There is a reason you don’t see many tactical, duck and cover based shooters that use the top-down view point – it doesn’t work well. Ever. It shouldn’t be done. Think about it, how do you know what you can and can’t take cover behind? I guess you could color code things like a paint by number book, but when you look as good as The Hong Kong Massacre does, that takes away half the fun… or all of it by the fourth chapter, but we’ll get there soon enough.

At first glance, this looks like yet another Hotline Miami clone, and the comparisons are warranted, as this game shares a lot with the fan favorite murder sim. The narrative is offered to the player slowly, often out of order like a Tarantino film, piecing together the events of the past few days. This covers the former police detective protagonist who has systematically eliminated high ranking criminals from the Hong Kong underworld that were responsible for his partner’s death. Even if the story follows the familiar revenge scenario we’ve seen countless times before, the strange conversations that occur between the player and the only NPCs that are not murdered as soon as they appear on screen is interesting enough to keep you invested, even if they are not as unnerving as that found in Hotline Miami.

The gameplay borrows heavily from its inspiration, offering top-down shooting where every bullet is fatal… most of the time. With the exception of the overly tedious boss battles (we will circle back to this), every shot is fatal, no matter which party is shooting. Without any lengthy introductions, you’ll be given a pistol along with two abilities that you’ll get to know very well over the course of the next few hours. Or until you snap and uninstall the game, whichever comes first. The first ability should be no stranger to anyone in the gaming community, borrowing heavily from Max Payne and every action game to follow suit in the last 15 years or so, you can slow down time. I know, yawn, boring, we’ve seen this, even on other Hotline Miami clones (i.e. Time Recoil, which I loved). Even if it’s a dated and overused concept, it gives you a short reprieve when the going gets tough, and after the first few levels, the game just about requires this ability to be used as often as possible. The good news is it refills almost instantly, providing you are not actively shooting or using the ability.

Now let’s talk about the second ability – the dodge. I am going to be extremely blunt and not sugar coat this: the dodge ability is a complete and utter failure on every level and should have been left on the cutting room floor. This is stated on one of the loading screens: you can’t get shot in your stupid face if you’re dodging (okay, maybe I embellished this a bit, but I assure you, the game states this quite clearly), but in execution, you’ll die more often than not in the midst of a dive. Why you ask? Well, in the fancy trailers, you see that you can John Woo your ass around the level in the most spectacular of fashions, sliding and jumping over assets, looking almost like John Wick in the process. The thing is, much like taking cover from a top-down perspective, you don’t know what you can or can’t slide or jump onto or over until you try. In some cases, I came across the same type of object that I knew for a fact on previous stages I could slide over while making my guns go bang bang. Instead of ending a few baddies in a stylish manner, I ended up rolling into the oven or whatever cooking utility it was supposed to be, only to get shot on impact by the very jerkfaces I was aiming to take out. If this was a one-time instance, I could let it slide, but it happens again and again. On other occasions, I was treated to being shot from three different directions. No worries, I’ll slide under the gunfire, circle back and make them regret ruining their mother’s lady parts at birth. Fun fact: the protagonist can slide faster than bullets can fly while in slow mo, and if you slide in the same direction the bullet is traveling, chasing it if you will, you can actually eat the bullet from the wrong end, dying in the process. The issues don’t end there, partially because it fails to launch quite often and because you’ll either dodge or slide, each putting a different amount of distance between where you were and where you want to be, making it extremely difficult to plan your next move, often putting you in the line of fire.

