The Hong Kong Massacre

Overall: 7/10
The Hong Kong Massacre is a fun, fast paced top-down indie shooter with Bullet Time/dodging mechanics where one bullet kills anyone (including you!), giving mixed vibes of Hotline Miami, Max Payne, and John Woo action films all in one.
Being set in Hong Kong in 1992, the game follows a former police detective who is hellbent on getting vengeance against the Triad for murdering his partner. The story is generally not that engaging other than its initial premise, as it is told through some mildly interesting but very short cutscenes, and rather lackluster text reading sequences. This rather obvious downside is somewhat less blatant thanks to the actually impressive and tense soundtrack, and the dark atmosphere subtly cultivated. Regardless though, the story is thankfully not where the game aims to thrive.
The music and general atmosphere created within the Hong Kong Massacre are certainly positives that compliment the gameplay along with the narrative, as they are not only both dark and gritty in their own rights, but also upbeat and chaotic, fortifying the whole 'rampage vibe' gameplay.
The gameplay, however, is where H.K.M. shines. There are 35 unique levels in which you choose between four weapons (pistol, rifle, uzi, or shotgun), upgrade them, and go in gun blazing using your weapons and those dropped by enemies, as well as dodge dives/rolls and the especially celebrated Bullet Time mechanic to clear all enemies on each level to complete them.
Upon first launch, this gameplay feels very entertaining, fresh, and interesting. While that is certainly true, the longer you play and progress, the more repetitive the gameplay begins to feel. This is absolutely emphasized even harder within each level's three challenges, as they are all the identical three for EVERY LEVEL, those being: complete said level without missing any shots, without using slow-mo, and beating the level within a specified time limit. Out of everything, I feel like the signature slow-mo mechanic stayed fresh the longest, but it had its own issues in regard to the general gameplay, and I think that was the balancing.
Despite how fun it is it run and gun everyone down in slow-motion, I 100% think H.K.M. has some balancing issues. On easy mode, the bullet time gauge is way too lenient, and it feels too simple to just spend 90% of combat in slow mode, which kills the suspense/rush and is completely counter-intuitive to the fast paced ‘John Woo’ style of carnage the game aims for. However, while medium difficulty's gauge drains faster than easy's, I still felt like it replenished too fast and I could just Bullet Time everything with a little thoughtful pacing. In contrast, hard mode's gauge drained way too quickly, leaving for some definitely fast paced combat, but also leading to some very un-fun combat scenarios that bring along the high probability you'll get shot from enemies you can't see off-screen, even after hours of playing. This is also amplified by the fact that the AI seemingly has weird knowledge of your location. You can of course get the drop on enemies, but once they see you, they effectively always know your location (even if you are no longer in any line of sight.) On any difficulty, if you're not in bullet time, the enemies lock on and shoot you so quickly that you basically have to slam your head against the wall trying to find a level route that works, or use slow motion through the whole level. While I can acknowledge that the game WANTS you to use it, there's a difference between being a helpful mechanic and a crutch. There's also no stealth mechanic, no hiding, and no indicator of when you've been spotted; the game want you to move fast but then sometimes seemingly punishes you for doing so. I would definitely say that medium is probably the *most* balanced, but that's not saying much.
These gameplay complaints aren't inherently problematic if you're just striving to breeze through the narrative, as it is not a very long game, but if you're someone who likes to 100% games or gets stuck on difficult combat sequences for extended periods of time, then theses flaws are much more obvious, and genuinely kills the entertainment of the game over time.
TL;DR:
The Hong Kong Massacre is a fast paced, top-down indie shooter that focuses on slow-mo action gameplay over narrative storytelling, but tends to feel unbalanced and repetitive after extended gaming sessions. Although the game is not exceptionally long, The weapons/weapon upgrade variation can leave a lot to be desired the longer you play, and contribute to the repetitive nature of the games core. H.K.M.'s level design and renowned Bullet Time mechanic stayed fresh the longest in my opinion, but it came with some balancing issues on each difficulty.
All in all, While I do believe that it's worth your time and money, it's probably a better bang for your buck if you grab it on sale. However, for what it is, and to have been developed by a two-man studio, H.K.M. is one fire indie game with combat that is certain to captivate you for at least a few hours!

