The Hong Kong Massacre

"I like doves. They look so beautiful, like a woman. For me they represent peace and love and purity".

There's no need for this game to be as good as Hotline Miami. It's a great addition to the genre. Hotline Miami is indeed a masterpiece and has a depth that The Hong Kong Massacre lacks. But it is a great game nonetheless. The slow motion is a great gimmick that almost kills the gameplay. Once you get the hang of it the game gets too easy. So much that the middle part of the game feels repetitive. Only in the last part of the game the difficulty increases (the number of enemies and the challenging angles you need to use to kill them) and the fun is back. You lack the visibility you have in Hotline Miami, since you cannot move the map around you at all and the environment can be confusing at times but I guess it was intended this way as part of the difficulty. All in all a great game.

Here is the most basic and honest review you are going to get. The game is just as cool and fun as it looks. Its just as basic as it looks. its worth it if it looks like your kind of game. anyone who is complaining about the game is just straight up whining because its hard. its supposed to be hard. if you are going to want a game where you don't die a lot there are all sorts of games on steam you can find. just search baby games and you'll find plenty. This game is like better looking Miami hotline in China. simple as that. If you plan on using a controller its going to be harder so keep that in mind. other than that pop some headphones on listen to some good stuff and rip it. Its a good time. its 20$. you've spent 20$ on dumber things. its 20$ for mcdonalds now man. Its your life though.

A semi-enjoyable, mediocre, John Woo-style Hotline Miami clone.
It's not particularly polished, and some of its aspects feel quite at odds with the kind of experience the game wants to offer (especially the unlockables, which basically force you to give up one of the game's best features), but it has enough content to scratch that itch, albeit not for long.
I personally wasn't interested enough to go all the way through. Ultimately, I'd rather just play Hotline Miami again.
But it's fine.

fun game clearly inspired by hotline miami, max payne and john woo movies. thought the setting was cool story was decent even if theres not much to it the bullet time along with sliding/cartwheels gave it something new when comparing it to hotline miami and its also 3D graphics.

Just simple fun, combat feels very satisfying as you blast down doors and roll through windows. Cutscenes left a little to be desired but then again you're not playing this game for the cutscenes

Fun short game. Beat it on Hard without using slowmo but some achievements are on Medium so I didn't get those that are tied to Medium.

Also how do you even accomplish the challenge of not missing a bullet in every level. That is so BS

Recommended if you're sold on the idea of a Hard Boiled Hotline Miami, but just know it's not great.
Pros
- I only really grabbed this because I could get a discount with Hotline Miami and Ruiner, not expecting much. Like those games, it's a top down shooter.
- Good looking game, there's a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ of cool effects when you're shooting and firing through glass, enviroments are total chaos during firefights. Just like a John Woo movie.
- Plays well enough, there's enemy indicators if they're just off screen, shooting is fast and satisfying.
- Slow motion is like that of Severed Steel or Max Payne, recharges fast but with a low capacity, so it's short bursts you need to make the most of.
- The Hotline Miami style narrative bits are alright. VN style text dialogue with some visuals of whats going on.
- Intelligent use of effects if you know what I mean. The game does not look good when it's not from the top down, and the game knows it, so the final kill slowmotion shots (like the ones from Max Payne) are blurred to ♥♥♥♥, makes it look a little better actually. Smart move.
- You can upgrade weapons accuracy, ammo count and other properties by spending stars you get from completing mission challenges. See later, but the upgrades themselves are nice, especially duel wielding SMGs.
- They actually say "The Hong Kong Massacre" in the game. In dialogue.
- Weapon feels great. Shotgun takes a while between shots but it ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ DEMOLISHES ♥♥♥♥. Lovely.
- Soundtrack is fine. Wouldn't listen to it outside the game.
- About 4-5 hours long.
Cons
- Upgrades system that makes all the weapons you find in a level better is directly tied to the 3 optional stars you can get from a mission. The way these work are basically pretty ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ stupid
+ Time Star: Do the level in under a set time. I'm fine with this one I guess.
+ Slow-motion Star: Why the ♥♥♥♥ would they add this? I WANT to use slow motion, it's fun.
+ Accuracy Star: Every shot has to hit an enemy. Fire a shotgun and not all hit? No star. Hit a pane of glass to shoot an enemy through it? Doesn't count, no star.
Basically you need to replay levels in unfun and annoying ways to upgrade weapons. Why not just copy Hotline Miami and it's chain/combo system and give me score targets? I can't emphasise how annoying this is. You do at least get one star just for beating a level. So either replay levels in boring lame ways or get by with far less weapon upgrades. I was playing on Medium and did the second option, I was able to get by and pick up some neat upgrades so it's not mandatory. I'd be fine replaying levels if it was more fun to do these challenges.
- I don't like the bulletproof vest enemies. I'd be fine with it if they need two shots to kill, but they ALWAYS do a dodge IMMEDIATELY after you shoot them once so it messes with the flow. Shotguns are crap with them since hitting them with two pellets doesn't kill them immediately.
- I wish restarts were faster. I don't want to be spamming R waiting for the Restart prompt to come up when I die. Put me back in coach! I want to kill ASAP! Hotline Miami did it like snapping your fingers. I should NEVER have to press the restart button more than once when you can die this fast.
- The realistic visuals make it much harder to read than Hotline Miami and you REALLY need that for a fast game like this. Is that a bullet or a muzzle flash? Is that enemy dead and ragdolling or still alive? Is the enemy currently doing their dodge animation that makes them invincible? I really don't like that enemies can do that. It's fine when I do it because I'm the protagonist in a John Mother-♥♥♥♥♥♥' Woo movie. Wait, is my dodge animation still going or can I get shot? Hard to tell sometimes!
- Bossfights are kinda naff. Run to the top of your screen shooting with the boss on the other side of the wall, get creamed by enemies you can't see because of the shape of your monitor and because they need enemies there so you can refill ammo. They're also bullet sponges. They're ALL like this.
- If you are out of ammo you're ♥♥♥♥♥♥. No throwing guns or melee.
- The story is the barest minimum of conversations and setup to get you to kill people. I'm fine with that I guess. You could've told me this was a "Slow Motion Shooter" and I would've just assumed I'd be blasting criminals after my wife/girlfriend was killed by them. Since that's just Max Payne.
- Long levels are annoying. There's one level I was stuck on solely because it was so long.
- It's a liiiiiitle bit jank.
6.5/10