-Life'' video game series, created by Gabe Newell and designed by Marc Laidlaw of Valve. His first appearance is in ''Half-Life'' (1998). Gordon is depicted as a bespectacled white man f ...
, the silent protagonist of the ''
Half-Life Half-life is a mathematical and scientific description of exponential or gradual decay. Half-life, half life or halflife may also refer to: Film * Half-Life (film), ''Half-Life'' (film), a 2008 independent film by Jennifer Phang * ''Half Life: ...
'' series. Söderström said that Lynch's works were the largest influence. Some of the characters were based on real people, with Beard being based on artist
Niklas Åkerblad Niklas Åkerblad (born 17 April 1983), also known by his pseudonym El Huervo, is a Swedish artist and musician known for his oil paintings, watercolor paintings, and video game art. His portraits are known to be bold and vivid in nature. Åkerbl ...
, a friend of the developers and owner of the apartment in which the two worked, and the janitors being the developers' self-inserts. The graphics were created by Wedin, using pixel art with a high-contrast colour palette. The first assets, a player sprite and an enemy sprite, were created by Wedin during a weekend within the first few days of development. While the team felt the violence could cause controversy, they believed the decision to use pixel art would mitigate any problems. Wedin stated that, while he thought games that used realistic 3D graphics were often singled out when a real-world attack took place, ''Hotline Miami''s graphics kept it "out of the spotlight." When looking for artists to design the box art, the team initially looked for artists who had worked on older horror films. When they were unable to agree on who should design it, Åkerblad offered to create the box art himself, and made it in about three days.


Music

Creating ''Hotline Miami''s soundtrack was a focus of the developers, wanting to create a soundtrack that sounded like a film soundtrack, rather than one from a video game. After failing to obtain the licenses for a temporary soundtrack they put together early in development, the team began searching
Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online music distribution platform founded in 2008 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with an office and record store in Oakland, California. Acquired by Epic ...
for tracks that were free to download; according to Söderström, the team listened to up to two thousand tracks. Some artists, such as M.O.O.N., were found through this process, while another artist, Scattle, contacted Dennaton themselves after seeing blog posts of the development. Tracks from M.O.O.N. were directly added to the game, while Scattle was tasked with composing original music specifically for the game using
Renoise Renoise is a digital audio workstation (DAW) based upon the heritage and development of tracker software. Its primary use is the composition of music using sound samples, soft synths, and effects plug-ins. It is also able to interface with MID ...
. Other artists featured in the game include Coconuts,
Sun Araw Cameron Stallones, better known as Sun Araw, is an American musician. Previously a member of the band Magic Lantern, he has released several albums of experimental music, including a collaboration with Jamaican reggae group The Congos. He has als ...
,
Perturbator James Kent (born 1993), known by his stage name Perturbator, is a French synthwave musician from Paris. His parents are British music critic Nick Kent, and French music journalist, Laurence Romance. Biography Kent has a background as a guitaris ...
, and Åkerblad. The final soundtrack consists of 22 tracks of several different styles, ranging from those that primarily use bass and drums like "Hydrogen", to more up-beat pop tracks such as "Miami Disco" by Perturbator.


