Hi-Fi Rush Review – Good Vibes Only

The first boss battle in Hi-Fi Rush pits you against a giant robot that wants to crush and eat you. To defeat this mechanical giant, you need to take it down with a guitar pieced together from scrap metal, timing each of your attacks to the fast tempo of the song.” 1,000,000″ by Nine Inch Nails. The developer of Tango Gameworks is clearly known for its whimsy, but it was previously limited to a genre of horror that Hi-Fi Rush certainly doesn’t belong in. Instead, the latest Tango is a surprisingly vibrant Saturday morning cartoon about a game that captures the spirit and electrical energy of a Dreamcast or GameCube title in the best possible way. It’s great in almost every respect, combining its toe-tapping fight with genuine humor and a huge backing of both confidence and style.

At its core, Hi-Fi Rush is a fun mix of character-action games like Devil May Cry or Bayonetta and rhythm games. Its melee action will feel instantly familiar to anyone who has mastered it before, as you use your Flying V to take down enemies with combos that include the attack light and heavy, juggle enemies in the air and stay out of the way. danger. The best character action games can draw you into a trance-like state as you gradually become more adept at killing large groups of enemies, but Hi-Fi Rush goes one step further. by bringing this rhythmic flow into the design itself. You can still succeed by buttoning your way to victory, but timing your attacks to the beat of the game allows you to increase damage and clear areas in an effective way. much more fruitful. Enemies also attack and move to the beat, making each battle like an impromptu dance where you are the main attraction.

To help you find your rhythm, the whole world of Hi-Fi Rush vibrates to the beat of whatever music is currently playing, providing you with both visual and audio cues to determine your timing. It. Elevators jerk up and down to the beat, computer lights flash with each trap hit, and barriers lock you inside a battle arena made of equalizers bobbing to the beat of the music. The sounds of mechanical gears, steam pipes and your own footsteps even combine with the background music to create a harmonious sound. There are other optional visual cues you can add for extra support—such as a metronome—but the basic timing concept remains the same throughout, even outside of smooth combat and its satisfaction.

Hi-Fi Rush is also very forgiving when it comes to its rhythmic characteristics. Your timing doesn’t have to be perfect in every battle. Every attack goes on time, so you’ll never feel like the game is punishing your combat performance if you misplace a sequence of attacks. I spent most of the game at around 60% accuracy, but the combat is still an absolutely mesmerizing blast. This also solves one of the biggest problems with rhythm games. Usually, these types of games won’t be suitable if you’re out of rhythm. Either your performance has a negative impact on the music, or you’re punished with an annoying squeak to signal that you’re playing poorly. In Hi-Fi Rush, there isn’t any negative reinforcement likely to stop you from improving, other than your score being slightly affected. The challenge comes from the fact that this is more of an action game than a rhythm game. For instance, your timing has to be precise to parry an oncoming attack, but this is no different for any other melee hitter. You are actively rewarded for overcoming the cheers of the crowd, increasing your damage and achieving a higher S rank. Hi-Fi Rush works best when you’re embracing and playing along to the vibrant soundtrack, but doing so isn’t necessary for you to enjoy.

This is partly because the fighting style of Hi-Fi Rush is also very diverse. You have plenty of combos at your disposal–both in the air and on the ground–with more unlockables as you collect the gear pieces needed to purchase them. You can also ask for help from a few friends you meet on your adventures–each named after a different flavor of tea for a reason. Peppermint, one of your gun-carrying companions, uses a shotgun to fire shots that can nullify enemy shields. The game’s music is also everywhere, so she fires three shots to match the rhythm. Macaron, on the other hand, is essential for destroying enemy armor, but can also be used to repel smaller enemies, giving you time to focus on tougher enemies. Speaking of which, larger enemies won’t react to your attacks until you can break their stun bar, making them vulnerable to locking and juggling. You can do this by dealing enough damage to break it, or by parrying them with precise timing. There’s quite a bit going on, especially when you factor in the different types of enemies and the specific counterattacks needed to defeat them, but everything fits this rhythmic flow and never feeling overwhelmed.

In particular, the boss battles of Hi-Fi Rush are a highlight. Most of them are extremely creative, with each offering a unique challenge your way. This is often where the licensed soundtrack also comes into play, elevating these back-and-forth clashes with tracks from the likes of The Black Keys, The Prodigy, and Number Girl. The rest of the game includes original music that matches the pop-rock, uptempo theme of the game. There are plenty of catchy songs out there, though I wish there were a bit more licensed songs, just because dancing along and beating enemies to a familiar beat has such an obvious impact. Even so, it’s hard not to love the Hi-Fi Rush’s sleek aesthetic. The shaded visuals are beautiful, with excellent animation and vibrant colors striking the screen, making it look like a lively comic book. It exudes style and also has a masterful technical level. Not only does it work like butter, but the seamless transition from game to 2D animation, to blended 3D animation, right back to the game, is phenomenal–and it does it all. this without ever missing a beat.

There’s a goofy spirit and seriousness radiating from every part of Hi-Fi Rush, and this playfulness helps the dialogue never feel too harsh. The writing style can make others nauseous, but Tango has managed to make you fall in love with its ragtag cast of characters, including its collection of rogue bosses. Protagonist Chai may be an overconfident idiot, but he’s surprisingly likable, and the game is really funny without resorting to any nasty taunts. The story is pretty straightforward as you try to stop an evil mega-corporation, but there are also some interesting twists and turns along the way.

The only time the Hi-Fi Rush falters is in the moments between its kinetic battle. The game’s underpinnings are generally fine, with many areas off the beaten track for you to explore and find collectibles and currency. Chai’s jump is a bit bouncy and imprecise, but the checkpoints are extremely tolerant, so this should never really be an issue. The problem is that these sections can sometimes last too long. When the battle is going as well as it is, you just want to get back to it, but there are long periods of nothing but passing. To get around this, the game’s environment is also aesthetically similar at various points, with too many labs and factories looking alike. It’s not a fatal flaw, but some of the other locations look amazing, so it’s a pity that the same creativity isn’t used in all its stages.

Despite these flaws, Hi-Fi Rush is a great game that features explosive, fun, and stylish parts. It feeds on the power of nostalgia by evoking games like Jet Set Radio and Viewtiful Joe with old-school vibes and contagious energy, but it’s also completely new and exciting in its own right. It. While I love horror games and enjoyed Tango’s previous work with The Evil Inside and Ghostwire: Tokyo series, it’s interesting that the studio doesn’t focus on making games that fall under one category. unique genre and may suddenly appear one day with an infectious rhythm action game that will surely live long in the memory.