20 Best Video Game Opening Levels Of The Last 10 Years

12. Getting A Feel For It - Hotline Miami

Hotline Miami exceeds in being that perfect bridge between old-school video games (where cinematics, character work and anything non-arcadey didn't exist), and having a worthwhile message, plot revelations and an inherent mystery to keep you going. All of that comes after the initial premise though, which sees a trio of masked characters berate you for not being able to remember 'what you did'.

From here you get a vaguely motivation message motioning you towards leaving your house, only to end up getting lost in the thrill of the night. The dark synthwave beats back your first kill, your first neck-snap, the first time you dodge a bullet and retaliate by slamming a foe's head repeatedly into the concrete.

You realise you like the feel of it, the speed and the relentlessness. The soundtrack only gets faster, the beats only come with more weight. Suddenly you're figuring out new ways to chain attacks and wipe out entire rooms in a blur of blood and broken bones.

Then it stops. The music ceases, and you go back to your car. A homeless man berates you for wandering in a haze. You kill him too. You throw up from the rush... but then you load up the next level and go again.