Release

''Hotline Miami'' was first announced through Söderström's personal blog on 3 July 2012. A teaser trailer was also released at the same time. It was later showcased at the A Maze Indie Connect festival, and again later at a
Rezzed EGX (previously named Eurogamer Expo) is trade fair for video games organised by ReedPop (and previously Gamer Network), and held annually in the United Kingdom. History The first Eurogamer Expo took place at the Old Truman Brewery as part o ...
exposition in
Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
. The reception at A Maze was mixed, but it was later praised by attendees at Rezzed. It was most played game at Rezzed that year, and won the Game Of The Show award; Tom Bramwell of ''
Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 alongside parent company Gamer Network. In 2008, it started in the formerly eponymous trade fair EGX (Eurogamer Expo until 2013) organised by its parent company. Fr ...
'' described the game as the "best example of the sort of game we invented the show for." For the game's promotion, Dennaton purchased a phone number in the Miami area that allowed people to leave messages that would later be used in a trailer. ''Hotline Miami'' was released on
Steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...
on 23 October 2012. Versions with support for
MacOS macOS, previously OS X and originally Mac OS X, is a Unix, Unix-based operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. With ...
and
Linux Linux ( ) is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an kernel (operating system), operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically package manager, pac ...
were released on 19 March 2013 and 9 September 2013, respectively. In November 2012, an update was released that patched numerous bugs, added support for
gamepad A gamepad is a type of video game controller held in two hands, where the fingers (especially thumbs) are used to provide input. They are typically the main input device for video game consoles. Features Some common additions to the standar ...
s, and made minor graphical and gameplay adjustments. This update also added a bonus level, "Highball", which has no relation to any other level. Around this time, Söderström created numerous patches for pirated versions of ''Hotline Miami'' after several users of
the Pirate Bay The Pirate Bay, commonly abbreviated as TPB, is a free searchable online index of Film, movies, music, video games, Pornographic film, pornography and software. Founded in 2003 by Swedish think tank , The Pirate Bay facilitates the connection ...
reported problems. He wanted players to "experience the game the way it's meant to be experienced", regardless of whether or not they obtained it through legitimate means. The soundtrack was released via Steam in January 2013. A physical release, with all of the tracks pressed across three vinyls, was released in 2016 through Laced Records. It was a limited release, with only 5,000 copies made, and was funded by a
Kickstarter Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...
campaign that raised over $75,000. Versions of ''Hotline Miami'' for
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
and
PlayStation Vita The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, then in other international territories on February 22, 2012, and was produced ...
, ported by Abstraction Games, was released on 25 July 2013 in North America, and a day later in Europe. These releases supported
cross-buy Cross-buy is a feature of some digital distribution systems available across multiple device platforms, where users who purchase a license to a specific piece of software are able to use the versions of the software for different device classes at ...
, allowing players who purchased the game on one platform to receive it on the other. These ports also added a bonus mask and leaderboards. A version for
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
, also supporting cross-buy, was released on 19 August 2014. A Japan-localized compilation, featuring ''Hotline Miami'' alongside its sequel '' Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number'' (2015), titled ''Hotline Miami: Collected Edition'', was released in June 2015. On 19 August 2019, ''Hotline Miami'' and ''Hotline Miami 2'' were re-released as part of the ''Hotline Miami Collection'' for
Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
. The ''Hotline Miami Collection'' was later ported to
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...
and Stadia on 7 April and 22 September 2020 respectively, and
PlayStation 5 The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North ...
and
Xbox Series X/S The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are the fourth generation of consoles in the Xbox series, succeeding the previous generation's Xbox One. Released on November 10, 2020, the higher-end Xbox Series X and lower-end Xbox Series S are part o ...
on 23 October 2023.


