Hotline Miami 2: The Art of Level Editor

In the first half of the 80's, the developers started adding level editors to their games (Lode Runner, Excitebike, Mind Strike, and others). They are based on the philosophy of the intervention, where the player acts not as a passive gameplay participant (who takes action, but is also limited by certain boundaries), but as an absolute creator, the architect of game reality. Nowadays, when game development is accessible as never before, and fan content weighs a lot, official game editors and SDKs are not a surprise. Often they offer an effective tool for creating own levels, distinctive and authentic. However, the point of custom levels is that they, unlike mods, expand the already available mechanics or put them at a different angle. Sometimes such editors exist separately from the game, which allows players to explore the mechanics way deeply, vanishing borders between custom levels and mods.

If video games could be art, then the fan levels may have an artistic value, too. One can found a vivid example in the Level Editor for Hotline Miami 2 which is used for creating not only single levels, but whole campaigns. The series of Hotline Miami is highly appreciated among the players because of its mix of action and plot, as well as the simple storytelling through cutscenes and dialogues. Actually, the community has been realizing itself creatively for a long time, giving a birth to the real masterpieces. This article will cover only the story-oriented campaigns, since I consider them as full-working systems. Also, at first it could have been a video essay due to the live gameplay, but for some technical problems I could not afford it.

The process of creating custom levels for HM2 can be easily compared with making a film, primarily because of the game's concept where every level is considered a single movie scene. However, in order to create a decent campaign one needs to take into account such aspects of filling as gameplay, story, level design, art, and music. All of them are inextricably linked:

Gameplay is a guaranty of action, the basis of HM2 dynamics. Mostly, its concept is as simple as possible and never changes: the player is needed to "clean" the level, as their aim is to kill everybody and go to the car. Sometimes that simplicity is expanded with such tasks as picking up an item, meeting with a character, or just getting from one area to another. However, even if the car sequence is ignored, the essence remains the same. Of course, there are several exceptions like the stealth level "Struck" from Hunter: Red Star, where the player has no weapons but the tact and reticence. Otherwise, the concept of "level cleanup" is essential, while other aspects are based around it.

Story defines the ideas of HM2. Roughly speaking, it is an explanation of why the protagonist has a need to "clean" the level, and what goes before and after. The task of story is to connect the levels among themselves, building bridges between them in the form of intros and outros. The lore and the universe vary from campaign to campaign, be it the 80's Miami or a completely original setting. The story's vital components are also dialogues, as well as the very character of narrative itself. Obviously, it depends on author, since everybody has their own unique style of storytelling. For example, in the campaign Bushido there is some kind of an "interruption effect", when intros and outros abruptly end, and the player is being thrown on the level. Cold War has an explorable hubworld, representing a street where every object or a character is interactive and is accompanied by the protagonist's monologues. Also, that campaign is a part of the r/50B Collective Universe, and such projects can be considered a characteristic of the HM community, where many authors unite in order to build extensive worlds. In the crossover campaign, Parker vs. 50 Blessings, some intros are made in a bit of surreal manner, resembling the "scraps" of reality. The thing is, masterly and unusually fulfilled stylistic tropes always play with new colors in the hands of a skilled writer. For example, flashbacks, one of the most popular narrative techniques, shape the campaign Madness, which levels are the protagonist's memories. The amount of cutscenes might also be a distinctive feature: for example, Pigfingers has them in the end of almost every level.

Art and level design, along with music form an environment and atmosphere, which is the link between gameplay and story. Simply speaking, these aspects define what level the protagonist needs to "clean". If the story is an explanation, level design would be the ground for this explanation, as it all depends on decorations of the scene, its forms, architecture, interior and exterior, illumination, enemy positions (for example, whether it would be possible to perform a full combo on the level or not), and paths of passage. The author decides, will it be a compact building with a plenty of rooms focusing on melee weapons, or an open space with an accent on guns, or something completely different. Music is yet another atmospheric tool which can both reflect the overall mood of the level and set the pace of game. A soundtrack varies from level to level, from a soft and chill Synthwave melodies to epic and aggressive Darksynth tracks that motivate the player on combos, forcing them to constantly move and avoid the zones of comfort. Some authors even make sound overhauls in order to diversify the player's experience. One cannot forget such vital feature as interactivity and variability, making every campaign a way more interesting and replayable among the others. In addition to level paths that have been mentioned above, it may even include several endings, as Cryoablation does. To crown all, note that the final aesthetics is complemented by artwork of level covers, and even by the campaign's visual design on a Steam Workshop page.

So, the creation process of a decent HM2 campaign is a hard work with the authors taking on themselves multiple roles; they may be everyone, from the director and writer to an artist, and even a sound engineer. By observing all the aspects and huge self-investing, an ordinary player is capable of creating a real piece of art. The legacy of HM2 is thriving thanks to such a dedicated community and many ingenious fans. I believe that every developer should be aware of providing their audience a wide tool for creating and distributing fan content, which certainly makes their game always relevant.