Hi Fi Rush came out of nowhere and is the first must play Game Pass Title of 2023. Shadow dropped during an XBOX/Bethesda Direct. It outsold and critically smashed against PS5 console exclusive Forspoken in its first week. Reach in your brain to your favorite titles from the Dreamcast era. The best gems of that generation were experimental, wildly imaginative games that tried something new. Hi-Fi Rush, a rhythm action game from Evil Within developer Tango Game works. (yeah, I know). Its instantly pick and play enjoyable, making it a perfect Gamepass title. Rhythm game masters will crush it, but the game has such knack for explaining its surprisingly deep mechanics that even novices will be racking up perfect runs and S tier scores in no time.
The entire adventure centers around quirky protagonist Chai, dripping with charm and likability from the instant he appears on screen. He arrives at obviously corrupt Vandelay Industries to get a replacement for a missing arm. He is mistakenly given a hi tech robot arm that can magneticly transform into guitar like key blade.Vandelay sends denizens of robot enemies to reclaim their now attached property and this is where the rhythm smack down starts with a bang and never lets up. The hilarious part about this easy to follow to setup, is that it is never explained why Chai is missing an arm, and doesn’t even seem bothered by it in the first place. The humor here is very self-aware and even pokes fun at video game development.
The action unfolds with an awestruck cell shaded art style that is part classic Saturday morning cartoon nirvana, part Last Airbender like anime. Chai eventually teams up with some members of a plucky band of resistance fighters, all who are just like well-written written charming as its lead guitar wielding "future rockstar." Every thing in Hi Fi rush is set to a beat. Getting those high scores and perfect combos depends on you timing your attacks with the beat of the music. There are visual cues everywhere to telegraph what that beat is. Chai snaps his fingers to the beat. His footsteps match the beat. Turbines and artifacts on the wall tell you the beat. But don't worry, if that isnt a enough, a simple push a button will also make a metronome appear at the bottom of the screen.
Accessablilty options have also been added to make the kung fu of beat mastery even easier. Enemies take increased damage when you hit on enemies on time. Visual text and sound cues will tell you when you hit the sweet spot. Every enemies encounter is called a "Chorus" and the end level screen will have all your combo scores listed out, Ala Devil May Cry. Levels can be replayed after you beat the game.
As you progress through the story, you will come across a variety of extremely colorful bosses, each one has its own personality and trademark area. These bosses are akin to the over time top bosses in akin to Viewtiful Joe or Metal Gear Solid 3, and are definitely a highlight of the game as well. I'm pleased to say that these colorful villains are just as well-written as the rest of cast. Frequently over the top, in classic 90s Saturday morning cartoon villain fashion, some of the boss fights being damn laugh out loud funny. One such boss fight involved you tricking the villain into spending over his budget by continuously destroying his allotment of evil robots. The humor in the the game is also on point, casually breaking the fourth wall on several occasions, making jokes about crunch, gamers, and even the games industry itself.
Hi-Fi Rush is a creative, well-written and surprisingly well-rounded title, with simple gameplay, but with deep mechanics that are begging to me masters. Many outlets are already calling this an Early Game of the Year Contender, and proves the overwhelming power of marketing that is Game Pass. The game recently recieved some DLC providing more gameplay modes and challeges.
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