Reception

''Hotline Miami'' received generally positive reviews from critics. On review aggregator
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, the game holds an aggregate score of 85 per cent based on 51 reviews for the PC version, 87 per cent based on 19 reviews for the PlayStation 3 version, and 85 per cent based on 27 reviews for the PlayStation Vita version. Several reviewers praised the gameplay. Many found the game enjoyable, considering it addictive despite frequent death. ''Polygon'''s Chris Plante considered it similar to playing a sport, stating that it compensated for being repetitive by allowing the player to restart quickly, and found it addictive. Graham Smith of ''
PC Gamer ''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games m ...
'' wrote that the game was designed to "inspire a fever" and that "once you're hooked, it's easy to get carried away". He also wrote that, even when putting the addictive nature aside, it was still "tight" and "efficient". Phill Cameron of ''VideoGamer.com'' described the game as "five seconds of action that you can lose yourself in for five hours." Danny O'Dwyer of ''
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
'' was indifferent, though he wrote that the times ''Hotline Miami'' did "get it wrong" were "deeply frustrating". He pointed out the boss fights, which he felt had arbitrary methods on how to defeat them. Some criticisms were made towards ''Hotline Miami''s controls, with Ben Reeves of ''
Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'' is an American monthly Video game journalism, video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and video game console, game consoles. It debuted in August 1991, when the video game reta ...
'' writing that the controls inhibited what was otherwise "one of the most creative indie titles of the year." Eric Swain of ''
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...
'' felt that the PlayStation 3 controls made the game easier, and consequentially made players "miss out" on the intended feel. Giancarlo Saldana of ''
GamesRadar+ ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', '' Edge'' and '' Compute ...
'' felt that the controls on the PlayStation 3 took some time to get used to, and that playing it on computer was more ideal, but that players could get used to them. ''Hotline Miami''s narrative was well received, with Reeves describing it as "perfectly
lacing Lace is a lightweight fabric patterned with open holes. Lace(s) may also refer to: Arts and media Films * Lace (1926 film), ''Lace'' (1926 film), a German silent crime film * Lace (1928 film), ''Lace'' (1928 film), a Soviet silent film * Laces ( ...
you inside the mind of a serial killer." Saldana described it as an "introspective journey into the violence of video games", and that it had a "daring narrative style" that gained the attention of players. Plante wrote that game had "more to say about our fascination with violence" than other titles, describing ''Hotline Miami'' as an exceptional game not due to its violence, but because it had a "reason" to be violent. While Smith felt that the narrative was lacking in depth and no justification was given for the violence, he believed that too many other video games offered clichéd reasons for violence, and described it as a "relief". Cameron wrote that the game missed an "opportunity to make a point" and never properly explained why so many people were being killed, instead allowing the player to reflect on themselves. The visual design was also well received, often being discussed alongside ''Hotline Miami''s narrative and sound design. The soundtrack was praised, with several critics highlighting it as one of the best aspects. Reeves described the soundtrack as doing a "phenomenal job", and Saldana felt that it was "executed perfectly". O'Dwyer described it as "outstanding" and fitting well with the visual design, believing that both combined were able to allow the player to look past the flaws. Charles Onyett of ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' wrote that the soundtrack " eshesperfectly" with the rest of the game. ''
Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 alongside parent company Gamer Network. In 2008, it started in the formerly eponymous trade fair EGX (Eurogamer Expo until 2013) organised by its parent company. Fr ...
''s Tom Brawell shared similar thoughts as O'Dwyer and Onyett, feeling that while the soundtrack was less impactful on its own, it tied in well with the other elements.


Sales

''Hotline Miami'' sold over 130,000 units within the first seven weeks of its initial release. By the time the PlayStation 3 version was announced in February 2013, it had sold 300,000 units. According to Anthony John Agnello of ''
Digital Trends Digital Trends is a Portland, Oregon-based tech news, lifestyle, and information website that publishes news, reviews, guides, how-to articles, descriptive videos and podcasts about technology and consumer electronics products. With offices in P ...
'', the commercial success up to that point was the reason Sony wanted ''Hotline Miami'' on the platform, helping the company "maintain its reputation" as a "purveyor" of indie titles after the success of '' Journey''. When ''Hotline Miami'' was released on PlayStation Vita, it became the platform's best selling game of June 2013 within six days, despite releasing near the end of the month. By May 2015, ''Hotline Miami'' had sold over 1.5 million units on all platforms.


