In this guide I am going to teach you how to remove character masks from several characters in the game. This will allow you to play characters such as Jacket without them wearing their mask while still gaining the benefits of said mask.
In this guide we will be using the HLM WAD Explorer to manipulate game files so make sure you download it here before we continue:
https://github.com/TcT2k/HLMWadExplorer/releases/tag/v1.0.0
Who does it work on?
Only two characters are able to have their masks removed:
- The Cobra (Jake)
- Jacket
This is because they are the only characters that have multiple masks, the rest of the characters who wear masks have them glued on since they don’t have to change them.
Setting Up HLM WAD Explorer [New People]
If you’re new to the HLM WAD Explorer you’ll need to set it up.
First of all, you’ll want to go to “File” at the top of the window. From here you’ll want to select”Switch base wad…”. From here you will have to locate the WAD file for Hotline Miami 2.
Your base WAD file can normally be found in:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Hotline Miami 2
However you may have a different install location.
Once you have found your install folder you’ll want to select the file, “hlm2_data_desktop.wad” as this is the base WAD for the game.
If you have done it correctly you should have a screen that looks like this.
If your screen does not look like that you have probably selected the wrong WAD file.
Extracting The Sprite Sheet
In HLM WAD Explorer you’ll want to locate the player sprite sheets for either The Cobra or Jacket, depending on which one you want to remove the masks for.
If you open the “Atlases” drop down menu you should be able to find the sprite sheets, “Player_Cobra” and “Player_Jacket”. Find the sprite sheet you want to remove the mask for and extract the file from the “Resource” tab and selecting “Extract…”.
Removing The Masks
Once you have your sprite sheet you’ll want to edit it with some sort of photo editing software. I personally use Paint.net as it is free. Paint.net can be download at:
Open up the sprite sheets and look for the mask sprites. I have provided images to help you find the masks, they are inside the red boxes.
Jacket
The Cobra
Find the mask you wanted to get rid of and simply delete it using the eraser tool.
Yep that is literally it.
Keep in mind that Jake has fragmented mask sprites so you’ll need to delete those as well or mask pieces will spawn when you get shotgunned in the head.
