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[Mr.Monitor]

So basically

Spoiler

the events of the main character are all jumbled up due to the coma induced by the biker

?

Close, but

Spoiler

the coma was induced by the guy in the rat mask who shoots you in your apartment, otherwise known as the jumpsuit guy you see take the place of your friend at all the stores. In the hospital, a police officer mentions that they've detained the suspect in the shooting at the apartment. When you finally get to the police department in Assault, you find out the suspect they detained is jumpsuit guy. It turns out this guy was just a player in the janitors' game as well, as he asks you if you've received the strange messages on your phone too. This implies that he was told by the janitors to assassinate you, the girl, and your friend.
You do actually kill the biker guy, and the biker guy kills you, they just happen in different timelines. Everything up until the first credits is rooted in a timeline where the main character survives the fight with biker guy, the epilogue shows what happens when the main character is killed by the biker dude.

And now the only question to me left unanswered is how the main character even gotten involved

Spoiler

with the cleaners

.

That's a good question. Here's what I think:

Spoiler

When you get to the janitors' "lair," you can see boxes of masks and stuff like that. I assume since they had a connection with the phone company, they were able to look up phone numbers and who owned them, possibly scout them out to see if they're a potential "player" (this is where the janitor costumes would come in handy, they allow them to keep an eye on current and prospective players discreetly. You see this in the mission where the janitors are watching you.), and then ship them the first package and leave them a message. Fulfillments of threats would then likely be carried out by other "players" if the target refuses their "offer." Say for instance I were to get a message from them and ignore it; I'd probably come home to a dude in an animal mask ready to do horrible, horrible things to me.

I want DLC and then a sequel.

So do I. As someone previously mentioned, a level editor would be perfect. I asked about it on their Facebook page. If I get an answer I'll post it here.

 

[KingKong]

Just beat the game. That was amazing. Once I figured out the gun thing, it got a little easy though (especially once I got the muted gunshots mask)

 

[Raptomex]

Close, but

Spoiler

the coma was induced by the guy in the rat mask who shoots you in your apartment, otherwise known as the jumpsuit guy you see take the place of your friend at all the stores. In the hospital, a police officer mentions that they've detained the suspect in the shooting at the apartment. When you finally get to the police department in Assault, you find out the suspect they detained is jumpsuit guy. It turns out this guy was just a player in the janitors' game as well, as he asks you if you've received the strange messages on your phone too. This implies that he was told by the janitors to assassinate you, the girl, and your friend.
You do actually kill the biker guy, and the biker guy kills you, they just happen in different timelines. Everything up until the first credits is rooted in a timeline where the main character survives the fight with biker guy, the epilogue shows what happens when the main character is killed by the biker dude.

That's a good question. Here's what I think:

Spoiler

When you get to the janitors' "lair," you can see boxes of masks and stuff like that. I assume since they had a connection with the phone company, they were able to look up phone numbers and who owned them, possibly scout them out to see if they're a potential "player" (this is where the janitor costumes would come in handy, they allow them to keep an eye on current and prospective players discreetly. You see this in the mission where the janitors are watching you.), and then ship them the first package and leave them a message. Fulfillments of threats would then likely be carried out by other "players" if the target refuses their "offer." Say for instance I were to get a message from them and ignore it; I'd probably come home to a dude in an animal mask ready to do horrible, horrible things to me.

So do I. As someone previously mentioned, a level editor would be perfect. I asked about it on their Facebook page. If I get an answer I'll post it here.

Oh yeah I forgot about

Spoiler

jumpsuit guy

. That dick.

 

[mavs]

Apparently there's one planned for the near future.

They put someone in the credits under 'Mac version' so it's probably under way.

 

[vitacola]

Did someone already load the patched version from GOG and installed it? if so, does the game keep the save file or do you have to start all over again?

 

[Raptomex]

Did someone already load the patched version from GOG and installed it? if so, does the game keep the save file or do you have to start all over again?

Patches still do that to games? I'm assuming you can keep your save game.

 

[ArynCrinn]

Spoiler

Dodge, run around, wait for him to throw his knife and hit him when he tries to grab his knife on the ground.

At least that's what I did.

Thanks, worked like a charm.

 

[vitacola]

Patches still do that to games? I'm assuming you can keep your save game.

Well, it's not a real patch, it's an updated install-exe

 

[microtubule]

Not sure if this has been posted.

Xbox 360 Controller testing

 

[Amagon]

So whats the deal with the flexibility score?

 

[NIN90]

Just bought this game because of the soundtrack alone.

 

[Raptomex]

So whats the deal with the flexibility score?

I think it applies to when you throw weapons at enemies.

Well, it's not a real patch, it's an updated install-exe

If you know where the save file is I'd recommend just backing it up first to be safe.

 

[Archurro]

So whats the deal with the flexibility score?

You kill everyone. You have no flexibility.

Spoiler

At least this is what I think.

 

[Raptomex]

You kill everyone. You have no flexibility.

Spoiler

At least this is what I think.

This could be correct as well. But when I began to throw shit at enemies I noticed the score was actually a number. I could be wrong, though.

