So. Much. FUN.

I had an incredible time playing HiFi Rush, it's been a long time since I had fun playing something that is not what I usually play.

The combination of rhythmic gameplay with action has seemed to me a great success and very VERY well executed. It's true that this combination sometimes made me repeat the same combos that I had already internalized instead of trying new ones, but I think that's my skill problem hehe.

Crushing enemies to the rhythm of Nine Inch Nails or The Prodigy has been a pleasure and has only made me get more and more into the game and its sensations. It is impressive that for a game like this they have achieved these licenses, which I appreciate! It's not that the original songs are bad, but recognizing songs in environments where it's not usually given is nice.

The story is fun, funny and with a spectacular rhythm (never better said). The visuals that accompany this story only add MORE personality and has had me caught up in the events from minute one. It's a shame it's only 12 hours because I was left wanting more.

The only thing I missed was some way to compensate for the in-game input lag. My setup doesn't have wired speakers and I have the PC too far away to connect the controller via cable, so it's all wireless. This caused me to have 40-50% accuracy. I played the entire game on the Steam Deck because it has no noticeable input lag and I got through it with 80-90% accuracy.

HiFi Rush is a 10 game and not a day will go by without me cursing Microsoft for shutting down Tango Gameworks.

PS: THAT Xenogears reference. Love them.

Ingenious rhythm-based action adventure game with enough style and enthusiasm to offset any minor flaws.
+ everything (player actions, enemies, the environment) is tuned to the excellent soundtrack's beat, fusing visuals and audio like nothing else in the genre
+ great variety in gameplay with new mechanics being introduced throughout
+ frequent but short interjections of comedy and emotional moments
+ slick and vibrant cartoon-like art style
+ charming characters on all sides
+ significant postgame content
+ well-thought-out UI (except for game saves)
+ decent skill customization that supports a few different playstyles
- overly straightforward story
- a couple levels could use some trimming

Hi-Fi Rush is a great game, so much so that the studio being shut down afterwards is a complete travesty. Microsoft seems to be determined to beat all its competitors in a race to the bottom as of late.

Hi-Fi Rush is fun, vibrant, super well polished and exactly the kind of game that needs to succeed if the industry is to ever emerge from the live-service slopfest it has been wallowing in for so long.

That being said, I do have some minor issues with the game. The visual style is fine, even though I'm not a fan of comic books I can tell how much effort went into making the visuals of the game. Especially with it all syncing to the music. However, there are some sections of the game, both in and out of combat where all the colours can lead to a lack of visual clarity, making it hard to know what's happening.

The "platforming" movement also didn't always feel quite right, though that's a minor issue. The most subjective criticism I can levy against the game is for the music. The soundtrack for the game works well for combat and has a consistent style. That being said, I found the soundtrack fairly unremarkable which is a shame for a game like this. It's not bad, just lacking some energy when it could use it. Comparing it to similar games such as BPM and Metal Hellsinger the difference is more obvious.

Nonetheless, Hi-Fi Rush deserves all the praise it gets and it's a huge shame that the studio was closed after releasing such a great game.

Hi-Fi Rush was a shot out of left field for me in an already stacked year of excellent games, and it was not only my favourite game of that year but my favourite game of the last several, probably since 'Disco Elysium'. It almost feels redundant to try and explain why it works because the game justifies itself infinitely better than I ever could. The core gameplay loop is an absolute joy, with the perfect balance of simple enough to get into a groove while being flashy enough to always look cool doing so; its cast of characters and villains are perfectly sketched, always informing and driving the conflict but never drawing excessive focus; and the writing and comedy (especially the physical comedy) is certainly standard deviations above the mean for video games. It also has some of the best needle drops in any game, TV show, or movie I've ever encountered.

It has so much pizazz and energy and vibrance and the perfect level of cheeky punk rage with actual commentary on the games and gamers and the game industry without ever tipping its hat entirely and I love it all dearly, and the death of Tango Gameworks has marked the point at which I have officially given the fuck up trying to understand what it is that these monkey-suited fucks want.

I don't think a sequel would have necessarily been a good idea, but the idea that we were prevented from ever seeing Chai rip shit up to the beat of 'Kickstart My Heart' is a thought that causes me physical pain.

