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Jonatan: We had a lot of ideas after we'd finished the first game, and now we've made a game based on all of those ideas. I don't think we can come up with anything new that would add to the game. We really want to do new games. We have no desire to make a Hotline Miami 3.Did you feel any pressure to even make this sequel, as the first game was such a success? Did you feel you owed it to people, to the game's fans, to make another one?
Dennis: Not really, no. We're still making the game that we want to make. A lot of people tell us that it looks the same as the first one, and that it feels the same. But, yeah. We wanted to make more of this, so…
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Jonatan: I think the most fun thing this time is actually the storyline, and seeing how people interpret it, and if they like it or not.Dennis: I want to see how people react to our new characters. I'm looking forward to seeing which ones they favor, and which they hate.Is it a game you'll be able to finish without using every character, a bit like Maniac Mansion?
Dennis: No, you have to use every character. Each level is tailored to one character, connected to them. You will jump between different perspectives.Jonatan: Aside from "The Fans," because you can choose which character to play as there. But that's not the case on most of the other levels.And am I right in thinking that, plot-wise, it's not linear?
Dennis: That's right. The story is more important this time. On the first one, we didn't know if anyone would really pick up on the story, so we really focused on the gameplay. People really liked that, so for the sequel every environment has its own story. There's more of that in this game.Wrong Number has already been banned in Australia. Did you see that coming? It's a country with a reputation for this sort of thing.
Jonatan: It wasn't a surprise. I think we were warned that they were pretty strict.
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Dennis: It's a part of the story, of the idea we had. We don't really want to talk about it before people play it. Then we can talk about it in context.So is it frustrating to see The Mirror run with a headline saying that Wrong Number is the most violent game ever?
Jonatan: It's not that frustrating. It's a bit too abstract that there are so many people having opinions about a game they haven't played yet. So we don't really think too much about it. It's kind of comical that they're actually talking about something that doesn't fully exist yet.
Jonatan: There is actually an option to censor the game when you play it, so you don't have to see that rape scene. We think that's enough.Dennis: Also, it's not just that scene that got the game banned. There are other things, too. So it'd be a major task to "fix" the game just for one market. We'd have to remove entire levels, so it's really not a possibility.You've said that Australians should pirate the game if they want to play it. That's a pretty strong statement. But if people do, and the reaction is huge, does that represent a victory against censorship?
Jonatan: I don't think we'd see it as a victory. We just want people who want to play the game to be able to.
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Dennis: [Laughing] No! But it's interesting that it's seen to be the most violent video game ever, when it's in 2D. It's really lo-fi. I actually think it's pretty cool that people have said that.Just to touch on something else real quick, the music of Wrong Number is coming out on vinyl, giving you a physical side to a very digital product. Do you think that's something that other developers working on download-only games should look at?
Dennis: It's awesome. It's like a trophy. It's nice for the musicians to have something that's their product—it's not the game, it's just the music. Well, when you buy the album you get the game digitally, too, but it's more like their thing. It's celebrating the music, and not just the game.Jonatan: But not all games have the option to do something like this, because it's expensive. It has to be worth it, I guess—or the developers have to be really passionate about it.Dennis: We both love limited-edition stuff, and we both love records.Jonatan: We actually have an action figure coming, too. We started that with a guy in the USA. It's a DIY job but it's really awesome, and really big. It's, like, nine inches tall.Dennis: It has removable clothes, and removable masks. It's awesome. I can't wait to have it on my shelf.Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number might be released in March. You can pre-order the triple-vinyl, limited-edition soundtrack—which gets you the game, too—here.Follow Mike on Twitter.