Hi-Fi RUSH Review
The father of Resident Evil, Shinji Mikami, has long been hostage to his success. He is constantly expected to make a new edition of Capcom’s main hit, for which Bethesda allocated funds to the famous developer to develop his studio. But Mikami is no stranger to experimentation. Suffice it to recall that it was he who led the development of such bright and unconventional games as Vanquish and God Hand. You can download these projects on pirate bays proxy. No wonder that after the disappointing releases of The Evil Within 2 and Ghostwire: Tokyo, the Tango Gameworks employees, under the patronage of the Microsoft bosses, took over.
The Emergence of Hi-Fi Rush
Hi-Fi Rush is the result of Phil Spencer’s policy of filling the Game Pass library with a wide variety of content. This means the release of not only expensive AAA blockbusters but also more budget-friendly and non-standard projects that take less time and effort to develop. The first pancake was Ninja Theory’s failed Bleeding Edge, but in 2022 it was small games from Obsidian Entertainment..
Tango Gameworks’ new creation could be described as a fusion of Devil May Cry and a Metal: Hellsinger-style rhythm game. This should not come as a surprise, because the game designer of this project is Masaaki Yamada, who was responsible for the gameplay of Bayonetta and the experimental Vanquish. John Yohanas (The Evil Within 2) supervised the project and wrote the script.
The Plot of Hi-Fi Rush
The protagonist of the project is a loser Tea who dreams to become a rock star, though he can’t even play the guitar. So he enrolls as a volunteer in Project Armstrong to get a cyber prosthetic hand. However, the operation doesn’t go according to plan. An MP3 player is accidentally implanted into Chai’s chest, thanks to which the young man begins to “feel” the rhythm of the world around him. The management of the Vandelay Corporation puts him on the list of defects to be eliminated. An aspiring rock star has to fight back against the bosses of the evil company and save the world by joining forces with a group of outsiders.
Hi-Fi Rush Gameplay
The key difference between Hi-Fi Rush and Devil May Cry or Bayonetta is that the player doesn’t just have to deal with the enemies quickly and stylishly with combinations of attacks, avoiding incoming damage. No, all of the above will have to be done to the rhythm of the background music.
The developers tried to make the task as easy as possible. Just like in the shooter Metal: Hellsinger, in Hi-Fi, Rush you can switch the metronome on. However, it is optional, because the environment itself reacts to the music, including bushes, steam from pipes, and different mechanisms. Chai’s companion, a robotic cod named 808, constantly emits a rhythmic wave.
The protagonist always moves rhythmically, which even affects running and jumping. The rule also applies to hitting with the baton, which acts as a guitar assembled from scrap metal. Even if the player does not fall into the rhythm, the blows are still synchronized with the music, but the misses have a negative effect on the score and the number of falling enemies of the spare parts and medkits. But to fully master the game and perform all the chiseled tests you will need iron nerves, steel balls, years of experience in Japanese slashers, and a perfect sense of rhythm. For such perfectionists prepared endgame content.
The main campaign is completed in 10-12 hours, and after its completion, Chai will be able to re-play levels in search of previously inaccessible rooms and collectibles, as well as visit secret rooms with combat challenges. In addition, Tower mode, an increased difficulty level, a store with equipment, and nice bonuses like a jukebox in the HQ, and an album with 3D models of heroes and enemies are unlocked.
Conclusion
Hi-Fi Rush proved to be not only a pleasant surprise for PC fans hungry for new projects but also a serious contender for Game of the Year. And that’s even though we’ve only got the end of January here. Tango Gameworks should get out of the horror swamp and experiment more often.