Awards

A month before release, ''Hotline Miami'' won the "Most Fantastic" award at the 2012 Fantastic Arcade festival in Austin. At the end of the year, ''Hotline Miami'' was nominated for several awards by ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
''. These included "Best Overall Game", "Best PC Action Game", "Best PC Story", "Best PC Game", "Best Overall Action Game", and "Best Overall Music". It won the award for "Best PC Sound". ''
PC Gamer ''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games m ...
'' gave ''Hotline Miami'' its "The Best Music of the Year 2012" award. At the 2012
Machinima Machinima () is the use of Real-time computing, real-time computer graphics engines to create a cinematic production. The word "Machinima" is a portmanteau of the words ''machine'' and ''Film, cinema''. According to Guinness World Records, ma ...
's Inside Gaming Awards, it received the "Most Original Game" award. It was nominated for several awards at the
Independent Games Festival The Independent Games Festival (IGF) is an annual festival at the Game Developers Conference (GDC), the largest annual gathering of the independent video game industry. Originally founded in 1998 to promote independent video game developers, ...
in 2013, including the
Seumas McNally Grand Prize The Seumas McNally Grand Prize is the main award given at the Independent Games Festival (IGF), an annual event that takes place during the Game Developers Conference, one of the largest gatherings of the indie video game industry. It was first aw ...
, as well as the Excellence in Audio and Excellence in Design awards. Several publications considered ''Hotline Miami'' to be one of the best games released in 2012. These publications include ''
Kill Screen Since the origin of video games in the early 1970s, the video game industry, the players, and surrounding culture have spawned a wide range of technical and slang terms. 0–9 A ...
'', ''
Paste Paste is a term for any very thick viscous fluid. It may refer to: Science and technology * Adhesive or paste ** Wallpaper paste ** Wheatpaste, a liquid adhesive made from vegetable starch and water * Paste (rheology), a substance that behaves as ...
'', ''
Ars Technica ''Ars Technica'' is a website covering news and opinions in technology, science, politics, and society, created by Ken Fisher and Jon Stokes in 1998. It publishes news, reviews, and guides on issues such as computer hardware and software, sci ...
'', ''
Wired Wired may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''Wired'' (Jeff Beck album), 1976 * ''Wired'' (Hugh Cornwell album), 1993 * ''Wired'' (Mallory Knox album), 2017 * "Wired", a song by Prism from their album '' Beat Street'' * "Wired ...
'', ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', and ''
VentureBeat ''VentureBeat'' is an American technology website headquartered in San Francisco, California. ''VentureBeat'' is a tech news source that publishes news, analysis, long-form features, interviews, and videos. The ''VentureBeat'' company was fou ...
''.


