Hotline Miami sits alongside Doom, Half-Life, and Max Payne as one of the best shooters – if not best games, period – of all time. Dennaton’s hyper-violent, frantically paced blaster is a delirious descent into abstraction, post-modernity, and electronica. Now, a new FPS game takes the spirit and style of Hotline Miami, and combines it with completely destructible environments and a fresh take on twitch gunplay. The work of a solo developer, if you want to try it, there’s even a free demo available right now.
This is the suitably named Wreck, an upcoming FPS game where you play a former mercenary, ferociously determined to exact revenge on your former criminal bosses. That in itself sounds promisingly inspired by John Wick. Mechanically, however, Wreck plays like a mix of Hotline Miami and Battlefield. Battles are intense, lethal, and demand not just accuracy, but aggression and speed. If you burst into a room full of bad guys, expect to get lit up – like Hotline, you need to dodge and dance as you dish out death.
But aside from reflexes, you have another weapon at your disposal. Like Battlefield, or maybe even Minecraft, given the shooter’s chunky, voxel look, you can destroy literally any part of the environment to create new paths and firing positions.
If you’re up against a locked door, and positive an ambush is waiting on the other side, step back, blow a hole in the brickwork, and surprise the waiting goons by sticking your gun through the wall. If you’re in a tight spot and need to make a rapid escape, punch out the plaster and tunnel to safety.
Created by solo developer Austin Zaman, Wreck is expected to launch during 2024. In the meantime, there’s a free demo that you can try right this second. Just head here.
Alternatively, take a look at some of the other best upcoming PC games on their way this year and beyond, or, if you’re a big Hotline Miami fan and want something similarly pacey and challenging, get the best roguelike games available now.
You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides, or grab our PCGN deals tracker to net yourself some bargains.