Trying to describe Hotline Miami's in-the-moment gameplay is like attempting to put words to driving at 100mph, leaping out a plane hurtling through the sky - or snagging the last kill in an online deathmatch as the closing seconds are counting down. It's a needle of straight adrenaline to your most prudent vein, a bright combination of gorgeous colours, a custom pressure switch synching up your reflex actions to your most pleasurable cortex. In short, it's gaming perfected, one of the most ludicrously fun executions on an already brilliant premise (mass-murdering gang-slaughterer ventures out into the night to kill evildoers in their droves), and something that the sequel bolstered with one of the best stories of the year. Top-down shooting is the order of the day, and as Hotline's second outing controls exactly the same as its predecessor it's down to the electro-infused soundtrack to power you through more gangster-filled hideouts, the story indulging in multiple characters all converging at various points as the tale of the first game's killer effects both the media and society itself. Considering the whole thing was essentially put together by a team of two people - Jonatan Söderström and Dennis Wedin - it's remarkable to drink in just how much an influence they've had on the indie scene, before realising their latest release is one of the finest yet.