The disappointing four enemy types (not counting the bosses) you’ll face come standard with a working dodge ability that seems to have none of the downfalls previously described. The criminal underworld must hire only snipers that would shoot the helmet off of Chris Kyle from five football fields away, because they rarely miss. Even if you’re constantly moving, the thugs seem to know where you’re going before you do. In order to succeed, you’ll need to get the first shot off at any opportunity. While the meager number of enemy types makes it easy to know what weaponry you’re going up against thanks to their color coded ensembles, everything else about them is so random it makes progression feel more like it came from luck than true skill. You can roll through a door into a room with a lone enemy who is facing you, completely oblivious to the fact they are about to eat some lead, only to have their buddy in the next room shoot you through the weak area of a wall. Other enemies will patiently wait for you to make your move, or tactically try to work their way around you, shooting through the level if possible, essentially removing one of my favorite aspects of Hotline Miami in the process – abusing the doors. If you’ve never been on a murderous rampage in Miami, you could use any door to knock down and stun enemies, who would often swarm on you at the slightest hint of a gun being fired. Since the doors, hinges, walls, and everything between can be blown to bits, there will be none of that in Hong Kong, as you’ll have to switch from playing defense to going full Rambo with a daisy chain of lucky rabbits feet.

The story is broken up in days, with each day culminating in a boss battle that plays out the same way each time. You’ll be separated by a wall or gap of sorts, you’ll push your way up the level going from cover to cover, taking pot shots and chipping away at the ridiculously long health bar. Not only will you have to deal with their never ending gunfire, because reloading isn’t a thing in Hong Kong, normal enemies will regularly show up on your side of the level to add additional layers of bull dookie.

Visually, the levels are outstanding and look even better when the various bits and bobbles are blown to pieces by gun fire. The often hilarious rag doll effects when you shoot an enemy, flinging their carcass through a window or wall, leaves a satisfying spray of blood in its wake. The level of detail is astounding, with realistic textures that reflect light in ways that bigger games that don’t use the top-down view point could only dream of. There are some details that obscure enemies here and there, such as the paper lanterns that I mistook as the tan suited baddies, drawing my attention away from the real enemies that were flanking me. Only in tight quarters where literally everything is moving and being blown up, coupled with the various muzzle flashes, bullets, blood, and gore flying does it become too much to take in, often allowing single bullets to get lost in the jumble of pixels, resulting in yet another death. Later levels suffer from similar issues that plagued Hotline Miami 2, with larger areas missing cover for long stretches. The game offers no option to see what’s coming outside of the limited area of view, offering only a vague red arrow showing someone is just out of sight. If the enemies were not precognitive and taking shots at you as soon as they step into frame, this wouldn’t be so tiring. However, the frustration that this causes when the last enemy on the level shoots you from across the map is disheartening to say the least.

There is quite a bit of replay value to be found in this small package. Each of the standard levels has three challenges that can be completed for bragging rights, as well as earning you upgrade tokens that allow you to improve your meager loadout. Aside from the time based challenges, you’ll be tasked with completing each level without the use of slow motion or with 100% accuracy (Pro Tip: use the shotgun for this one). Aside from the accuracy bit, these are extremely difficult and will only be accomplished by the most dedicated. Even if you’re not that great at the game, each level awards an upgrade point for completion.

As I mentioned earlier, you’ll only start with the option to use a pistol, but can pick up any of the dropped guns from the fallen enemies. Once you accumulate a few of the upgrade points, you can unlock and upgrade a SMG, shotgun, or assault rifle. Take it from me, the rifle is the only way to go when it comes to standard progression, and should be upgraded to its fullest as early as possible. Regardless of what tool-o-death you opt for, the gunplay works well, and the small number of options each comes with their own pros and cons. I would have liked to see some melee options or additional firepower offered, because let’s face it, not every situation needs a gun when a trusty baseball bat would do.

When I started The Hong Kong Massacre, I was delighted thinking this would be a decent runner up as a spiritual successor to one of my favorite gaming franchises. Unfortunately, after the first few chapters the game wears out its welcome due to the lackluster dodge mechanic and poor design choices. If you’re a fan of Hotline Miami, you’ll probably find some joy in the murder spree for the first few chapters, but once you start racking up 86 deaths on single levels, you’ll likely be ready to don your chicken mask and opt for something a little more neon.

6 out of 10

Pros

• Great Gunplay
• Amazing Visuals
• Realistic Destruction Engine

Cons

• Punishingly Difficult
• Dodge Ability
• Occasionally Too Busy

The Hong Kong Massacre was developed and published by VRESKI. It is available for PC and PS4. The game was provided to us for review on PS4. If you’d like to see more of The Hong Kong Massacre , check out the official website.

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