Players assume the role of “The Dragon”, a kamishimo wearing Katana wielding killer for hire. A worthy successor to Hotline Miami, and a near flawless experience in its own right. I genuinely never thought it could be matched. Seven years later and, for me, Hotline Miami still serves as the template for cool games to be based upon. Simultaneously weak but aggressively dangerous, a genuine force of blood spilling destruction.
KATANA ZERO DRAGON SERIES
The thrill of overcoming overwhelming odds, massacring your way through a series of tightly designed rooms, painfully aware of the one-hit death that awaits you at any given moment. The speed in which your masked protagonist zips from room to room, avoiding bullets and out manoeuvring enemies in order to get the upper hand. The crunch of smashing an enemy’s skull with a baseball bat. Its thumping synthwave soundtrack and abrasive, colourful visuals may be the elements that have stuck with players in the seven years since its release but it can’t be understated how Hotline Miami feels to play. It’s as much about allowing the player to do cool things as it is about building a cool world (not that kind of Cool World) or creating a distinct audio and visual style. Fuck off.Įvoking cool in a video game is a subtle art form. Tim wears a leather jacket and smokes menthols. If you force it, it’s obvious, and no one actually cool wants to let on that they’re actively trying to be cool. Most games attempt to be cool like Cal (lovely Cal) but it’s a hard thing to get right. The digital equivalent of your mate Cal, who wears 80’s band t-shirts underneath vintage chequered shirts, skinny jeans and grey combat boots. Games that feel effortlessly sure of themselves. There’s very few games I’ve played that I would describe as genuinely cool.
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