Announced (and published) in the course of Developer_Direct of Xbox last January 25, Hi-Fi RUSH he immediately knew how to impress all the spectators through his unique and unconventional style. Born from the crazy minds of the team Tango Game Worksknown for works such as The Evil Within And Ghostwire Tokyowe could only expect another game full of dark settings, plots with strong suspense and above all horror. Or maybe not? In fact this time we are faced with a totally unexpected title compared to the canons we are used to, but don’t worry, there is an important novelty, in fact the game blends two of the genres that we would least expect together: Rhythm Game and Hack and Slash.
Whether you are intrigued by the title or just waiting to finish downloading the game from Game Pass (where it is currently available to all subscribers), enjoy our review below.
- Title: Hi-Fi RUSH
- Platform: Xbox Series X|S, PC
- Analyzed version: Xbox Series X
- Type: Rhythm Game, Hack and Slash
- Players: 1
- Publisher: ZeniMax Media
- Developer: Tango Game Works
- Tongue: Italian (texts and voices)
- Exit date: January 25, 2023
- Availability: digital delivery
- DLCs: nobody
- Note: available for free upon release for Game Pass subscription holders
We reviewed Hi-Fi RUSH with an Xbox code provided to us for free by Microsoft.
After being accused of being a “defective” subject in an experiment gone wrong, the aspiring rock star Chai he finds himself embroiled in a “corporate” conspiracy that will lead him to fight for his freedom. In a world that only follows the laws of music we will find ourselves in laughter, many playlists and a disproportionate number of fights. But the new adventure of Tango Game Works to conquer us?
When I grow up I want to be a rock star
Hi-Fi RUSH begins immediately with an unusual story: the young and aspiring rock star Chai decides to participate in a revolutionary experiment of the technology company Vandelay, with the aim of “replacing” his broken arm. Of course, as expected, things don’t quite go as planned. In fact, a few moments before proceeding, he ends up finding himself between Chai and the machine the protagonist’s MP3 playerwhich will become in all respects his new heart. Bright side? At least the broken arm has been replaced with a brand new robot arm, exactly as planned! It will be precisely the combination of these two elements that will consequently make Chai the hero we didn’t know we needed.
When his “new heart” starts beating, his arm is capable of creating a crude, fully functional metal guitar, and his new weapon against unjust corporate policies, and why not, even against the conquest of the world by a super villain. This rebirth of his, however, does not go so well with the high offices of the Vandelaywho thus decide to “eliminate the defect”, allowing our rock star’s adventure to begin, also studded with many new acquaintances who will help Chai on his journey.
In eleven hours that we spent finishing the main storyline alone (on normal difficulty), we were able to appreciate a unique game design, capable of merging a cartoonish world with the most famous cyberpunk features, creating a truly winning product. The game world is colorful, lively, fun, and above all varied. Indeed, although entirely set within a “mini company city”, we were able to explore construction sites, state-of-the-art museums, lighted stages, and even lava-filled caverns. In fact, the game, albeit linear, offers the player a deep exploration mechanismthrough which we will have to find the various collectibles of the game that will expand our knowledge of the world around us and help our dear protagonist to strengthen himself to face increasingly difficult challenges.
Furthermore, if we have barely touched the ten hours to face the main campaign alone, we’ve been through just as much to retrace our steps with new abilities and discover all those secrets we had left behind. Once the game is finished, we will be able to select the chapter that best suits us, so as to clean it up properly and prepare for the new mode Rhythm Tower, where we will fight against waves of enemies relentlessly, until we reach the top floor. We will once again find the upgrade chips at our disposal, but we will no longer be able to change them throughout the course of the challenge. To make the mode advantageous, however, we find the possibility of converting 10% of the score into useful devices for our upgrades. If this were not enough, we also find the mural inside the main game hub: by completing all the available requests we will be able to see a beautiful painting depicting our adventure.
Inside the game there are also numerous easter eggs and references to the team’s past works or to famous Japanese productions. Among these we find a robot version of Sebastian Castellanos and Joseph Odaprotagonists of The Evil Withinand returned this time as HR inspectors of Vandelay, or the game boss Zanzoclearly inspired by JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. There will also be quotes regarding our protagonist who, during the customization phase at the refuge, will make fun of us if we select a particular shirt included in the Deluxe version of the title, or he will break the fourth wall by pointing out several times to the supporting actors that according to him they all find within a video game.
