How could you make something like that?

Dennaton Games are primarily comprised of two people, programmer Jonatan Söderström and artist Dennis Wedin. They are the minds behind the incredible title, and one of my personal favourtie games, Hotline Miami...and the sequel Hotline Miami: Wrong Number. The games are hyper-violent, surreal, blood-pumping murder sprees but that's not all.

I have long defended Hotline Miami's violence as not simply a celebration, but a natural progression of violence as an art form. Every aspect of the game was designed to allow the player to fully immerse themselves in the world, and allow the reflex based gameplay to swallow them. But it was a double bluff. Players are also forced to question their own morals and sanity throughout the game.

Jonatan was once known as Cactus, and used to make a lot of games that were designed for him. Denis saw one, namely Super Carnage and together they decided to finish it properly. The design philosophy behind Hotline Miami was to love what you are doing, and to do it for no one else. They made the game they wanted to make, that they couldn't buy.

A lot of the art and music that went into Hotline Miami came from the personal experiences of the creators, which is something I want to incorporate into my projects. A story that is uniquely yours is a story that people will care about, and the best way to tell a story that is uniquely yours is to use your very own story.

That being said, Dennaton is not me. The way they work is to start with a concept and let the rest come organically. While this is a way that I want to work, this requires somebody that you are close enough with for things to actually come out organically, and at time of writing, I don't have anyone like that that I want to work with.

The thing I like the most about Jonatan and Denis and the thing that I would take from them above anything else is the idea that you don't have to make something else. By that I mean, you don't have to sacrifice your vision. You can make the game you want to make that doesn't exist. Don't try to follow the market trends, don't try to make the game that everyone will buy, because everyone else already is. The market will always have their tastes catered for. So make a game that you can't find. Make the game that you want to play. Make games for you. I think this point resonates with me so much because that is why I am a designer. There are enough games out there that cater to everyone. But if you can find a gap in games that you want filled, then fill it.