Themes and analysis

''Hotline Miami'' advocates an anti-violence message throughout, making the player feel guilt for their in-game massacres. Some found this to be done through the utilization of upbeat music and its score system to motivate the player. As the game is fast-paced, the player may enter a state where they're focused exclusively on their inputs and become desensitized to their actions. ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...
''s Nina Corcoran said that the upbeat soundtrack contributed to this by ratcheting the player's anxiety and increasing their focus, while also desensitizing them to the glorified violence. At the end of each level, the upbeat music is replaced with ambience while the player exits the building, with the remains of enemies scattered across the floor. ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
''s Dom Peppiatt compared ''Hotline Miami''s anti-violence commentary to be similar to ''
A Clockwork Orange ''A Clockwork Orange'' may refer to: * ''A Clockwork Orange'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Anthony Burgess ** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (film), a 1971 film directed by Stanley Kubrick based on the novel *** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (soundtrack), the film ...
'' and ''
American Psycho ''American Psycho'' is a black comedy horror novel by American writer Bret Easton Ellis, published in 1991. The story is told in the First-person narrative, first-person by Patrick Bateman, a wealthy, narcissistic, and vain Manhattan investmen ...
''. He wrote that the game made players think about where the "line between fiction and reality blurs", and made them reconsider the violence present within video games as a whole. Each of the masked personas serve a specific purpose in their encounters. Richard is often inquisitive, Don Juan is generally passive and friendly, while Rasmus is aggressive. They also each have a unique color assigned to them reflecting their personality, with Richard's being yellow, Don Juan's being blue, and Rasmus' being red. Each interrogates the player uniquely; Don Juan's dialogue includes lines like "knowing oneself means acknowledging one's actions," while Richard is more upfront, asking "do you like hurting other people?" Additionally, the masked figures never reveal any details about the identity of Jacket, instead teasing the player directly. The masked figures also foreshadow events in the narrative, such as hinting at the murder of Jacket's girlfriend. Luca Papale and Lorenzo Fazio suggested that the contrasting behaviors of the masked figures may represent dissociative identity disorder in Jacket. Similar thoughts were written by Marco Caracciolo of the
University of Groningen The University of Groningen (abbreviated as UG; , abbreviated as RUG) is a Public university#Continental Europe, public research university of more than 30,000 students in the city of Groningen (city), Groningen, Netherlands. Founded in 1614, th ...
, who said that the masked personas could possibly be "projections of Jacket's disturbed psyche." He additionally wrote that the plot is "destined not to make any sense", citing the behavior of the masked figures as well as the contradictions between the perspectives of Jacket and the Biker. Papale and Fazio considered Jacket to be the first example of a "meta-avatar", a type of character with the ability to cause players to rethink their own actions and cause instability within their identity. This type of character was compared by Papale and Fazio to
Doomguy Doomguy or Doom Slayer is the protagonist of the ''Doom'' franchise by id Software. He was created by American video game designer John Romero and was introduced as the player character in the original 1993 video game ''Doom''. Within the ''Doom' ...
from the ''
DOOM Doom is another name for damnation. Doom may also refer to: People * Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed * Daniel Doom (1934–2020), Belgian cyclist * Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitche ...
'' series and
Lara Croft Lara Croft is a character and the main protagonist of the video game franchise ''Tomb Raider''. She is presented as a highly intelligent and athletic British adventurer and archaeologist who ventures into ancient tombs and hazardous ruins arou ...
from the ''
Tomb Raider ''Tomb Raider'', known as ''Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'' from 2001 to 2008, is a media franchise that originated with an Action-adventure game, action-adventure video game series created by British video game developer Core Design. The franchise i ...
'' series, who were seen as examples of "mask digital prosthesis", referring to the overlapping of identities between a player and a game's protagonist.


