During its Developer_Direct conference, Microsoft formalized Hi-Fi Rush, a rhythm action game that is available right away. We discovered the first two levels, and we can’t wait to play them again.
Microsoft had concocted a major surprise for its Developer_Direct broadcast on January 25 – its first successful speech of 2023 (and not only thanks to the flamboyant images of Forza Motorsport). On the occasion of this conference, we discovered the existence of Hi-Fi Rush, an action game available now on PC, Xbox and Xbox Game Pass. It’s called “ shadow drop ”, and it is an excellent initiative on the part of Microsoft.
This is the full game and not a playable demo or early access version. The Tango Gameworks studio, to whom we owe the two horror games The Evil Withinhas developped Hi-Fi Rush discreetly so that no leaks spoil this unexpected outing. Intrigued by this colorful trailer (which contrasts with what Shinji Mikami, father of the resident Evil) and this inspired art direction, we launched Hi-Fi Rush time to complete the first two levels. We ask for more.
Hi-Fi Rushor the little candy of January 2023
In Hi-Fi Rush, we play Chai, a rockstar in the making who will be considered an anomaly after a failed operation perpetrated by a vile company. And for good reason: his heart merges with a digital walkman (an iPod if we want to popularize), which will have the effect of transforming his entire existence into a huge score. For Tango Gameworks, this starting postulate is above all an excuse to transform a simple beat them all (action game where you hit everyone) into a rhythmic test to the liking of a soundtrack by the way (Nine Inch Nails, The Black Cheys…). A marriage of genres reminiscent Metal: Hellsingeran ersatz of doom where you have to shoot in the right tempo.
What is the use of typing in rhythm? In addition to the propensity to make you gesticulate on your sofa like a candidate for the show Dancing with the stars, this musical overlay is devilishly effective. By chaining combos of weak and strong hits following the chant, you will do more damage. And if the first level suggests a rather accessible experience, the challenge thickens from the next, between the more varied enemies and the boss who requires learning his attacks. To triumph, the idea is not to type frantically but, sometimes, to delay your blows to accomplish beautiful sequences. It’s clever and intoxicating.
We even see a good margin of progress in the gameplay. For example, you end up unlocking a grappling hook that can be used to climb to more distant places, or to rush towards the bad robots to keep the flow. Are you afraid of not having the ear to be effective? The developers have thought of an option to add a visual aid (the environments are strewn with it, otherwise). There is even a tool to test the latency of its installation.
The first minutes in Hi-Fi Rush are more than encouraging for a simple reason: it moves rather very well, with a calibrated nervousness adapted to punchy fights. There is an immediate pleasure in embodying Chai, who will receive support from allies as the adventure progresses. The icing on the cake: there is a cute cat, with whom we can have fun between two missions (which last about forty minutes and give you a score according to your prowess).
A priori, we are not the only ones to be conquered: on Steam, the first reviews are “very positive”. It is amply deserved for a studio in full paradox: it is by leaving its favorite genre (horror for a welcoming, carefree and humorous universe) that it is in the process of asserting itself. And, once again, we can thank the Xbox Game Pass for highlighting these kinds of nuggets that deserve more exposure.
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