 

[yo_soy_el_topo]

Can't believe Sun Araw is on this soundtrack.

Haven't played the game yet, wanna see if I can find a decent deal. Cant afford the 10$ right this second.

 

[commissar]

So does anyone know where the save file is located?

I have the gog version, but can't find anything in documents, my games, appdata or the game folder???

 

[vidcons]

This is fantastic. Just got to chapter and I'm going to take a break because I'm afraid of getting to the end.

Everything I could say has been said.

Just.. 'fuck.'

 

[Haunted]

Not sure if this has been posted.

Xbox 360 Controller testing

Man, what a mess.

Really want to play the game more but it crashed on me again twice tonight, both times after clearing the chapter on my way back to the car. That's no fun.

 

[Snuggles]

Whoa. This game is right up my alley. Aside from being totally fucking nuts, it has surprisingly brutal and intense combat. I'm really enjoying it. Hopefully more people get turned on to it.

 

[Dog Problems]

Finished it a bit ago and I need more! Hopefully there's some DLC that adds more stages. Easily one of my favorite games of the year. Oh, and controller support is working for anyone interested but it's not "official" and is still in testing. Go here for more details: http://steamcommunity.com/app/219150/discussions/0/864949719199014777/

 

[DrFunk]

Whoa. This game is right up my alley. Aside from being totally fucking nuts, it has surprisingly brutal and intense combat. I'm really enjoying it. Hopefully more people get turned on to it.

Or turned on by it

 

[Dartastic]

I don't know what the fuck to do about the

Spoiler

cops. I don't know WHAT THE FUCK TO DO AUGH

 

[kai3345]

The title screen song reminds me of a song from Space Funeral

another indie game everyone needs to play

 

[charsace]

I don't know what the fuck to do about the

Spoiler

cops. I don't know WHAT THE FUCK TO DO AUGH

I just avoid them.

The my favorite mask is the horse mask.

 

[TheSpoiler]

Holy fuck.

These dogs.

I don't know how to get past the first level with the dogs.

Shit.

 

[Sinatar]

Hydrogen is such a sick track, god damn.

 

[PaleFolklore]

I just bought this and I absolutely love it. I think I'm going to take a break until they patch it though. Keep running into issues. Would really like to fully enjoy this without getting frustrated by technical issues every 20-30 minutes.

 

[Cramoss]

Just wanted to say..

Spoiler

DAT SOUNDTRACK

sogood.gif

 

[Exr]

Just heard of this game now and I've been playing the soundtrack all night. Fantastic stuff.

 

[RiccochetJ]

Finally got this game working. Had to uninstall my graphics drivers. I'm going to try the beta drivers and see if it can work with those. I don't want to uninstall every time I want to play this game.

Radeon HD 6870 and I was on 12.10.

Update: Yea, the beta drivers don't work. Well shit.

 

[ScOULaris]

Holy fuck.

These dogs.

I don't know how to get past the first level with the dogs.

Shit.

Do you have the dog mask? If so, use that.

 

[Uriah]

How do I grab a human shield?

 

[ScOULaris]

How do I grab a human shield?

Press the spacebar next to a standing enemy while holding a gun. Be careful, though. The human shield only takes one bullet and then you're vulnerable again. It's really not all that useful since enemies will just unload their clip at you either way.

Also, pressing spacebar by a standing enemy while unarmed or armed with a melee weapon will usually result in an instant kill via neck snap or throat slit.

 

[Tain]

Wouldn't mind a demo

 

[epmode]

Wouldn't mind a demo

No demo but this might help: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqS51B4sdGc&feature=g-all-u

I watched the first few minutes and got really annoyed that he didn't lock on to a single target. It's situational but it would have really helped for those parts!

 

[ArynCrinn]

Hydrogen is such a sick track, god damn.

Crystals is easily the best of the OST, for me.

 

[Lain]

Hydrogen is such a sick track, god damn.

So true. It's probably my preferred one, though all the music is great.

 

[Pikma]

I'll definitely get this once they confirm that all those bugs are crushed.

 

[sixghost]

story theory.

Spoiler

I think your take on the prostitute/girlfriend is too cynical. You say the two characters had almost zero interaction, but that's just the style of the game, in my opinion. There's not exactly tons of dialogue. There was a nice, subtle detail that I noticed. After you save the girl, small things change in the apartment each time the game resets to the apartment. At first she is sleeping on the couch, then she is in the bathroom, then she is sleeping in a bed on the other side of the room from the MC, then finally the beds are moved together. I thought it was a subtle way of suggesting the two become closer as the game progressed.

Something I haven't quite figured out was the significance of the girl disappearing after the fight with Blue Helmet. I really think theory of "blue helmet guy puts you in a coma" has the most behind it. It allows both endings to happen, and also explains all the weird shit that starts happening after that mission. I think that's also when the girl disappears from the apartment. Maybe it symbolizes that the MC is no longer with the girl, since he's in the hospital.

Another small detail I loved was on certain levels, you would find corpses which looked similar to the MC, also wearing animal masks, implying that the two playable characters arent the only ones this is happening to.

