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Overall: 7/10
The Hong Kong Massacre is a fun, fast paced top-down indie shooter with Bullet Time/dodging mechanics where one bullet kills anyone (including you!), giving mixed vibes of Hotline Miami, Max Payne, and John Woo action films all in one.
Being set in Hong Kong in 1992, the game follows a former police detective who is hellbent on getting vengeance against the Triad for murdering his partner. The story is generally not that engaging other than its initial premise, as it is told through some mildly interesting but very short cutscenes, and rather lackluster text reading sequences. This rather obvious downside is somewhat less blatant thanks to the actually impressive and tense soundtrack, and the dark atmosphere subtly cultivated. Regardless though, the story is thankfully not where the game aims to thrive.
The music and general atmosphere created within the Hong Kong Massacre are certainly positives that compliment the gameplay along with the narrative, as they are not only both dark and gritty in their own rights, but also upbeat and chaotic, fortifying the whole 'rampage vibe' gameplay.
The gameplay, however, is where H.K.M. shines. There are 35 unique levels in which you choose between four weapons (pistol, rifle, uzi, or shotgun), upgrade them, and go in gun blazing using your weapons and those dropped by enemies, as well as dodge dives/rolls and the especially celebrated Bullet Time mechanic to clear all enemies on each level to complete them.
Upon first launch, this gameplay feels very entertaining, fresh, and interesting. While that is certainly true, the longer you play and progress, the more repetitive the gameplay begins to feel. This is absolutely emphasized even harder within each level's three challenges, as they are all the identical three for EVERY LEVEL, those being: complete said level without missing any shots, without using slow-mo, and beating the level within a specified time limit. Out of everything, I feel like the signature slow-mo mechanic stayed fresh the longest, but it had its own issues in regard to the general gameplay, and I think that was the balancing.
Despite how fun it is it run and gun everyone down in slow-motion, I 100% think H.K.M. has some balancing issues. On easy mode, the bullet time gauge is way too lenient, and it feels too simple to just spend 90% of combat in slow mode, which kills the suspense/rush and is completely counter-intuitive to the fast paced ‘John Woo’ style of carnage the game aims for. However, while medium difficulty's gauge drains faster than easy's, I still felt like it replenished too fast and I could just Bullet Time everything with a little thoughtful pacing. In contrast, hard mode's gauge drained way too quickly, leaving for some definitely fast paced combat, but also leading to some very un-fun combat scenarios that bring along the high probability you'll get shot from enemies you can't see off-screen, even after hours of playing. This is also amplified by the fact that the AI seemingly has weird knowledge of your location. You can of course get the drop on enemies, but once they see you, they effectively always know your location (even if you are no longer in any line of sight.) On any difficulty, if you're not in bullet time, the enemies lock on and shoot you so quickly that you basically have to slam your head against the wall trying to find a level route that works, or use slow motion through the whole level. While I can acknowledge that the game WANTS you to use it, there's a difference between being a helpful mechanic and a crutch. There's also no stealth mechanic, no hiding, and no indicator of when you've been spotted; the game want you to move fast but then sometimes seemingly punishes you for doing so. I would definitely say that medium is probably the *most* balanced, but that's not saying much.
These gameplay complaints aren't inherently problematic if you're just striving to breeze through the narrative, as it is not a very long game, but if you're someone who likes to 100% games or gets stuck on difficult combat sequences for extended periods of time, then theses flaws are much more obvious, and genuinely kills the entertainment of the game over time.
TL;DR:
The Hong Kong Massacre is a fast paced, top-down indie shooter that focuses on slow-mo action gameplay over narrative storytelling, but tends to feel unbalanced and repetitive after extended gaming sessions. Although the game is not exceptionally long, The weapons/weapon upgrade variation can leave a lot to be desired the longer you play, and contribute to the repetitive nature of the games core. H.K.M.'s level design and renowned Bullet Time mechanic stayed fresh the longest in my opinion, but it came with some balancing issues on each difficulty.
All in all, While I do believe that it's worth your time and money, it's probably a better bang for your buck if you grab it on sale. However, for what it is, and to have been developed by a two-man studio, H.K.M. is one fire indie game with combat that is certain to captivate you for at least a few hours!