After diving into Hotline Miami earlier, I was instantly captivated. Hours melted away in a single session, driven by the gripping story and the urge to answer every mysterious phone call to progress through each chapter. Reaching the intense boss chapter, ‘Showdown’, and watching the credits roll was a satisfying culmination of the initial playthrough as Jacket.
Eager to continue, I immediately jumped into the next chapter, stepping into the shoes of Biker. This was the same character Jacket confronts earlier, the one hacking into computers, seeking answers about the cryptic phone messages. The first level as Biker throws you right into a Chinese shop, and the action begins. Engaging enemies, I quickly noticed something was different: Biker couldn’t pick up enemy weapons. Initially, I thought this was a quirk of the level design, specific to Biker’s introduction. Completing the level and returning to Biker’s apartment for another enigmatic phone call, the next level started, again with Biker equipped only with 3 Throwing Cleavers.
Confused, I paused the game and sought answers online, landing on the Hotline Miami IGN wiki. It was there I confirmed that Biker is intentionally restricted from picking up weapons. This wasn’t a temporary level constraint; it was a fundamental gameplay change for this entire character playthrough.
Realizing this, my initial enthusiasm waned. While I understand the developers might have aimed to increase the difficulty, a common approach in second playthroughs of many games, this felt less like a challenge and more like a misguided design choice. Removing a core mechanic – the vast arsenal of weapons that are central to Hotline Miami’s gameplay – felt like a significant step backward. The diverse weapon list is a major part of what makes Hotline Miami so engaging and replayable. To suddenly limit Biker to just cleavers felt incredibly restrictive and, frankly, diminished my desire to continue playing as this character.
It’s a design decision I struggle to comprehend. So, I turn to the community: Do you believe removing weapon pickups for the Biker playthrough in Hotline Miami was a foolish move? Was this a step too far in increasing difficulty, ultimately hindering player enjoyment?