Legacy

Retrospective commentary has considered ''Hotline Miami'' to be one of the most influential indie games, as well as one of the most critically and financially successful. Its success inspired many to become video game developers, contributing to a rise in indie game releases throughout the 2010s. Many of these games include similar themes, gameplay mechanics, or music to ''Hotline Miami''. Games influenced by ''Hotline Miami'' continued to be made over a decade after its release, ranging from indie games to ones made by larger, big-budget studios like ''
The Last of Us Part II ''The Last of Us Part II'' is a 2020 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Set four years after '' The Last of Us'' (2013), the game focuses on two playable characters in a post-apo ...
'' (2020). The soundtrack was also influential, helping popularize the
synthwave Synthwave (also called retrowave, or futuresynth) is an electronic music microgenre that is based predominantly on the music associated with the Film score, film soundtracks of action films, science fiction films, and horror films of the 1980s. ...
music genre and leading to the mainstream success of the featured artists. The game contributed to the success of Devolver Digital, which has since become one of the most successful indie game publishers. ''Hotline Miami''s narrative and handling of violence have been considered by many journalists to be influential within the
video game industry The video game industry is the tertiary industry, tertiary and quaternary industry, quaternary sectors of the entertainment industry that specialize in the video game development, development, marketing, distribution (marketing), distribution, ...
, with an impact lasting into the 2020s. In a 2019 retrospective article from ''Vice'''s Cameron Kunzelman, he described ''Hotline Miami''s anti-violence themes as an "emblem of a forgotten regime" alongside other games released at the time like '' Spec Ops: The Line''. He felt that since ''Hotline Miami''s release, more video games had started treating violence as a method of demonstrating "seriousness" without a proper justification. He specifically highlighted a trailer for ''The Last of Us Part II'', as well as how some of ''Hotline Miami''s more serious dialogue had become
internet meme An Internet meme, or meme (, Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''MEEM''), is a cultural item (such as an idea, behavior, or style) that spreads across the Internet, primarily through Social media, social media platforms. Internet memes manif ...
s. He also said that video games were due for "another shift" in how to treat violence. Chris Tapsell of ''Eurogamer'' echoed similar thoughts as Kunzelman in 2024, describing ''Hotline Miami'' as the video game industry's "coming-of-age moment" and a point of self-reflection. In 2023, ''
TechRadar ''TechRadar'' is an online technology publication owned by Future plc. It has editorial teams in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia that provide news and reviews of tech products and gadgets. It was launched in 2008 and expanded t ...
''s Aleksha McLoughlin described ''Hotline Miami'' as the "gold standard" for an indie game. She said it was the best in its sub-genre, with no other games being able to compare to its success. Nina Corcoran of ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...
'' shared similar thoughts, and stated that the game was designed by Dennaton to be "incredibly replayable" several years later. In a 2022 article published by '' The Ringer'', Lewis Gordon described ''Hotline Miami'' as a game that " tretchedthe boundaries" of the video game industry, as one of the more "warmly-regarded" indie games. Christopher Cruz of ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' described ''Hotline Miami'' as a "titan of indie gaming", one with an "impact
hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...
has reached far and wide". The game has also garnered a
cult following A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...
. In the years since its release, ''Hotline Miami'' has often been considered to be one of the best video games ever made by the editorial teams of several magazines and media outlets. These include the teams of ''
GamesRadar+ ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', '' Edge'' and '' Compute ...
'', ''
Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...
'', ''
Hardcore Gaming 101 ''Hardcore Gaming 101'' is an online video game magazine founded by Kurt Kalata in 2004. Kalata established the site after graduating college, when he noticed the overabundance of game strategy guides, and felt that someone should create more boo ...
'', '' Stuff.tv'', ''
Popular Mechanics ''Popular Mechanics'' (often abbreviated as ''PM'' or ''PopMech'') is a magazine of popular science and technology, featuring automotive, home, outdoor, electronics, science, do it yourself, and technology topics. Military topics, aviation an ...
'', ''
GamesTM ''GamesTM'' (styled as ''gamesTM'') was a British multi-format video games magazine. The first issue was released in December 2002 and the magazine was still being published monthly in English and German up until the last edition was published on ...
'', ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'', and ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
''. The game was considered one of the best PC games by the editorial teams of ''
PC Gamer ''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games m ...
'' and ''
Rock, Paper, Shotgun ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' is a British video game journalism website. It was launched in July 2007 to focus on PC games and was acquired by Gamer Network, a network of sites led by ''Eurogamer'', in May 2017. History ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' ...
'', and one of the best PlayStation Vita games by ''
Digital Trends Digital Trends is a Portland, Oregon-based tech news, lifestyle, and information website that publishes news, reviews, guides, how-to articles, descriptive videos and podcasts about technology and consumer electronics products. With offices in P ...
'' and ''
GamesRadar+ ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', '' Edge'' and '' Compute ...
''. It was also listed in the book ''
1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die ''1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die'' is a video game reference book first published in October 2010. It consists of a list of video games released between 1970 and 2013, arranged chronologically by release date. Each entry in the list ...
''. Its soundtrack has received similar praise, with writers from ''
Paste Paste is a term for any very thick viscous fluid. It may refer to: Science and technology * Adhesive or paste ** Wallpaper paste ** Wheatpaste, a liquid adhesive made from vegetable starch and water * Paste (rheology), a substance that behaves as ...
'', ''GameSpot'', ''
PCMag ''PC Magazine'' (shortened as ''PCMag'') is an American computer magazine published by Ziff Davis. A print edition was published from 1982 to January 2009. Publication of online editions started in late 1994 and continues . Overview ''PC Magaz ...
'' and ''
VG247 Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British digital media company based in London. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and ot ...
'' considering ''Hotline Miami''s soundtrack to be one of the best from a video game.


