Didn't get a life, but I did get "Get A Life"


The addictive rush of fast inputs, wether wrong or right, provoked by the synths in the background and fueled by the feeling of power from the fragility of your enemies' lives, taken away by a single bullet, swing or slash, immediately.
It's unmatched to this day.

But it's even more than just perfect gameplay. It's a perfect story and a perfect style.


A natural, unique 80's setting that remains very consistent throughout the game. Locations, color scheme, weapons, vehicles, etc. And it's not a mishmash of popular elements of the aesthetic either, Miami really looks and feels like it's set in an 80's summer, which is quite impressive considering the developers aren't even American, let alone Floridian.

Besides the physical aesthetic they really pulled off, the meta elements such as effects and coloring (e.g trippy colors in the level backgrounds, scanlines) add a lot to the style, without including 80's/90's clichés like cassette simulation or vaporwave shaders.
It's also nice how the effects don't affect performance in any significant manner, making the game visually beautiful, completely unique and low-spec compatible all at once.

Subversive by design. It really tries to make itself seem down-to-earth.
No intro. No names. No tone-setting.
You just begin in a dark alley, instructed by a mysterious vagrant to make your way out by force.

But it didn't happen. It was just a really bad dream.
So it's a canon-compatible tutorial. Nice.

The rest of the game's story is spread out in small bits between and rarely inside levels, and almost all have patterned interludes, all the way until the end, which events reflect Jacket's state of mind.

The ending itself is very climactic and though it gives the player a sense of accomplishment, it isn't too over-the-top or difficult, as to not give the player any sense of "achievement" but instead to provoke reflection. And considering the game isn't over at the first ending, it's rather fitting.


Truly, its purpose is the most admirable thing.

Even though it features violence heavily, it won't try to convince you to desist nor continue with your massacre. It instead leaves the player to witness Jacket's persistence in tirelessly brutalizing the members of the Russian Mafia, one at a time.
He can't stop.
His inner anger and complete uncertainty drive him to not even think twice before he listens to the men over the phone and does their bidding no matter how challenging the odds become.
And when he is betrayed by them, he continues to do as they would've preferred, to the end, but not before taking revenge for the only person he had reached closeness with since him.

The unvoluntary catalyst.
The unconditional friend.
And his martyr.

But unlike the typical action-packed revenge story starred by a loner, this game won't let you take his side. They won't even let him take his own side, as his personified thoughts split and attempt to give him clarity in a few ocassions over the course of the game. It's clear that as dangerous as he is, he's subconsciouslly unsure of his actions, but this never manifests strongly enough to stop him.
And to display such a dilemma without cheesy cutscenes or even any input from the fittingly silent protagonist? That's quite remarkable.

Frankly, too few celebrate the genius storytelling of the game and how it proves the absolute importance of the bigger picture. How actions, even if displayed as animalistic and personal, end up changing the world and the fate of many of its inhabitants over time.
A use of the butterfly effect with far less exaggeration. That's new.
To achieve all this with a protagonist devoid of unique powers, who can die as quickly as his enemies? Now that's really new!

The balance between fresh and satisfying gameplay, an atmospheric soundtrack, unique and vivid style, a deep and thoroughly developed story AND incredible replayability? It deserves its place as my favorite game of all time, second perhaps only to its masterpiece of a sequel.

Buy now by calling at...

555/555

(i'm serious, buy asap even at full price)

Didn't get a life, but I did get "Get A Life" The addictive rush of fast inputs, wether wrong or right, provoked by the synths in the background and fueled by the feeling of power from the fragility of your enemies' lives, taken away by a single bullet, swing or slash, immediately. It's unmatched to this day. But it's even more than just perfect gameplay. It's a perfect story and a perfect style. [h1]Style[/h1] A natural, unique 80's setting that remains very consistent throughout the game. Locations, color scheme, weapons, vehicles, etc. And it's not a mishmash of popular elements of the aesthetic either, Miami really looks and feels like it's set in an 80's summer, which is quite impressive considering the developers aren't even American, let alone Floridian. Besides the physical aesthetic they really pulled off, the meta elements such as effects and coloring (e.g trippy colors in the level backgrounds, scanlines) add a lot to the style, without including 80's/90's clichés like cassette simulation or vaporwave shaders. It's also nice how the effects don't affect performance in any significant manner, making the game visually beautiful, completely unique and low-spec compatible all at once. [h1]Story[/h1] Subversive by design. It really tries to make itself seem down-to-earth. No intro. No names. No tone-setting. You just begin in a dark alley, instructed by a mysterious vagrant to make your way out by force. But it didn't happen. It was just a really bad dream. So it's a canon-compatible tutorial. Nice. The rest of the game's story is spread out in small bits between and rarely inside levels, and almost all have patterned interludes, all the way until the end, which events reflect Jacket's state of mind. The ending itself is [spoiler] very climactic and though it gives the player a sense of accomplishment, it isn't too over-the-top or difficult, as to not give the player any sense of "achievement" but instead to provoke reflection. And considering the game isn't over at the first ending, it's rather fitting.[/spoiler] [h1]Concept[/h1] Truly, its purpose is the most admirable thing. Even though it features violence heavily, it won't try to convince you to desist nor continue with your massacre. It instead leaves the player to witness Jacket's persistence in tirelessly brutalizing the members of the Russian Mafia, one at a time. He can't stop. His inner anger and complete uncertainty drive him to not even think twice before he listens to the men over the phone and does their bidding no matter how challenging the odds become. [spoiler]And when he is betrayed by them, he continues to do as they would've preferred, to the end, but not before taking revenge for the only person he had reached closeness with since him. The unvoluntary catalyst. The unconditional friend. And his martyr.[/spoiler] But unlike the typical action-packed revenge story starred by a loner, this game won't let you take his side. They won't even let him take his own side, as his personified thoughts split and attempt to give him clarity in a few ocassions over the course of the game. It's clear that as dangerous as he is, he's subconsciouslly unsure of his actions, but this never manifests strongly enough to stop him. And to display such a dilemma without cheesy cutscenes or even any input from the fittingly silent protagonist? That's quite remarkable. Frankly, too few celebrate the genius storytelling of the game and how it proves the absolute importance of the bigger picture. How actions, even if displayed as animalistic and personal, end up changing the world and the fate of many of its inhabitants over time. A use of the butterfly effect with far less exaggeration. That's new. To achieve all this with a protagonist devoid of unique powers, who can die as quickly as his enemies? Now that's really new! The balance between fresh and satisfying gameplay, an atmospheric soundtrack, unique and vivid style, a deep and thoroughly developed story AND incredible replayability? It deserves its place as my favorite game of all time, second perhaps only to its masterpiece of a sequel. Buy now by calling at... 555/555 (i'm serious, buy asap even at full price)