Review of Hotline Miami

Best indie game of all time, as in it does what it sets out to do without flaw. Gameplay is overhead action at its finest, and deceivingly simple, since it only uses 3 buttons. It also has a lot of depth story-wise, with a plot that genuinely surprised me, making it also deceivingly simple in that respect. Even the (spoiler) level Trauma is well done, despite being frequently criticized. It works because of it has purpose, and breaks up the game play slightly. Another thing this game does well, maybe even the best, is the whole descent into madness angle. The only two things I can think of that may turn people off are the difficulty and the gore/presentation. Even though this game is stylized, it is very graphic with its violence. The style, difficulty, craziness narrative, and gore all play into the game's somewhat subtle social commentary on games and the media in general, sort of along the lines of the phenomenal new Spec Ops, but unlike The Line, HM isn't as in your face and obvious about it, despite the components of the theme being right in front of you. And do I seriously need to mention the soundtrack? 10/10, one of the greatest games of all time. My 2012 GOTY.