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THE HONG KONG MASSACRE
review | PC
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Publisher: Vreski.
Developer: Vreski AB. Released: January 2019. Genre: Shoot 'em up. Other versions: XSX; XONE; PS4; SWI. Posted 24th August 2026. By Tom Clare © 2026 |
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On paper, The Hong Kong Massacre will feel like an instant classic for action fans. Like a John Woo movie distilled into a shoot ‘em up, Vreski’s shooter employs an early-1990s Hong Kong setting, routing its action amid furiously fast, trigger-happy levels where a single bullet can vanquish both player and foe. Its top-down perspective evokes clear comparisons with Hotline Miami, whilst the addition of Max Payne-like rolls and slow-motion bullet time proves the icing on the cake for this dynamic and stylish outing.
Set in 1992, the game’s narrative isn’t especially coherent, but as it serves more as a thematic framework, players likely won’t mind too much. Playing as a nameless Hong Kong cop turned lone gunman, the motivation is appropriately simple: revenge against the Two Headed Dragon triad for the gunning down of his partner. The storyline is anchored to a police station where, through a sequence of brief dialogues with another officer, the player learns of his four-day rampage, culminating in a present-day chapter. If you’ve been keeping count, that’s five chapters of six levels, each culminating in a boss fight.
The Hong Kong massacre is a challenging, mega-exciting shooter where good reactions are paramount
The levels are hugely entertaining. Concentrated, high-octane action segments last between one and three minutes. However, with fine margins and a steep difficulty even on the gentlest of the three settings, you’ll often find yourself needing to replay levels a dozen times or more. It’s absorbing, exciting stuff: keeping on the move is paramount to your survival, as remaining in the open when bullets start to fly is a death sentence. Knowing the landscape becomes hugely important.
Every level follows a familiar formula, with the same objective: kill every enemy. That isn’t to say progression lacks variety, however. There’s no shortage of tactical tweaks you can enact, taking different routes, approaching crowded areas from different doors, or luring certain gang members closer to your position. Enemies pack different weapons and are dangerous for different reasons: those packing machine guns tend to be fairly agile and can roll away from your shots, whilst shotgun-wielding goons react quickly, with the wide spread of fire necessitating that you time evasive rolls well. The action is relentless, but never stagnates.
Every level follows a familiar formula, with the same objective: kill every enemy. That isn’t to say progression lacks variety, however. There’s no shortage of tactical tweaks you can enact, taking different routes, approaching crowded areas from different doors, or luring certain gang members closer to your position. Enemies pack different weapons and are dangerous for different reasons: those packing machine guns tend to be fairly agile and can roll away from your shots, whilst shotgun-wielding goons react quickly, with the wide spread of fire necessitating that you time evasive rolls well. The action is relentless, but never stagnates.
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Visually, the locations do the lion’s share of the work. Shootouts in apartment blocks, hotels and restaurants look suitably stylish, interspersed with the occasional gritty street scene and rooftop rumble to maintain the gritty vibe. The sheer quantity of breakable scenery is ace, and it’s a bit of a surprise that there are no explosive hazards to take advantage of. Nevertheless, The Hong Kong Massacre looks especially good when players employ slow-motion, crashing through doors or sliding across surfaces as the bullets rain. The character models are a little more simplistic, but ragdoll in an entertaining manner and contribute to some satisfyingly gory combat sequences.
Bosses provide a fun spin on the formula, though they lack variety. Each chapter culminates in a battle against a named foe who moves along an adjacent section of the screen. The tricky part is that the player must evade their shots whilst also taking down foes lying in wait along their route. It’s probably safer to focus entirely on the goons, because you’ll eventually reach an area with cover that isolates the boss, allowing players to take their time and fire pot-shots to whittle down their adversary’s health. Whilst these encounters don’t evolve very much, it is a really cool concept.
Bosses provide a fun spin on the formula, though they lack variety. Each chapter culminates in a battle against a named foe who moves along an adjacent section of the screen. The tricky part is that the player must evade their shots whilst also taking down foes lying in wait along their route. It’s probably safer to focus entirely on the goons, because you’ll eventually reach an area with cover that isolates the boss, allowing players to take their time and fire pot-shots to whittle down their adversary’s health. Whilst these encounters don’t evolve very much, it is a really cool concept.
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It would be untrue to say everything runs without a hitch. There are times when shooting at or through doors or destructible walls feels frustratingly unreliable. Sometimes, you’ll catch on door frames or snag furniture when attempting to roll into rooms. Whilst these are small flaws in the scheme of things, the high tariff for success and punishing enemy proficiency means that when things don’t quite go to plan, they’re typically magnified.
Don’t let this put you off, though. THKM is unadulterated fun, and its smartly-conceived star system encourages replayability. Beating levels within a set time tests your planning and execution skills and is a satisfying way of sharpening reaction times. Triumphing without using slow-motion is tough, especially the later levels, and this makes for an engaging challenge for experts. Finally, there’s a star on offer for completing a level without missing a shot which, with the aforementioned issues, can prove really tough. Best pack a shotgun with as many upgrades as you can muster.
Don’t let this put you off, though. THKM is unadulterated fun, and its smartly-conceived star system encourages replayability. Beating levels within a set time tests your planning and execution skills and is a satisfying way of sharpening reaction times. Triumphing without using slow-motion is tough, especially the later levels, and this makes for an engaging challenge for experts. Finally, there’s a star on offer for completing a level without missing a shot which, with the aforementioned issues, can prove really tough. Best pack a shotgun with as many upgrades as you can muster.
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Speaking of which, one of the chief motivations behind attaining these stars, beyond personal pride, is that they can be spent on new weapons and corresponding upgrades. Here, THKM keeps things streamlined, limiting players to recognisable tools of the trade in Hong Kong action fare: pistols, shotguns, machine guns, and assault rifles. Upgrades pass over to all like-for-like weapons, meaning any guns retrieved during a level will enjoy the same perks. There are three difficulties to tackle, with the main difference being the amount of bullet time afforded the player. On Easy, it can be deployed liberally, whilst on Hard, there’s very little to fall back on.
The Hong Kong Massacre captures action movie shtick really well. Stripping everything to a streamlined sequence of blazing action sequences makes for an exhilarating, satisfying shoot ‘em up. Players will find themselves returning, time and again, despite its often difficult scenarios. Thrumming electronic music lends the gameplay style and bite, with Vreski’s game nailing the tone, even if the storytelling is slapdash. A novel and wholly worthy alternative to Hotline Miami, and one that fans of Max Payne and shoot ‘em ups in general should seek without compunction.
The Hong Kong Massacre captures action movie shtick really well. Stripping everything to a streamlined sequence of blazing action sequences makes for an exhilarating, satisfying shoot ‘em up. Players will find themselves returning, time and again, despite its often difficult scenarios. Thrumming electronic music lends the gameplay style and bite, with Vreski’s game nailing the tone, even if the storytelling is slapdash. A novel and wholly worthy alternative to Hotline Miami, and one that fans of Max Payne and shoot ‘em ups in general should seek without compunction.
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VERDICT
"The Hong Kong is a hugely impressive action game, combining Hotline Miami with Max Payne to make for a compelling, challenging shoot 'em up experience." OVERALL: 8/10 |
OTHER HONG KONG ACTION GAMES REVIEWED
Stranglehold (2007, PlayStation 3)
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Sleeping Dogs (2012, Xbox 360)
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