FUN FACT: It inspired the top-down dragon's breath shotgun scene from John Wick 4. The director was asked about Hotline Miami, but didn't cite it as inspiration, he mentioned Hong Kong Massacre.
Played it mostly on PlayStation, but have repurchased on PC and it's obviously much better on mouse and key.
A bit rough around the edges but a lot of fun.

Mixed bag this one.
I wouldn't say it is a bad game but there are some very bad decisions that made this game frustrating for all the wrong reasons so let's get the negatives out of the way.
Even if you take on board the almost every enemy in this game is deaf and half blind the AI in this game is the worst part. You can kill a guy within few meters and the other will just continue walking around like nothing happened. The other thing is when some enemies jump they will do some mid air turn and change directions....well I can't do that so they are in unfair advantage. Speaking about unfair I have no problem with these kind of games being hard but if I can't see the enemy and the bullet comes from the edge of my screen...dead , enemy shotguns are like snipers and mine is like a regular shotgun....dead. Unfair deaths are present in large amounts in this game. I am almost sure the game didn't detect many direct shots but I could be wrong.
The character moves are clumsy and often you will get stuck on some obstacle you can't see.
The game could use a patch or three. There is a bug where the screen stays red after you die, not always but often enough, the solution is to press esc key and resume the game. In last 2 chapters enemies get stuck in walls and fly around like rag dolls. Boss battles are just bullet sponge shooting and every boss is almost the same.
I could go on but these are some major issues that I thing you should know before buying this game.
In a weird way I liked this game, you can beat this game by using slow motion button in 5 ot 6 hrs but it is too easy. I finished almost every level without slowmo and it is the best way to play this game. I only used slowmo on bosses because they van take like 1000 bullets before they die. On every stage you can get 3 stars, first is to beat the time aka speedrun, second is for not using slowmo and third is for not missing a single shot (good luck with that) . The stars are used to upgrade your weapons and that part is ok because you will want to upgrade at least one (not the shotgun) earlier so you can get some advantage,
The shooting is ok, you have your pistol, shotgun , SMG and machine gun and that is it.
The levels are ok but they start to feel repetitive near after 4 chapters. The OST is great really good stuff, the sound design is solid in general. There is a story, that is all I got to say about that.
I had fun playing this game, very satisfying when you complete the levels without slow mo.
Now, would I recommend it ? Well....yes if you can ignore the negatives I listed above. It is not worth full price, get it in a bundle or or high discount.

This game is two Keanu Reaves melded into one: Neo from The Matrix + John Wick. -Volcanic
Summary
The Hong Kong Massacre is a top-down, shoot'em up with SlowMo. It can be described as a one-trick-pony. It offers a simple gameplay loop and does it mildly well. It's fun when you get the hang of it but can be frustrating.
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Disclaimer: I don't get compensated for any reviews I write. This is my honest opinion of the game.
Stats
Time played so far: 12+ hours
Difficulty (Easy, ..., Hard): Medium
Campaign beaten? Yes
Achievements unlocked: 14 / 19
Gameplay
You're a Hong Kong cop who went AWOL a year ago and is back for vengeance against the drug lord who killed his partner and hospitalized him. That's the whole story.
You work your way through the crime syndicate by clearing 1-5 minute levels. Clear six and you meet a new mini boss for a grand total of 35 levels.
Going down in a single hit forces you to be careful and think tactically about how to attack the criminal elements and clear a level. SloMo helps a lot.
The controls are minimal but take a bit to get used to, because you have both Dodge + SloMo to incorporate into your move-and-shoot pattern.
The layouts of the levels are similar and vary only in the aesthetics from Asian-themed restaurants, back alleys, rooftops, to a bank's offices.
The enemy AI is cautious: it hides behind cover and rarely rushes in. Some enemy types even have the dive ability just like you. Certain enemies in later levels try to hunt you down if you push too much into their territory.
The gameplay loop is fun but can get very frustrating. See Cons.
Graphics and audio
The game looks okay but could tone down the flashy neon lights.
The Dive animation contorts your character's body in a way only Cirque du Soleil gymnasts could achieve!
The sound effects are average. No complaints here.
The music is cool and fits the setting once you get a rhythm going for yourself - i.e. get a hang of the gameplay loop and feel comfortable with it.
There are more screenshots here with comments.
Pros
Fast-paced action
Challenging but doable.
Mildly amusing visual effects:
Regardless of caliber, each bullet hitting any surface has the effect of a hand grenade, resulting in blood spatters and destructible doors and windows and enemies thrown back from getting hit once by a bullet.
Short levels for a quick completion of each.
With 35 levels, there's a decent amount of hours you can wring here. I've played for over 10 hours and I haven't even bothered with the challenges yet, which would definitely take more to beat.
The three challenges present in each level are the same throughout the whole game, making you adjust your gameplay early on to accommodate them. There's comfort in that.
High replayability value, especially if you aim to complete the challenges and unlock and upgrade more weapons.
No bugs encountered in my play through.
Cons
The graphics are messed up in a way
Either the colors are too washed out or the brightness is too much or both. I normally wouldn't place too much importance on this but it makes acquiring your targets and avoiding their hail of bullets more difficult, making the gameplay a chore sometimes.
The cover isn't really clear
Staying in cover means staying alive in this game. So it's particularly frustrating when you get behind what seems to be cover only to realize it isn't but it looks almost identical to it. This happens more often than not.
The AI is also oblivious to its own partners in crime being gunned down. It seems to activate and become alert only on your proximity to them, disregarding any and all damage to property or dead bodies in their patrol routes.
No variety
The game could've been fleshed out more in several aspects, including variety.
The death screen in THKM is one of the worst I've ever seen in any game for decades. Just a horrible eyesore on repeat. Worse? It's moving so you cannot ignore it.
The pro of having the same three challenges might be viewed as a con since there's none other than these.
Boss fights are all the same with zero change from one to the next.
No voiced lines from any characters.