I adore this game, and I will never pass up an opportunity to glaze it at least a little. I have played it on both PC and PS5, and both are excellent. What a game!

Hi-Fi Rush foi uma aposta arriscada da Tango Gameworks, um estúdio reconhecido por seu trabalho em jogos focados em horror (The Evil Within) e pelo seu fundador Shinji Mikami-- Hi-Fi Rush seria um jogo rítmico hack'n slash feito com direção do John Johannas com vários funcionários novatos, mas que estavam dispostos a criar um jogo feito do coração. Com uma apresentação muito chamativa, personagens cativantes, combate desenvolvido a perfeição e uma trilha sonora que ouço até hoje, mesmo depois de ter parado de jogar o jogo. Pra mim o melhor jogo que joguei em 2024

6/5

Art Design++
Music & Sound++
Gameplay++
Story++
Characters++
Fun++

What a video game.

Hi-Fi Rush is without a doubt up there with some of the most fun you can have with a game. The attention to detail, depth and challenge are so apparent and pervasive that you cannot help but be impressed right from start to finish. The only elements I did not enjoy outright in the game are so nitpicky and subjective that its probably not even worth talking about them.

But I will anyway.

I hate the bird enemies. I really think that they suck, but honestly this is probably just me. I cannot figure out a method of effectively damaging them, and coming up against one means a lot of deaths and a low rank for me.

Next, I find Chai's jump to be a bit stiff, often making platforming sections a little more awkward, if not exactly more difficult, then I feel they should be.

And finally, everyone talks about the soundtrack being incredible in this game, but while I think it was great, it cannot say that it jumped out at me the way it seemed to for others. There were definite high points where it really worked, but overall it mainly just served its purpose and provided the crucial pivot around which the entire game turns.

And with that out of the way, now I can go on about how incredible this game is. Not only is Hi-Fi Rush a fantastic action game, it may well be the first action-rhythm game there has ever been. There have been some similar titles in other genres, such as the boomer shooter Metal: Hellsinger most recently, but this game has really found the most acclaim and recognition, and that is for a very good reason.

The combat is just so great. It has the perfect balance of easy to learn, hard to master, so many different attacks and combos, fast-paced progression, interesting and varied enemies and lots of ways to specialise a build for yourself. The combos are not just fun, but they look cool, and the game leaning into this coolness as a theme basically means the cooler you look, the more damage you are probably doing. It makes for a really great time, which is always challenging, but also very, very satisfying.

Then combine this with having to land your attacks on the beat, and you have eliminated the button-mashing-mania that usually comes with games like this, while simultaneously adding an entirely new dimension to combat. If you keep calm, it remains easy enough to stay on time (especially since I can play an instrument irl, so I am used to it), but as the game throws more and more enemies at you, panicking will lead to you doing less damage, taking more yourself and ultimately failing. It means the game requires you to truly "git gud" in order to beat a lot of the encounters, but it never, ever feels unfair.

Then there is all the different ways you can approach combat. You have your basic melee attacks, but you also have various abilities, upgrades, finishers, special attacks a grapple and, my favourite in any game that has one, a parry. Combining and utilising these mechanics in different ways serves to make the combat so interesting and deep, it is remarkably well done.

I am also going to go ahead and claim that Hi-Fi Rush might be the only game that has made QTEs cool and fun. Yes, the God of War games make Kratos look cool as hell while he rips people apart (and the original game requires you to mash the button like you never have before in order to kill those minotaurs, like god damn) but here it feels much better to play when you essentially have to play a rhythm minigame in order to finish powerful enemies and even activate switches.

And on top of all of that, the story in this game is a lot of fun. It is not the most revolutionary thing ever, but honestly, when you come away wanting to see more of the characters, that is always a good sign. It is also genuinely funny, or at the very least cute basically all the time. It never takes itself too seriously, but maintains enough heart to reliably produce meaningful story beats.

It is not often that my reviews consist only of harping on about various mechanics and technical achievements of the game. I usually tend to focus on how a game manages to advance the medium as a whole, but Hi-Fi Rush is not an advance of the medium, it is a mastery of it. Every aspect of this game is so thoroughly thought out, so expertly implemented, so fun. By God, John Johanas knows how to make a good video game and I will be keeping both eyes and a pair of binoculars on what he does next.

