Think of a genre like Metroidvania. Neither Super Metroid nor Symphony of the Night gave birth to the larger genre of 2D action/adventure games with an exploration focus, but they both created a successful template that was distinct enough for countless games to take inspiration from it for many years afterward. With so many games being made in this style that was directly attributable to these two progenitors, it eventually became appropriate to label it a subgenre unto itself. Thus, Metroidvania was born.
Hotline Miami's memorable aesthetics have been very influential on their own.
At this point I think that Hotline Miami is in a similar position, where it's very common to see games referred to as Hotline Miami-esque or Hotline Miami-inspired. It's usually games that possess some number of these elements that Hotline Miami brought to the table in its very distinctive way:
Hotline Miami and its sequel were games that were so consistent and confident with their unique design language that they gave other indie devs a template on how to make a stylish, punchy action game with a memorable aesthetic on a lower budget. As I said before, saying that a game is Hotline Miami-esque has become so common in reviews for these types of games that I feel it's time to give this genre a name.
Katana Zero took the Hotline formula and applied it to a side-scrolling action game.
I was listening to a recent HG101 podcast about Katana Zero in which one of the hosts dubbed the genre Superhotline, using a portmanteau between Superhot and Hotline Miami to describe these room-by-room, quick-restart violent action arcade games. I think that's a good start, but I think we can do better.
Hotline Miami's memorable aesthetics have been very influential on their own.
At this point I think that Hotline Miami is in a similar position, where it's very common to see games referred to as Hotline Miami-esque or Hotline Miami-inspired. It's usually games that possess some number of these elements that Hotline Miami brought to the table in its very distinctive way:
- Fast-paced action where death is dealt and received quickly in equal measure and restarts are instantaneous to keep the flow going despite failure. This design sensibility is similar to what you'd see in masocore platformers, but Hotline Miami applied it to top-down action to great success.
- 80's-inspired audiovisual trappings, typically complete with hallucinogenic or VHS degradation-style visual effects to convey a trippy analog vibe. The use of Vaporwave, Synthwave, or other offshoots of those genres also often accompanies games like these, clearly taking a page from Hotline Miami's playbook.
- Punchy, arcadey violence. Hotline Miami came onto the scene guns blazing and unafraid to shock players with its unflinching violence, which was stylized by its retro visual aesthetic as to take some of the edge off of the otherwise grisly proceedings. The violence is conveyed through simple, fast gameplay that rewards on-the-fly adaptation and quick reaction times, which ties back into the arcade-inspired design of the core gameplay. This has become an increasingly popular format for indie games in a post-Hotline Miami landscape.
Hotline Miami and its sequel were games that were so consistent and confident with their unique design language that they gave other indie devs a template on how to make a stylish, punchy action game with a memorable aesthetic on a lower budget. As I said before, saying that a game is Hotline Miami-esque has become so common in reviews for these types of games that I feel it's time to give this genre a name.
Katana Zero took the Hotline formula and applied it to a side-scrolling action game.
I was listening to a recent HG101 podcast about Katana Zero in which one of the hosts dubbed the genre Superhotline, using a portmanteau between Superhot and Hotline Miami to describe these room-by-room, quick-restart violent action arcade games. I think that's a good start, but I think we can do better.
