Exactly 1 Moon cycle ago I beat Metal: Hellsinger. I criticised that game for forcing rhythm into a genre that is only held back by doing actions to the beat (and in my opinion, every First Person Shooter is a Rhythm Game, with the beats per minute equal to twice the amount of frames it takes to reload a shotgun). For starters, Hi-Fi Rush has a more engaging presentation, I mean I literally downloaded it because it vaguely looked liked Jet Set Radio Future if I squinted, but I think the thought process behind both games execution is the same if I dare give Metal: Hellsinger any credit.

The only deciding factor is genre. Spectacle Fighter games are already Rhythm games! "McDoot!" I hear you cry, "You just said first person shooters are rhythm games too!" And to that I say "yes!" Everything is a rhythm game! But whereas rhythm felt like a constraint in Metal: Hellsinger, Hi-Fi Rush frames it as a Rosetta Stone for deciphering an entire genre. Every character in a Spectacle Fighter game has frame times and parries, it just so happens that here they are perfectly translated to the beat. If you want more complex action and higher reaching ambitions then please go get S rankings in every DMC game - and I am hoping that having beat this game and understood what makes the genre will make that task easier/more enjoyable.