

One specific stage had a segment in which failure resulted in a game over. I had a much better time after increasing the camera sensitivity to maximum. Barring that, as with most action games, the camera can be an issue sometimes. I hope these aspects can be improved or addressed in potential future updates. Speaking of getting too hectic, there were a few stages where the combat was a bit too busy and it was hard to tell where attacks were coming from or what to parry. On paper, that is fine, but it being tied to skills that have cooldowns is annoying and completely kills the flow of combat when things get too hectic. Some of the enemies require you to keep using these special team member skills to take down shields or barriers. This aspect is where one of my only complaints with Hi Fi Rush comes into the picture.

These help not only with combat, but also are required for progressing through levels to take down specific obstacles that require a specific member of your team to help. As the story progresses, you unlock the ability to call for help from a member of your team.
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You find health, collectibles like graffiti, pieces to earn permanent upgrades, and more of the gears you can use to upgrade Chai and his abilities. These involve specific parry and dodge button presses on unique beats.īarring combat, exploration in Hi Fi Rush is always rewarding. Specific enemies have special moves that can be parried to give you a chance to one hit kill them. Parrying in Hi Fi Rush is very different compared to other games. When you input buttons for combos, doing them on the beat gives you a bonus, and there are quite a few QTEs that involve pressing the correct buttons on the beat.Īs you progress through the various levels, Chai unlocks more of the game’s core mechanics like a grappling hook-style magnet that you use during combat and traversal. The rhythm element isn’t just for visuals or animations, but a key part of combat and traversal. The animations are gorgeous across the board, and I hope we get a Hi Fi Rush artbook released in the future. This is pretty standard on paper, but the way Hi Fi Rush shines is in how the environment, enemies, and you all move to the beat.

The core gameplay loop in Hi Fi Rush involves Chai going through mostly linear levels while fighting enemies, collecting various power-ups and gears (the in-game currency), and reaching a boss or a story set-piece. There is also a lot of humor here with a plethora of references to other media. Without spoiling anything, my favorite moments, barring the set-pieces and boss battles, were the way characters in your gang warmed up to Chai over time and how Chai became more confident in his abilities going forward. There are too many amazing elements that I don’t want to spoil. The only aspect of this review that I was dreading, is writing about the story. In Hi Fi Rush, you play as Chai, a wannabe rockstar who has a music player fuzed into his heart and a guitar made of scrap that he can use as a sword. It has so many memorable scenes scattered across the levels including boss fights and set-pieces, but the real star is the gameplay and how music plays a part in just about every aspect of Hi Fi Rush. I love action games and rhythm games, but the way Hi Fi Rush blends both is special. Little did I know that this would end up being one of my favorite games in years. When I woke up to an email about it, the key art looked great, but I was surprised to see Tango Gameworks mentioned as the developer. I wasn’t awake during the reveal for Hi Fi Rush, so I missed any initial reactions from friends and people online.
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In my Hi Fi Rush PC and Steam Deck review I will be covering the game itself, the PC port, how it feels on Steam Deck, and more. Hi Fi Rush is phenomenal, and my favorite action game since Devil May Cry 5.
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I also checked it out on my Xbox Series X to see how the experience was on more powerful hardware. Since launch, I’ve been playing Hi Fi Rush on my Steam Deck and PC for review. Last week during the Xbox Developer_Direct showcase, Bethesda and Tango Gameworks announced and released the rhythm action game Hi Fi Rush.
