That its gameplay and combat are a unique melding of rhythm and stylish action games is merely the cherry on top. For its 10 or 11-hour runtime, it has more in common with a Saturday morning cartoon than a thin attempt at gritty, prestige television, like most triple-A games these days, and that's easily its biggest strength. Hi-Fi Rush is a joy and a compelling argument for more game releases being treated like a Beyoncé album drop than a years-long marketing campaign.Hi-Fi Rush occupies an increasingly rare space in the big-budget video game industry: that of colorful, goofy, and light-hearted titles. Surprise launches are understandably rare for games of this size and scope, but coming from a publisher that tends to focus on massive, full-price games, it does a lot to help something that could feel a little dated feel like a treat instead. ![]() If Hi-Fi Rush is any indication of future games Microsoft aims to publish on Game Pass (and Steam) without preamble, it'll be hard not to recommend signing up. It works by cartoon logic, where everything is bold and over-the-top and mostly a way to carry you to the next big fight or cutscene. Like a lot of the Disney-themed levels you explore as Sora, Donald, and Goofy, Hi-Fi Rush's big evil factory is exaggerated and nonsensical in a way that would fall apart if you scrutinize it too much. ![]() At times Hi-Fi Rush's extremely modest level design reminds me of Kingdom Hearts. There are crates to smash, upgrades to find, and the occasional robot to chat with. The linear levels that connect each combat arena are considerably less interesting, but are a nice break from the focus required for the brawls. Once you're dropped in a room with five or six enemies, it becomes a satisfying challenge to maintain your pace while interrupting it to dodge away or call on Peppermint to blast enemies as you reposition. And if you mess it up, the only punishment is a break in your flow and a ding to your score.Įventually Hi-Fi Rush piles a ton of different combos on you that each require a mixture of mashing your attacks to the beat and waiting for one before you attack again. That small pause while you watch Chai do an over-the-head smash with his Flying V guitar tests your ability to keep time in your head and rewards you with a powerful finishing move if you nail the timing. Light attacks are mostly spammable for every beat, but heavy attacks have a longer animation that spans two beats. The enemies obey the same rules, too: their attacks always land on a beat and are telegraphed with an MMO-style shape on the ground to indicate when you should dodge. Light and heavy attacks do more damage and can be turned into combos as long as you stay on time with the song. In a similar way to Spider-Verse having young Miles Morales web swing at half the FPS of the experienced Peter Parker, Hi-Fi Rush transforms a clever novelty into a vibe. ![]() It's an impressive stylistic choice that amplifies its somewhat messy cel-shaded-and-halftones aesthetic and gives you a nice visual indicator during the frantic battles (you can also turn on an optional rhythm guide at the bottom of the screen). Hi-Fi Rush goes out of its way to make its world and characters move like an animated music video. Every step Chai takes and every pipe and platform in the industrial levels bounce at the same time the drums do in songs like The Black Keys' Lonely Boy. If you mess the timing up, the only punishment is a break in your flow and a ding to your score.Įverything moves with the beat.
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