A surprise that arrives to make its mark

Hi-Fi RUSH comes out of nowhere. Announced and released on January 25, 2023, the rhythm and action game of the genre arrives strongly for Xbox and PC through Steam, Epic, and Gamepass. Within hours of its release, the game has already collected numerous positive reviews for a rhythmic experience unprecedented in games of its kind. Produced by Tango Gameworks and published by Bethesda, Hi-Fi RUSH gives a show of quality and polish in all criteria and therefore has a real chance of being elected as the game of the year, even though the year is just beginning.



Let's bring this company down. One boss at a time

Chai is a teenager who wants to be a rock star and lives in a futuristic world where the large and powerful Vandelay corporation is looking for volunteers for its most ambitious endeavor, the Armstrong project. With the project, the company aims to combine technology with the human body, with the pretext of enhancing its abilities, which however hides dark secrets.

In the combination process, Chai is fused with his MP4 player (yes, that's right, an MP4), which is incorporated into his heart a la Tony Stark. In addition, the young man receives a mechanical arm with magnetic powers that is able to transform into a guitar of sorts. 

As this fusion was not intentional, Vandelay's monitoring systems detect Chai as a mistake and try to kill him, but the boy manages to defeat them in a combat style that combines skill and agility, all very well paced in synchrony that presents itself in all aspects of the game.



Early in the game, we are introduced to our first ally, Peppermint, who approaches us remotely through her robotic kitty, 808. She helps us pass through some obstacles, and as soon as we meet her in person, we discover that her real interest is to stop the plans of the Vandelay corporation. To do this, we need to collect some keys, held by the company's high-ranking managers. 

Hi-Fi RUSH tells a linear, but a flawless story from beginning to end. The narrative is built by emphasizing the characters and their striking personalities. The silly and unpretentious atmosphere captures us in a comical and immersive way in a series of episodes that reminds us of a lot of shounen anime such as JoJo and anime-inspired animations like Martin Mistery and Young Titans. 

The exaggeration of the characters' expressions and constant humor, but presented in just the right measure, will connect you to the story during the entire gameplay. In addition, narrative features are sometimes incorporated into the gameplay, which greatly extends its capabilities. For example, there is a boss who believes that his genius cannot be limited by the budget the company has set for him. So, the combat will consist of annoying him enough that he wastes his resources until he runs out of money to continue with his ideas. 

The narrative is further enriched by NPCs and secondary characters who always show their dissatisfaction because they are tired of working incessantly in the company, even though they are robots. Whether through comical and witty comments or through e-mails that we encounter in our exploration, we always come across employees who are frustrated with their jobs and their lives, whether they are cleaning robots or those in charge of I.T.

In the end, Hi-Fi RUSH sews a simple but very well-executed story into striking and very charismatic characters. You will meet a pacifist thug specialized in programming, a psychologist robot, a bureaucratic (and almost soulless) receptionist, and caricatured and charismatic bosses who are outrageous, but who know very well who they are, what they want, and what their roles are at Vandelay.



Gameplay that sets the rhythm

Everything, absolutely everything in Hi-Fi RUSH follows the beat of the music. From the steps of the protagonist to the enemies and elements of the scenarios, such as platforms and obstacles, everything respects the cadence of the music's beats. Given that the game has frenetic combat that is always in rhythm with the music, it is difficult to describe the game without resorting to numerous references. It's as if Dante from Devil May Cry walked into the town from Sunset Overdrive to play a lot of Guitar Hero. Yeah, I guess that's about it...

The game has a combat system that rewards cadence, so the more the player fights to the rhythm of the music, the more points he will accumulate. These points are presented at the end of each combat, similar to what is done in Devil May Cry, and classify our performance in a ranking ranging from D to S, with being S the highest level. To help accumulate points, our character has several sequences of blows and special moves applied at the right time. 

The experience curve in combat is executed excellently, since it does not overload us with buttons and does not require so much coordination that the confrontations become tiresome and frustrating. On the contrary, the game delivers skills continuously but without exaggeration, always inserting them in contexts linked to the narrative, which makes each step of progress make sense for the players. 

In addition to his sequences of blows and special abilities, Chai can count on the support of his friends in combat, summoning them occasionally to deliver unique attacks or to assist him in solving puzzles and small platforming challenges. They, like our hero's abilities, can be upgraded with new skills and increased powers in a very rich, meaningful, and intuitive upgrade system.



The interface of the menus contributes greatly to the understanding of the game because it is simple but very complete. In addition, the game gives us a kind of hub where Chai can rest, make your upgrades and talk to your allies to learn more about them and what they are thinking. 

The fights against the bosses are very innovative and each one presents unique elements, ranging from impoverishment, as I mentioned earlier, to a fight where you can only block and dodge. All fights are watered with a lot of good humor and very interesting dynamics. At no time does the game become tiring, because at each new stage, we breathe fresh air that comes in a new content format.

And because this is a game where platforming is very present, the platforming system is very polished and simple. Rather than a gameplay that emphasizes precision jumping and the like, Hi-Fi RUSH presents us with an experience more inclined toward speed and high reflexes. You'll need to dodge a lot of obstacles, use your grappling hooks at the right time, and have a lot of fun with the animations of eventual collisions that remind us of what we've seen in the Crash Bandicoot saga. 

As well as its narrative, the gameplay of Hi-Fi RUSH is impeccable and will keep you going for hours on end. In addition, I did not find any bug/crash or glitch that impacted my gameplay, showing not only the commitment of the developers but the very high level of polish of the game.

Impeccable graphics, extraordinary soundtracks

An interactive anime with lots and lots of personality. Hi-Fi RUSH presents us with a familiar look without looking generic. Clearly inspired by anime and games like Borderlands and Sunset Overdrive, the game builds its visual identity by combining saturated colors, beautiful effects, and facial expressions that bring all the characters to life. 

Hi-Fi RUSH could easily become an animated series since it has the elements to do so. I was excited by the visuals of the sets, the effects, and other elements that revolve around the setting, but I fell in love with the expressions of the characters. They are charismatic and their body language, as well as their features, contribute to generating identification and empathy. I would love to see the villains represented more often, maybe even in other media, because they are interesting and have a repertoire to be expanded.



And talking about the characters, if there is one thing that contributed the most to their growth in the game it was the Brazilian dubbing. My Gosh, what an impeccable job! For the reader who follows my texts, you must have already realized how much I value Brazilian dubbing. 

Originally, my first place on the podium of national dubbing belonged to Days gone. Now with this work, I don't know if I can say it anymore. Both works were masterfully executed and despite the different proposals (Days gone is a more serious game and aimed at an audience over 16 years old), I believe that Hi-Fi RUSH delivers not only the best work but exactly what it should be to be perfect. 

And how to talk about a rhythm game without touching on the songs? In addition to the original soundtrack produced for the game, Hi-Fi RUSH has eight licensed tracks from famous bands such as Nine Inch Nails, The Joy Formidable, and Prodigy. The quality of the soundtrack packs the gameplay at all times and builds a very frenetic and exciting atmosphere. 

In addition to the tracks, the sound effects are well applied and make perfect sense. They complete the aural experience with clapping, greetings, guitar sounds, drum sounds, and more. For those who are familiar with the technique behind the music, the game will deliver a very striking experience. And like the other elements, the sound part of the game, the star of Hi-Fi RUSH, allows me to say that this is the best rhythm and action game produced so far. From start to finish, flawlessly.



For this review, Hi-Fi RUSH was played on PC, through Xbox Gamepass.