 

[notoriousKTR]

No demo but this might help: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqS51B4sdGc&feature=g-all-u

I watched the first few minutes and got really annoyed that he didn't lock on to a single target. It's situational but it would have really helped for those parts!

Man, imo, Total Biscuit is terrible in 95% of the game he plays. He captures good quality footage, but doesn't give games justice. Specifically with Hotline Miami, he is playing the game wrong, just like how Patrick from Giantbomb was playing. You should not play the game methodically and in fact playing it methodically works against you because it gives the AI time to react and makes the game very frustrating when you mess up. Hotline Miami is all about fast flow and building up combo chains, hence why the game is so quick with restarts.

 

[RiccochetJ]

I just turned on the controller support. Much better! Some stuff is still janky though. Like when a guy's crawling, you can't use the A button to kill him. Still getting used to having to use the right analog all the time for aiming. Sometimes I'm running towards a dude and I forget that I'm not aiming that way.

 

[Salsa]

this game

is

amazing

 

[vidcons]

for every huge string of black spoiler bar i see

i just think

"these straight edge nerds need some LCD and a good time boner." really, if you clockwork orange with a scarface vibe for a top notch nes game doesn't send your dick into fire-y squirts then you might as well quit.

just quit it all.

'cause this game is ... it just is

 

[goblin]

So whats the deal with the flexibility score?

Flexibility score is granted for killing enemies in different ways with different weapons, but was broken and never went above 0 until the most recent patch.

 

[Salsa]

"these straight edge nerds need some LCD and a good time boner."

yea man those screens make me trip balls yo

 

[pa22word]

Man, imo, Total Biscuit is terrible in 95% of the game he plays. He captures good quality footage, but doesn't give games justice. Specifically with Hotline Miami, he is playing the game wrong, just like how Patrick from Giantbomb was playing. You should not play the game methodically and in fact playing it methodically works against you because it gives the AI time to react and makes the game very frustrating when you mess up. Hotline Miami is all about fast flow and building up combo chains, hence why the game is so quick with restarts.

I would say if many are playing it wrong the game is presenting how to play it properly, incorrectly...

I'll elaborate more once I play more of it, but as is the game has been very poor at conveying how to properly play it, and at first impression seems like it wants to be played more like a 2D incarnation of Manhunt rather than a fast-paced action game.

This isn't even getting into the problems with the game's tendency to rely on trial and error rather than genuine difficulty, which I would say influenced people to think they were "playing it wrong" when they were trying to action it out, and thus reverted to a more methodical pace once that seemed to be a more effective course of action.

 

[Salsa]

Man, imo, Total Biscuit is terrible in 95% of the game he plays. He captures good quality footage, but doesn't give games justice. Specifically with Hotline Miami, he is playing the game wrong, just like how Patrick from Giantbomb was playing. You should not play the game methodically and in fact playing it methodically works against you because it gives the AI time to react and makes the game very frustrating when you mess up. Hotline Miami is all about fast flow and building up combo chains, hence why the game is so quick with restarts.

I would say if many are playing it wrong the game is presenting how to play it properly, incorrectly...

I just think they (Totalbiscuit and Patrick) just didnt play enough. I played it way slower for the first couple missions but soon you realize that just wont work anymore and you gotta be QUICK. It's not that the game fails, nor they, it's just that you need a longer exposure to it.

 

[goblin]

Holy fuck.

These dogs.

I don't know how to get past the first level with the dogs.

Shit.

If you don't want to have to use the dog mask, you'll need a melee weapon or a gun. You won't be able to hit the dogs with your fists unless you're wearing the tiger mask.

 

[pa22word]

I just think they (Totalbiscuit and Patrick) just didnt play enough. I played it way slower for the first couple missions but soon you realize that just wont work anymore and you gotta be QUICK. It's not that the game fails, nor they, it's just that you need a longer exposure to it.

Imo, the first levels should have been structured differently to prevent said misconstruing of the mechanics.

Looking back at Ninja Gaiden and Murai--who literally smashed into your head that playing this like DMC is not going to work--I think a more direct approach in the level design should have been employed rather than letting the player think their incorrect playstyle is actually more effective than the correct.

Something like an entirely linear intro that was nothing but guys looking at the door to force you to engage them head on would have better served this game, then let it branch out with the varying patterns and such once the player knows exactly what the game expects out of him.

Also, the first dog level was very annoying from a design perspective. I opened a door and was dead before I even recognized what was coming, or what was happening. They should have drawn some attention to the dogs speed before letting them loose on the player. Something like having them in an adjacent room (that you can't enter) to see them running back and forth as soon as you start the stage. Maybe in terms of the game's crazy retro art style: drop a person down on the opposite end of the room (down from the second floor) that the dogs are in as soon as you first walk through the opening door and thus start the stage, and watch the dogs rip him appart. The dropping of the person would draw attention to the room (based on the movement) and the then the player would see first hand how the dogs react to an aggressor (eg:you) before the player has a chance to directly engage them, thus making the problem with the trial and error non existent.

 

[ArynCrinn]

It bodes well for a new player to take the methodical approach when learning a new level. After that the fun is to speed run it, but the game works fine both ways.