There's a bit near the end of Hi-Fi Rush, which I wouldn't dare spoil, where "Whirring" by The Joy Formidable kicks in and it's the most exhilarating video game moment I've experienced in years. It's not an obvious song choice, and not a track most players will be familiar with, unless you have a penchant for Welsh alternative rock. Like I do.
While that particular needle drop was tailor-made to get my heart racing—by playing a song I love during the game's emotional crescendo—Hi-Fi Rush is basically a long string of fuck-yeah moments like it. I can't remember another game that made me audibly woop on so many occasions, that cracked me up by being genuinely funny, and made me actually pump my fist. I really did that, in real life, like a total dork loser.
That's the sort of pure enthusiasm Hi-Fi Rush dragged out of me. Fitting too, since it's the kind of total dork loser energy its protagonist Chai revels in. I love this twinkbo so, so much. And I love all of the friends he gathers along the way. I want a dozen more games with these characters, please.
Hi-Fi Rush is just such a good time from start to finish. Jokes come at you with the pacing of a The Naked Gun film, and they hit far more than they flop. Chai's back-and-forth with his fellow revolutionaries is charming, and visual gags abound. For a game that could have easily coasted by on its strong gameplay gimmick alone, there is a staggering amount of detail here, and almost all of it is in service to another joke.
This review is probably useless, because I really just want to talk about all the times it made me grin like a loser. The fact that this game exists in the shape it does, with this level of love and polish, feels like a miracle. Games this good, this innovative, this funny, this viscerally entertaining, they're such a rare treat.
I'm no expert in 3D combat, I certainly don't have any rhythm, and yet I felt utterly unstoppable. More than any Guitar Hero game, Hi-Fi Rush made me feel like a rockstar.
While that particular needle drop was tailor-made to get my heart racing—by playing a song I love during the game's emotional crescendo—Hi-Fi Rush is basically a long string of fuck-yeah moments like it. I can't remember another game that made me audibly woop on so many occasions, that cracked me up by being genuinely funny, and made me actually pump my fist. I really did that, in real life, like a total dork loser.
That's the sort of pure enthusiasm Hi-Fi Rush dragged out of me. Fitting too, since it's the kind of total dork loser energy its protagonist Chai revels in. I love this twinkbo so, so much. And I love all of the friends he gathers along the way. I want a dozen more games with these characters, please.
Hi-Fi Rush is just such a good time from start to finish. Jokes come at you with the pacing of a The Naked Gun film, and they hit far more than they flop. Chai's back-and-forth with his fellow revolutionaries is charming, and visual gags abound. For a game that could have easily coasted by on its strong gameplay gimmick alone, there is a staggering amount of detail here, and almost all of it is in service to another joke.
This review is probably useless, because I really just want to talk about all the times it made me grin like a loser. The fact that this game exists in the shape it does, with this level of love and polish, feels like a miracle. Games this good, this innovative, this funny, this viscerally entertaining, they're such a rare treat.
I'm no expert in 3D combat, I certainly don't have any rhythm, and yet I felt utterly unstoppable. More than any Guitar Hero game, Hi-Fi Rush made me feel like a rockstar.