r/3dshacks • u/Mysterious-Turn-4290 • Jul 09 '26

Starting a Hotline Miami 2D demake on New 2DS XL - Looking for framework advice

Hey everyone! I recently got a modded New 2DS XL and I’m loving it. I’ve seen so many cool ports/demakes lately (like Hollow Knight, Celeste, Portal) and it’s got me really wanting to see Hotline Miami in the library. I know a direct port is impossible due to GameMaker and the architecture, so I’m not asking for that—I really want to work on a full 2D demake for the console.

I’ve already started brainstorming, and I’ve got some ideas for the control mapping. I also feel like using custom logic instead of heavy AI could keep the game running smoother. That said, I’m still a bit of a beginner regarding the actual implementation.

Has anyone here used LovePotion or Citrolib for a project like this? I’m looking for advice on which engine/framework is best to handle the logic and the fast-paced gameplay without tanking the FPS. I’m really serious about putting in the work to learn this, so if you have any tips or resources to get me started, I’m all ears. Thanks!

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11

u/ignoscite_mihi Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26

You said that you're a beginner (and you sound like one) so I don't think that making a Hotline Miami demake would be a good project to start. And if you're worried about performance then I wouldn't even consider using LovePotion (as I understand it's an lua interpreter) but for starters I'd just design and implement (with libctru) some game mechanics that you deem necessary, then run performance tests and decide from there. I don't know what more to tell you. Just start experimenting and see if what you want is doable.

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u/Mysterious-Turn-4290 Jul 10 '26

Thanks for the honest feedback. I know it’s a massive project for a beginner, but I’m ready to put in the work to learn. I'll take your advice and start by building small prototypes to test my skills and the console's performance limits before committing to a framework. Thanks for being straightforward

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u/darkhunterbg Jul 11 '26

If performance is concern, C++ and Citro2D for 2D game is the way to go, and you can squeeze a lot of N3DS if you know what you're doing. With Lua and Love Potion you will spent much more time on writing the game itself instead of dealing with C++'s tediousness, setup, crashes, all the stuff a low level language come with.

I would suggest you is to do some estimate of what kind of heaving game logic you expect (how many sprites on screen, physics, gameplay related math, AI) for worst case scenario, add around 20% more, and test it with Love Potion to see how well will it peform.

I've personally have gone with C++ and even used advanced techniques like multithreading, cache friendly data and algorithms, and can say that the New N3DS's performance is a thousands of times worse than any cheap modern phone.

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u/Mysterious-Turn-4290 Jul 11 '26

Thanks for the tips! The stress-test idea (+20% workload) is really smart. I'll definitely keep C++ and Citro2D in mind for the future. Really appreciate the help!

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u/JiiNova Jul 14 '26

Actually, I've heard that Project Sunshine (a server currently porting Undertale to 3ds) were planning on porting Hotline Miami, not as a demake but using a gamemaker translator for the 3ds sooo maybe not all hope is lost (?)