As the editor of a magazine that does a fair amount of pre-game coverage, I probably shouldn’t be writing this. But how cool is it when a game like Hi-Fi Rush falls into your lap out of nowhere? Goodness, Hi-Fi Rush isn’t just reviving Tango Gameworks, which has recently been struggling to find enough fun or excitement in a ghost-taken Tokyo. It also brings back memories of the blissful Dreamcast days, when you were sure that no one but SEGA would dare to play a game like Jet Set Radio.
It’s edgy, but not super cool. Hip but fully aware of how childish it is at heart. Above all, it is full of invariably good energy from head to toe.
In fact, a few more games come to mind just by watching Hi-Fi Rush like this. Viewtiful Joe, Lollipop Chainsaw, Sunset Overdrive – mainly titles that disappointed at the till because they just didn’t aim wide enough. Hi-Fi Rush brushes aside such concerns in a number of ways, potentially ending doomed gaming inventions. On the one hand, it is a direct part of the Game Pass and, at 30 euros, is also cheap. A clever move for an experimental title like this one. And then there’s the fact that it’s impossible not to like this game.
As someone who often struggles with games humor, I didn’t expect to hear myself laugh out loud several times. The design, dialogue book, narrator and above all the brilliant character animations of this timeless cel shading action game completely disarm the cynic in me. It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a game this casually and relaxed – which again may be due to the fact that I was able to go into this title with no expectations or preconceived notions.
And I’m actually not even the typical customer for this type of game. Light-footed, not too serious action title with a score component and a rhythm game gimmick on top? I appreciate something like that every now and then, but I was worried that it would miss my talents a bit in terms of precision. Not even close. The entire world and all of the characters give me clever visual cues on how to time my shots. And if it doesn’t work, I still don’t do too little damage. What I then lose is, in addition to the bonus damage and good scores, the “fuller” music that you hear when you play well.
If you do everything right, it’s almost intoxicating: Cheering from the “audience”, guitar licks that gibber from Chai’s k(l)ampfe are layered on a soundtrack, which then encourages you to rock along even more than already. Before the boss fight, licensed music by Nine Inch Nails or Prodigy sounds, which fits perfectly to the climax of a stage.
And I’m just now realizing that this game is one of the kind that you have to feel, because just talking about it is exhausting and doesn’t even begin to convey the feeling that you have when you’re playing. For me, Hi-Fi Rush creates an underground grin that gets wider and wider with every successful combo, but I still try hard to suppress it. For fear I’ll get out of flow and get tangled up if I get too involved. And when the fight is over, it breaks out of me all the more violently. That feels incredibly satisfying. Nice, it’s the weekend. Too bad the kids don’t date.
Hi-Fi Rush is available on Xbox Series and PC for a low price of 30 euros and is alternatively included in the Game Pass. According to initial reports, it should take around eight hours to play through once. It runs like a dream on the Steam Deck with only a few settings tweaks, but it just begs for headphones.
