Hotline Miami

   I remember playing through the Hotline Miami duology on PlayStation Vita, and when taken as a single, complete story, I must say both games left a lasting impression on me. They are, without a doubt, excellent in their own right.

   However, today I want to talk about how Hotline Miami felt to me on Steam Deck, revisiting the game on a different platform and experiencing its brutal, fast-paced action in a portable and powerful format. The handheld’s smooth performance and responsive controls make every violent encounter feel even more immediate and intense, bringing a new level of immersion to an already gripping experience.

   One of the strongest aspects of Hotline Miami is its story, which pulls you in with a sense of suspense and danger. From the very beginning, you are thrown into a world that feels both surreal and menacing. You wake up, start your day, and then—without much explanation—receive a cryptic phone call. A seemingly innocent message, disguised as an everyday request, gives you an address and an implied mission. There’s no need for clarification; the tone makes it clear. You are expected to go there and "solve the problem"—and the only way to do that is through sheer, unrelenting violence.

   The game’s pixel art style plays a crucial role in its identity. At first glance, its vibrant neon colors and retro aesthetic might make it seem like a love letter to classic arcade games. However, beneath this stylish façade lies a world drenched in blood and chaos. The contrast is striking: bright pinks, blues, and greens fill the screen, pulsating in rhythm with the pounding electronic soundtrack, while each room you enter quickly becomes a gruesome crime scene. Enemies collapse in pools of blood, their pixelated bodies twitching on the floor, yet the game never lingers on the horror—it pushes you forward, forcing you to act fast, to keep moving, to embrace the madness.

   Between each chapter, the game offers brief moments of respite, but they only serve to make the experience feel even more unnerving. You find yourself inside small establishments—a convenience store, a bar, a video rental shop—where the friendly cashier always greets you with a smile and a casual remark about the day. But something feels off. No matter where you go, it’s always the same person, staring at you with an unsettling familiarity. At first, it seems like a simple stylistic choice, but as the game progresses, these interludes become increasingly strange and disorienting.

   The deeper you go, the more the lines between reality and hallucination begin to blur. The brutality of your actions starts to take its toll—not just on the world around you, but on your own perception of it. The once-clear environments distort, the faces you encounter seem to shift unnaturally, and the world that once felt structured now feels like a fever dream collapsing in on itself. You are not just playing through levels—you are being tested, thrown into a spiraling descent where every choice feels like part of something greater, something you are not meant to understand.

   And then, there’s that strange feeling that creeps in after every level.

   For all the chaos, for all the bloodshed, there comes a moment when the dust settles. The last enemy falls, the last gunshot echoes into silence, and suddenly, everything stops. The pulsating music cuts out, the frantic energy dissipates, and you are left alone in the wreckage you’ve created. There’s no victory fanfare, no celebration—just silence. And in that silence, you are forced to walk back through the carnage, stepping over the lifeless bodies, retracing your path of destruction, heading back to your car in absolute stillness.

   It’s in these moments that Hotline Miami makes its intentions clear. You are not just playing the game—the game is playing you. It wants you to feel this way, to experience the disconnect between action and consequence. It lets you revel in the high-speed brutality, only to strip it away and leave you with nothing but the aftermath. It forces you to confront the destruction you’ve left behind, to take in the emptiness of it all.

   And that’s where Hotline Miami truly shines. Beneath its surface of relentless, fast-paced action, there lies a story that slowly unfolds in a subtle, almost cryptic way. At first, it feels like a simple hyper-violent power fantasy, but the more you play, the more it forces you to question your role in all of it. Who are you really? Why are you doing this? And perhaps the most disturbing question of all: Are you truly in control?

   It’s not just a game about violence—it’s a game about violence itself. About its consequences, about its allure, about the way it seeps into your mind and distorts your perception. Hotline Miami does not simply glorify brutality; it forces you to confront it, to engage with it, to reflect on it. At times, it even feels philosophical, challenging you to consider what it means to follow orders, to obey without question, to find pleasure in destruction.

   And just when you think you have it all figured out, the game pulls the rug out from under you—leaving you questioning everything.

Performance and Controls of Hotline Miami on Steam Deck

   Playing Hotline Miami on the Steam Deck is an absolute joy, thanks to its buttery-smooth 60 FPS performance and highly responsive controls. The game runs flawlessly, with no noticeable frame drops, input lag, or stuttering, ensuring that every moment of its fast-paced, twitch-based action feels crisp and immediate. The 60Hz display perfectly complements the game’s frenetic gameplay, making every movement and attack feel incredibly fluid.

   The controls adapt seamlessly to the Steam Deck’s layout. The joysticks provide precise movement and aiming, while the trackpads offer an alternative for even finer targeting. The triggers and face buttons are snappy and responsive, making every action—whether it’s executing enemies, firing a weapon, or throwing an object—feel instantaneous and satisfying. Thanks to the Deck’s ergonomic design, the game remains comfortable to play even during long, intense sessions.

   Overall, Hotline Miami feels right at home on the Steam Deck. With its stable 60 FPS, excellent controls, and the added benefit of portability, this is easily one of the best ways to experience the game—whether you're revisiting it or diving in for the first time.