Dennaton Games found a place on the 2012 indie scene with Hotline Miami's chaotic action, vibrant style and gruesome violence. Now, with the sequel on its way, the developer is finding ways to distance the two installments, without disappointing fans of the original

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Hotline Miami 2 Level Editor Screens 3 IMAGES

"We wanted to do a sequel like they did with sequels back in the day for people who actually enjoyed the first game and want more, like with Mega Man," Dennaton's Dennis Wedin told PC Gamer in a recent interview. "So, we felt like we should call it Hotline Miami 2, stick to our guns and just give people that like the first game another game that they will enjoy. Not just trying to get a bigger audience, but making a game for us and people who liked the first one.”The new level editor is chief among the additions. Although it's not completely done yet ( Dennaton is aiming for an early 2015 release ), the team does have a firm grasp on what kind of content players will be able to create. Söderström said he wants players to be able to create their own story-like campaign, and to do so with ease –– "It’s on an MS Paint level," he said.The images below shows the level editor's basic steps –– choose a layout, litter it with enemies, and play, until the level becomes a Jackson Pollock painting:In addition to the level editor, Dennaton is using a multifarious group of playable characters to add dimension to Hotline Miami 2's story. And although the sequel isn't deviating too far from the original game's tone, Dennaton wants to use the expanded roster to flesh out the universe.“Since there’s 13 characters, we had to give them some kind of personality otherwise they’d all be bland,” Wedin said. “The story is jumping between different times and settings, so you’ll have to try and connect them."The cast will also affect the way the game is played."You have to adapt to that character’s ability," Wedin said. "Like, for this character I have to have this weapon, or for this character it’s better to use guns, you know?”Hotline Miami still doesn't have an official release date. But it did make IGN's Most Anticipated Action Games of 2014 , as well as our list of five upcoming Vita games to keep an eye on. And according to Dennaton, fans of the original Hotline Miami will be pleased to see the series they love intact, albeit with new features that shake up the formula.

Mike Mahardy is a freelance journalist writing for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter at @mmahardy , where he rants about Paul Thomas Anderson, Thomas Pynchon and Calvin and Hobbes.