Don’t lose your rhythm
If the texture and style of Hi-Fi RUSH make it an interesting title, however, it is the gameplay that makes it a jewel not to be missed. The game, as anticipated in the opening phase, blends the Rhythm Game genre with the Hack and Slash one, creating a captivating and bizarre mixture. The whole game world, right from the start, will go in rhythm with the music, including elements of the scenario, movements of NPCs, but even attacks and movements of enemies. Every time we attack, jump, parry, or use a special move, our protagonist will try to synchronize with the rhythm of the gamewith nothing short of satisfactory effects, but let’s try to go into detail.
If we attack in rhythm during the fights, then we will get a damage bonus. If instead from the simple blow we switch to a real combo, then we will get a damage bonus plus a bonus “Go like this!”which through a quick time event will allow us to inflict even more damage on enemies, such as special shots by pressing both sticks. Even the jumps, the dodges, the interactions, must all be timed to get the best result, but don’t despair: even if you are not used to this type of titles, the game comes to our rescue through a special bar that will tell you when to press the action key to follow the rhythm. Once you are familiar with the game system, Hi-Fi RUSH shows its full potential as an action, capable of giving numerous satisfactions to each fight, especially when our shots will exactly follow the rhythm of the game. In the title there are also numerous platform phases capable of breaking a possible monotony given by the fights, as well as several 2D scrolling phases, so as to always make the experience as varied as possible.
To help us in our enterprise we will also find the multiple helpers of the protagonist, which we will unlock as we progress through the main story. Each of them owns unique characteristics, capable of helping us in combat or with the different environmental puzzles scattered throughout the levels, but be careful, even in these cases the pace will be of the essence. In fact, if by chance some of you are thinking that the title is too punitive in this way, we also point out the presence of an additional degree of difficulty, in which if your combo bar drops below the minimum level, then it will automatically be Game Over .
Get the headphones
Technically Hi-Fi RUSH he knows how to make the player happy, but not only that, he is also ready to meet all streamers. Through a selectable option in the main game menu, we will be able to switch to Streamer modewhere all copyrighted tracks are replaced with tracks Hi-Fi RUSH Original, which we will also be able to hear in the basic version of the title within the different game levels. In fact, the title has more than forty songs, among which several famous tracks also stand out, including: 1,000,000 And The Perfect Drug of the Nine Inch Nails, Lonely Boy of the The Black Keys, Invaders Must Die of the The Prodigy, Whirling of the The Joy Formidable, INAZAWA CHAINSAW of the Number Girl, Wolfgang’s 5th Symphony Of Wolfgang Gartner And honestly of the Zwan.
Obviously, it seems almost obvious to say, we strongly recommend the use of headphones, so that you can get carried away more easily by the frenetic pace of the game. Also to be commended is a discreet dubbing work in Italian, with only sporadic cases of tones that are a little over the top and distant from the general mood of the moment.
Who do we recommend Hi-Fi RUSH to?
Hi-Fi RUSH is certainly recommended to all lovers of the genre, but also to those who want to get out of their comfort zone and try a different experience, especially if they subscribe to theXbox Game Pass. The various strong elements of the title know how to win over the players, also thanks to the basic price at which the experience is offered, making it a title to try at least once in a lifetime.
- Revolutionize the concept of rhythm game
- Game design in perfect harmony with the game world
- Funny in every aspect, from the dialogues to the fights…
- …But far too punitive at certain stages
- The tone of the voice acting is not always in line with the situation
- Quite obvious plot past the initial stages, proving to be just a simple pretext to advance
Hi-Fi RUSH
The best combination of game and music
Hi-Fi RUSH has been able to conquer us in every aspect, from the frenetic fights to the beautiful tracks that have accompanied us throughout the course of the adventure. The title has been able to prove itself to be the best exponent in the videogame field that can fully express the right combination of the Action and Rhythm Game genres, without exceeding in either field. Also to be appreciated is the discreet localization in Italian, capable of making us feel at home even in the long corridors of the Vandelay. Whether you are a casual gamer or looking for something that revolutionizes your way of conceiving action games, Hi-Fi RUSH is the right thing for you, but be careful not to lose the rhythm!
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