Achievements
Total: 19
Straightforward except one of them, Everyone is sleeping: 10,000 enemies killed, requires a ridiculous amount of grinding. No, thanks. To put things in perspective, 1,800 kills is what was needed to beat the whole campaign but this achievement asks you for over 5 times that.
4/19 require playing all the levels on repeat till you manage them flawlessly via challenges. Whether you tolerate those is subjective to your tastes.
+1 Perfect Game
Conclusion
This is an either you love it or you hate it sort of game.
If you're a good aim with fast reflexes, you'll likely enjoy it.
If you lack one of the two, you'll suffer.
If you lack both, you'll hate it.
Recommended only if you're a fan of the top-down shooter genre and get this on a deep discount.
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You'd buy that for a dollar?
As luck has it, the game's in a bundle for $1 on Fanatical. Nope, not an affiliate link. Nope, I don't care if you get it or not! Not available anymore.

I'll say right off the bat dont buy this game with its full price its not worth it, i bought it on sale and made my money pretty worth. The Hong Kong Massacre is pretty simmilar to max payne and some of its stages are Simmillar to scenes from John Wick, there's aswell some hotline miami feels with the top down look and how the story telling works. This game has its fair share of issues, a few bugs here and there etc but the movement is very clunky, the main mechanic in this game is the "dive" mechanic you dive making a cool move and you dodge all the incoming bullets, this of course has a cooldown and well? enemies have infinite ammo so you can connect the dots. The game is pretty hard but not in a good way, i got tired of it A LOT the way you move and how janky the combat is makes it a hard job to survive and the layout of the maps isn't great altough i liked some levels. The music is great i can give it a point for that. There's not much to say here really its not a terrible game but it broke my blood a lot, the last levels of the game were pretty good tho, the cutscenes are made very well 5.5/10

It inspired a scene in John wick 4.
Not as good as some other games in the genre. I still think its okay on sale you can beat it in a weekend. Short and sweet with some bad game design. A very forgettable plot as well with a lame main character to boot. Dollar store hardboiled and that's fine.

I really liked it - more complex than it initially seems, it's visceral, looks beautiful and guns feel great. Blasting guys out of windows and having shoot ups in destructible casinos, awesome. It's also great to drop in for a quick 10 minute session as most levels can be completed within 2 minutes.

Grab some beer, sit down with some friends, take it in turns with the controller, lots of fun.

I Imagine development has ceased, but an update with some basic QOL changes would be great. Marginally reducing the range which enemies can engage you from so you don't get blasted from off-screen, as well as adding a more visual way of knowing whether you'll be able to hit an enemy would be great (like a laser sight upgrade).

Challenges are very hard on later levels and rely on memorising every single enemy placement (and a fair bit of luck too).