While the first game followed the singular, drug-fueled murder spree of Jacket, Wrong Number expands the lens into a sprawling mosaic of over a dozen characters across three interlocking timelines.

Many players originally hated the level design, which swapped the first game’s tight, claustrophobic corridors for massive, open floor plans.

: A journalist trying to write a book about the killings, offering a "non-violent" playstyle where you disarm rather than decapitate—at least until he snaps.

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number - What happened? : r/patientgamers

: A detective hunting the "Miami Mutilator," who might be more involved in the gore than he admits. The Design of Frustration

The Neon Requiem: Why Hotline Miami 2 is Still the Ultimate "Bad" Sequel

: A group of copycat killers who treat Jacket's legacy like a morbid hobby, only to realize they aren't the heroes of this story.