A confusing mess, but a confusing mess in a way that I kind of liked, I think? All the complaints about the gameplay are true; the level design is remarkably weaker than the first game's, the enemy placement goes from strategic to infuriating, and you're going to be spending moreorless the entire game holding down the Shift key, which isn't comfortable nor does it play well. That being said, I think literally every other aspect about the game is better than the predecessor. The soundtrack is much more varied, with levels ranging from surprisingly emotional to adrenaline-pumping fever dreams, and it fits the rapidly changing storylines and characters really well. Speaking of, the way the story is told is even more of a brainfuck than the first game's, but I love that shit, so I'm cool with it. Still had no clue what happened by the end, but that's alright.

Yeah, this is a rambly stream of consciousness review because this whole thing was just a mess. Desperately in need of having its fat trimmed, yet that fat is what gives it so much personality compared to the first's incredibly lean gameplay. I admire Dennaton's boldness for looking at Hotline Miami 1 and deciding to do, in every sense, the opposite of what made that game work; it paid off in the end (i think), so, good call on their part.