Drew Donofrio – Managing Editor

dcd5412@psu.edu

I have always been awful at rhythm games and never had any interest in getting better at them. That was until “Hi-Fi Rush” was released earlier this year. It was developed by Tango Gameworks, the team responsible for “The Evil Within,” and published by Bethesda games. The game was first announced on January 25 – two days before my birthday – and was set to release that same day. In modern-day game releases, this is unheard of. The game did not have any reveals or hints of it coming out, it just dropped out of nowhere. As it did not get much attention on its release, many people had no idea that the game even came out, or what it was.

About two months later, my friend saw his friend pick up the game and loved it. So, one night, my friend, several of my other friends, and I stayed up and watched my friend play through the first story beat of the game. After which, I knew that I needed to buy the game immediately. I soon found out that the game was only a reasonable $30. 

While $30 for a shorter game may seem like a lot for some people, I believe the price is reasonable. Luckily, later that week, I found out that the game was on PC Xbox Game Pass. So, I downloaded the game. And then I finished it within three days.

Now, what is “Hi-Fi Rush?” Hi-Fi Rush is a rhythm-based action beat-em-up game with Saturday morning cartoon-based graphics with delightfully corny writing. The story surrounds our wannabe rock star, Chai, getting a robotic arm “upgrade” from the mega-corporation called Vanderlay Technologies. Due to an accident, Chai is marked as a defect, his music player stuck in his now robotic chest. Because of this incident, Chai gets attacked by robots working for Vanderlay Technologies, trying to escape the city-sized company campus. Along the way, Chai meets several friends and foes creating a wonderfully colorful cast. All of the characters and their designs feel incredibly unique, mostly due to the unique aesthetic of the game. The game resembles Saturday morning cartoons, comic books from the 80s/90s, and PlayStation 2 games like “Viewful Joe” (2003) and “Okami” (2006). This unique aesthetic is a stark difference from several of the other games that came out in the past few years, making the game stand out even more. 

The gameplay of “Hi-Fi Rush” also feels very similar to the previously mentioned PlayStation Two games, with a mix of a few others. Others have described the gameplay as a mix of the “Devil May Cry” series, and “Guitar Hero.” When Chai attacks, moves, jumps or acts in any way, it is to the beat of the song. However, if you do any of these actions to the beat of the song, you are rewarded with higher ranks and damage. I believe that this is the main hook of the game. It feels good to hit the enemies to the beat of the fantastic soundtrack, but it also allows people who are not great at rhythm games – me – to still enjoy the game effortlessly. 

Speaking of the soundtrack, it is wonderfully crafted and compiled. The majority of the songs are composed by former Konami composer Shuichi Kobori, former Capcom composer Reo Uratani, and Tango Gameworks’ sound designer Masatoshi Yanagi. However, it also includes several songs from real-life. Several popular bands and songs are featured during boss fights throughout the game. For example, the first boss you fight is accompanied by “1,000,000” by Nine Inch Nails and the opening theme of the game is “Lonely Boy” by The Black Keys. One of the boss fights even uses a remix of “Wolfgang’s 5th Symphony.”

Overall, I believe this sleeper hit of a game is a strong contender for the Game Of The Year award. I understand that it is incredibly early on in the year, but I believe that this game is a near-perfect romp of a game that anyone even vaguely interested should consider checking out. Its masterful combination of gameplay, soundtrack, and graphics shoots this game up to be one of my favorite games of all time, even if I beat it in three days. 

There never is a down moment in the game, and I adore it for that. I have to give “Hi-Fi Rush” a hard 9/10, only with a few nitpicks from getting a perfect 10/10 review.