When developer Tango Gameworks comes to mind, a light-hearted rhythm game is probably not someone's first thought. The studio has gained fans thanks to the survival horror series The Evil Within and 2022's spooky first-person action title Ghostwire: Tokyo. Nonetheless, the surprise release of Hi-Fi RUSH sees Tango Gameworks go in this new direction, albeit with the studio's bombastic flair.

Hi-Fi RUSH puts the player in the hi-top shoes of Chai, a wannabe rockstar who ends up on the wrong end of an evil mega corporation after a robotics experiment goes wrong. Luckily, the experiment gave Chai a fancy new robot arm and - most importantly - the ability to tap into the rhythm of the world courtesy of the game's rock soundtrack. This is where the minute-to-minute gameplay of Hi-Fi RUSH comes in, as the player matches the beat of the song with their combat and movements.

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Combat is the key gameplay element of Hi-Fi RUSH, and here the title is a huge victory for Tango Gameworks. It taps into the reality that key timing and rhythm is an integral part of modern action games and takes this to its logical conclusion, mapping attacks, dodges, and parries to the beats of the amazing Hi-Fi RUSH soundtrack. It's rather forgiving, meaning that those who do struggle won't lose out on the experience entirely, but there's plenty of challenge there for those who want to go for the more complicated combos and get the highest scores in each combat encounter.

Hi-Fi RUSH Boss Battle

This rhythm element also falls into the non-combat gameplay of Hi-Fi RUSH. Between combat sections there are 3D platforming environments, as well as things like QTEs to complete, and the attention to detail in some of these sections really brings home how music was integral to the game's design. It's little moments that drive this success, like collecting items that are spaced in time with the soundtrack, even though sometimes Chai's movement feels a little sluggish.

Of course, this isn't the only game to use music as a key part of its gameplay. The likes of Crypt of the Necrodancer and Everhood are also games built around music, while of course there are also those memorable music-based levels in the more recent Rayman games. However, Hi-Fi RUSH takes this idea and moves it up a scale, making it an incredibly exciting game to play.

From a story perspective, Hi-Fi RUSH is also rather good fun. It's a game with humor at the forefront, and generally this works extremely well, such as with snippets of dialogue between robot workers or the ongoing appearances of a Philip Marlowe-esque android gumshoe. It doesn't always land, and Chai himself is maybe a little too close to Link from The Legend of Zelda's cartoon adaptation for comfort, but overall it's a fun story and world to explore.

Hi-Fi RUSH Combat

This is in part down to how great the cast of support characters are, particularly the department heads of the evil megacorp, who all have fantastic personalities and designs. It ties in perfectly to the game's comic book, cel-shaded style, and its visuals are always on point. The world and character models of Hi-Fi RUSH are vibrant and engaging, and one that doesn't wear out its welcome all too often.

Indeed, one of the enticing ideas about Hi-Fi RUSH is exactly how far its template could be explored. There is amazing potential for additional content here, seeing other tracks or artists built into this design structure. The Nine Inch Nails sections of Hi-Fi RUSH are among the best; why not build on this with a higher difficulty content pack, such as Chai having to attack and dodge to the glitchy electronica of Year Zero?

Hi-Fi RUSH is an absolute delight. A simple idea that could have been extremely difficult to correctly develop, Hi-Fi RUSH is a real joy to play. Here's hoping that there are many more brilliant surprises to come this year, as Hi-Fi RUSH sets a high bar.

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Hi-Fi RUSH is out now for Xbox Series X/S and PC. Screen Rant was provided with a digital Xbox code for the purposes of this review.

Source: Bethesda Softworks/YouTube

  • Hi-Fi Rush Game Poster
    Hi-Fi Rush
    Platform:
    Microsoft Windows, Steam, Xbox Series X/S
    Released:
    2023-01-25
    Developer:
    Tango Gameworks
    Publisher:
    Bethesda Softworks
    Genre:
    Action-Adventure, Rhythm
    Engine:
    Unreal Engine 4
    ESRB:
    T
    Summary:
    From the creative teams behind The Evil Within comes Hi-Fi Rush, an action-adventure rhythm game that blends high-speed action combat with beat-synced movement. When young rock star hopeful Chai elects to be a test subject for a robotic enhancement program, an accident gives him a magnetic robotic arm and an MP3 player installed in his chest that allows him to feel the world's rhythm. Chai will partner with a rag-tag band of rebels looking to expose the robotics corporation's sinister hidden agenda. Players will dash, attack, jump, and more to the beat as they play along to original and licensed music from various bands.
    Mode:
    Single-Player