Sequel and franchise

Shortly after the games release, Dennaton began developing
downloadable content content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can be added for no extra cost or as a form of video game monetization, enabling the publisher to gain ad ...
to expand upon its story and add a
level editor A level editor (also known as a map, campaign or scenario editor) is a game development tool used to design Level (video games), levels, maps, campaigns and virtual worlds for a video game. An individual involved with the development of game levels ...
. When the proposed length of the project surpassed that of the main game, it became its own standalone game. Announced ten days after the release of ''Hotline Miami'','''' '' Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number'' was released on 10 March 2015. The game expanded upon the universe of the original, introducing new characters and focusing on the background and aftermath of Jacket's massacres. It also served as the conclusion of the series' story. Due to differences in gameplay and level design, ''Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number'' was not received as well as the first game. Both games were included in the ''Hotline Miami Collection'', which was first released in August 2019. As of 2022, both games in the series have sold over five million units combined across several platforms. An eight-part comic book series based on the series, ''Hotline Miami: Wildlife'', was announced in 2016. Released digitally over the course of several months, it follows a protagonist named Chris and depicts events not considered
canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...
to the main ''Hotline Miami'' story. A parody, "''Hotline Milwaukee''", is included in '' Devolver Bootleg'', a 2019 compilation of parodies of numerous games published by Devolver Digital. Jacket has appeared as a playable character in other games, such as ''
Payday 2 ''Payday 2'' is a Cooperative video game, cooperative first-person shooter video game developed by Overkill Software and published by 505 Games. The game is a sequel to 2011's ''Payday: The Heist''. It was released in August 2013 for Microsoft Wi ...
'' and''
Dead Cells ''Dead Cells'' is a 2018 roguelike-Metroidvania game developed by Motion Twin and Evil Empire (company), Evil Empire, and published by Motion Twin. The player takes the role of an amorphous creature called the Prisoner. As the Prisoner, the pla ...
''. Several
fan game A fan game is a video game that is created by fans of a certain topic or IP. They are usually based on one, or in some cases several, video game entries or franchises. Many fan games attempt to clone or remake the original game's design, game ...
s based on the series have been created, often incorporating elements from other games such as ''
Team Fortress 2 ''Team Fortress 2'' (''TF2'') is a Multiplayer video game, multiplayer first-person shooter game developed and published by Valve Corporation in 2007. It is the sequel to the 1996 ''Team Fortress'' Mod (video gaming), mod for ''Quake (video g ...
'' and ''
Half-Life Half-life is a mathematical and scientific description of exponential or gradual decay. Half-life, half life or halflife may also refer to: Film * Half-Life (film), ''Half-Life'' (film), a 2008 independent film by Jennifer Phang * ''Half Life: ...
''. Among these was '' Midnight Animal'', a fan game that would have incorporated elements from the ''
Persona A persona (plural personae or personas) is a strategic mask of identity in public, the public image of one's personality, the social role that one adopts, or simply a fictional Character (arts), character. It is also considered "an intermediary ...
'' series, but was cancelled by 2019.


Notes


References


Sources

* * * * *


External links

* {{Authority control Hotline Miami 2012 video games Abstraction Games games Action games Alternate history video games Android (operating system) games Dennaton Games games Devolver Digital games GameMaker games Indie games Linux games MacOS games Neo-noir video games Nintendo Switch games Organized crime video games PhyreEngine games PlayStation 3 games PlayStation 4 games PlayStation 5 games PlayStation Network games PlayStation Vita games Psychological thriller video games Single-player video games Stadia games Top-down video games Video games adapted into comics Video games developed by Jonatan Söderström Video games developed in Sweden Video games set in 1989 Video games set in Florida Video games set in Miami Windows games Works about the Russian Mafia Xbox One games Xbox Series X and Series S games