Every minute of Hotline Miami was tense, adrenaline-fueled, and mechanically very rewarding. I do not mean to say it was a bad game, far from it. The game may have not had the same effect on the majority of gamers, but I felt uncomfortable with the whole experience. This can make you impatient and eventually snap, trying to run through the hallways swinging at everything, but more often than not this is the least successful route. The levels are designed to place you in narrow corridors with many options and many dangers, so you will die time and time again in pursuit of the most effective strategy. One hit from anything will kill you, be it bullet or bat. Unlike other games where you can take on an army of aliens or police officers single-handedly, you areвЂ¦ human. The gameplay itself is just as unnerving. Even the story becomes unsettling as your reality unwinds and you begin seeing things differently. The only thingВ accompanyingВ the music is the crunching of bones and the sounds of gunfire. At best the soundtrack features typical club music, but at times it can be unnerving, as if it were composed for a David Lynch film. The level rotates back and forth as you play ever so slightly, with a dull background that is constantly changing colors. Even being fully in control of the game, you can begin to feelВ nauseousВ from the whole experience. In my opinion, Hotline Miami does not encourage violence. Once again video games are being tested as a scapegoat for real world violence, so how does one of the most aggressive games manage to be so unashamedly visceral? Bodies are visibly mutilated, blood splatter is everywhere, and since you die fairly quickly you can guarantee that you will have to kill the same enemies over and over again. If done successfully, each level only takes a few minutes, but it sticks with you. As a game, it is nasty, brutish, and short. Hotline Miami chooses to revel in this feedback and uses it to alienate the player. Death and violence are important not to encourage further violence, but to show progress. It isnвЂ™t necessary to go over the top with character reactions, but there should be some sort of indication for the player that he or she is succeeding. Most would be frustrated, why even bother playing if the game wonвЂ™t make some sort of show of your achievement? The player is rewarded for successfully mastering the gameвЂ™s mechanics, and the easiest way to do this is by having your opponent show damage. Imagine spending days continuously trying to beat Mike Tyson, just for him to unceremoniously disappear upon defeat, leaving you with an empty ring. Mike TysonвЂ™s Punch Out would be much less engaging if the characters did not recoil from your blows, or if your opponents didnвЂ™t start to show some signs of defeat over time. In order for the gamer to be absorbed in the game, there has to be feedback for his or her actions. Feedback is the most crucial components for nearly every game.

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