Hi-Fi Rush is nothing short of the highest-tier work from the team at Tango Gameworks.
HFR understands what makes both character action games and rhythm games so entertaining, and then does an impeccable job of blending them almost seamlessly. Attacks, parries, and movement are all tied directly into the beats of a well-curated and reasonably eclectic rock soundtrack (featuring a handful of licensed music tracks) and even if players struggle to stay in time with the music, protagonist Chai's actions still sync up, making overall harmony prevail over a pressing need for perfection.
That's all without saying basically anything about the game's audiovisual flair. Environments are PACKED with active detail, with plenty of moving parts; a ton of stage backdrops, objects and even ambient sound effects (in AND out of cutscenes!) sync to the music, injecting the locales of the Vandalay campus with life.
That life extends to Hi-Fi Rush's endearing cast, from lovable idiot Chai to a stellar supporting cast of heroes with their own quirks and abilities. Despite a fairly compact run time, everybody gets their moment (even some wonderfully-played dramatic ones!), and villains are packed with some larger-than-life personalities (though you could say that about most of the cast). Expect a ton of goofiness from the game's script -- it's not afraid to poke fun at itself, its surroundings, corporate culture, a real world meme or two (don't worry, they don't feel out of place), and even other games -- and you'll be alright.
Of course, all of Hi-Fi Rush's merits are intrinsically connected to the strength of its soundtrack, a rock-centric affair that covers a few different styles and tones accompanied by Chai's guitar strikes. Licensed tracks from the likes of huge acts like Nine Inch Nails and The Black Keys punctuate the game's grander set pieces, but even the original work from composer trio Shuichi Kobori, REO (Reo Uratani) and Masatoshi Yanagi carries Chai from zone to zone with confidence. I'd argue some of the originals hit harder than the licensed set pieces, although one in particular sticks out as probably my favorite ever use of a preexisting licensed song in a video game.
Honestly, I'm still sort of in disbelief that Tango Gameworks and publisher Bethesda decided they'd randomly drop a RHYTHM game in the middle of the week at the tail end of January and it would be so affecting. I got all the same warm-and-fuzzies I got playing Gitaroo Man for the first time -- ultimately, I guess they both are about a rudderless kid finding his confidence -- and the gameplay part itself was just so engrossing I found myself immediately wanting to go back after wrapping up the main story to tackle some of the surprisingly meaty post-game challenges.
Games like this just don't come up very often. Don't miss it.
HFR understands what makes both character action games and rhythm games so entertaining, and then does an impeccable job of blending them almost seamlessly. Attacks, parries, and movement are all tied directly into the beats of a well-curated and reasonably eclectic rock soundtrack (featuring a handful of licensed music tracks) and even if players struggle to stay in time with the music, protagonist Chai's actions still sync up, making overall harmony prevail over a pressing need for perfection.
That's all without saying basically anything about the game's audiovisual flair. Environments are PACKED with active detail, with plenty of moving parts; a ton of stage backdrops, objects and even ambient sound effects (in AND out of cutscenes!) sync to the music, injecting the locales of the Vandalay campus with life.
That life extends to Hi-Fi Rush's endearing cast, from lovable idiot Chai to a stellar supporting cast of heroes with their own quirks and abilities. Despite a fairly compact run time, everybody gets their moment (even some wonderfully-played dramatic ones!), and villains are packed with some larger-than-life personalities (though you could say that about most of the cast). Expect a ton of goofiness from the game's script -- it's not afraid to poke fun at itself, its surroundings, corporate culture, a real world meme or two (don't worry, they don't feel out of place), and even other games -- and you'll be alright.
Of course, all of Hi-Fi Rush's merits are intrinsically connected to the strength of its soundtrack, a rock-centric affair that covers a few different styles and tones accompanied by Chai's guitar strikes. Licensed tracks from the likes of huge acts like Nine Inch Nails and The Black Keys punctuate the game's grander set pieces, but even the original work from composer trio Shuichi Kobori, REO (Reo Uratani) and Masatoshi Yanagi carries Chai from zone to zone with confidence. I'd argue some of the originals hit harder than the licensed set pieces, although one in particular sticks out as probably my favorite ever use of a preexisting licensed song in a video game.
Honestly, I'm still sort of in disbelief that Tango Gameworks and publisher Bethesda decided they'd randomly drop a RHYTHM game in the middle of the week at the tail end of January and it would be so affecting. I got all the same warm-and-fuzzies I got playing Gitaroo Man for the first time -- ultimately, I guess they both are about a rudderless kid finding his confidence -- and the gameplay part itself was just so engrossing I found myself immediately wanting to go back after wrapping up the main story to tackle some of the surprisingly meaty post-game challenges.
Games like this just don't come up very often. Don't miss it.