If Microsoft can't recognise that, then fuck 'em, it's their loss.

MUITO BOM

A arte é ótima, os personagens são criativos, tem dublagem em português e a gameplay na batida da música deixa o jogo único, de fato. Dá pra ver o carinho que colocaram nesse jogo

Recomendo

Uma pena que a microsoft decidiu fechar o estúdio... É irônico como os desenvolvedores da Tango foram vítimas de um corporativismo que eles mesmos criticaram no jogo

O jogo remete a aqueles desenhos que geral assistia pelas manhãs. Ou seja, é muito gostosinho de se imergir. Os personagens e universo são carismaticos e fazem voce criar um apego rapidamente. Outro fator importante nessa questão é com certeza a dublagem brasileira, que esta simplesmente perfeita aqui!

A gameplay ritmada do jogo é um tanto diferenciada, e por isso levei algumas horinhas para me acostumar de fato. Mas é aquele negócio, a partir do momento que tu pegou bem todas as mecanicas voce cira um deus dentro do jogo. Claro, que somando isso aos upgrades e gadgets básicos que sempre estão presentes nesses jogos para aprimorar ainda mais a jogatina.

Na intro quando é tocado Lonely Boy eu já vi que esse aspecto do game estava muito bem encaminhado... E felizmente acertei! Além de musicas licenciadas, o jogo também tem musicas originais que são bem legais, e até outras versões adaptadas de temas famosos. Todas as trilhas casam perfeitamente com os seus respectivos momentos!

O roteiro em si é bem basico, mas como eu disse no inicio, o carisma dos personagens carrega muito e faz voce curtir de boas do inicio ao fim. O entretenimento é bem fortalecido também pelas excelentes e criativas batalhas com chefes. Isso é realmente um ponto que não fica devendo nada aqui!

Já os confrontos normais também são muito legais, mas acabam ficando repetitivos na reta final. Pois o game acaba não tendo muitos inimigos novos para apresentar e diversificar as tretas. Masss, o pulo do gato é que o jogo em si é curto, então essa repetição não o torna verdadeiramente massante.

Outro ponto negativo que eu citaria seria o inicio do game. Ele tem uma excelente apresentação nas cinematicas, porem na hora da gameplay acaba começando lento e não mostrando a primeiro momento todo o potencial da proposta. Então para pessoas mais ansiosas, isso pode dar uma desanimada, fazendo dropar o game antes de chegar no pote de ouro.

De qualquer forma, certamente recomendo bastante esse jogo. É diversão na sua pura essencia!

Holy hell this game is so badass. Taking the basic mechanics of a rhythm game and implementing them into a brawler game is such a good idea that Hi Fi Rush gets the most out of. The whole way this game works is that whenever you fight an enemy, you need to time your attacks up with the beat of the music, and hoooly shit it’s so awesome. Genuinely one of the coolest gimmicks for a game I’ve seen in a while. The game isn’t just carried by it’s ideas though, the rest is good as fuck too. The writing is awesome, the characters and their designs are very memorable and great, the story isn’t anything insane but is still very engaging, and holy FUCK the presentation in this game is unbelievable. Obviously the music is banging, but the looks of this game are unbelievable. The cutscenes have so much life, not a single one of the animators were slacking when working on this. Plus the way it seamlessly transitions between in game action, cutscenes with the in game engine, and hand drawn 2D cutscenes is absolutely insane. The amount of effort the team put into this game is fucking nuts, such an insanely commendable game. If you’re a fan of brawlers, and music as well, you are doing yourself a disservice by not checking out this game.

One of the best surprises of the last few years. Mixing action, rhythm and a lot of heart, Hi-Fi Rush derails itself from the same old tendencies we see in most big titles nowadays, bringing an honest, stylish and awesome adventure alongside Chai and his crew.

The whole game (literally) vibrates with personality, always delivering those buildups it manages to construct so dearly. It makes you want to push through even when most normal encounters start becoming a slog. The show must go on, after all.

Thank you Tango Gameworks for this gem. It's one of those games that I will cherish, because it was a lot of fun. I was glad to be part of this grand adventure with those likeable characters that felt like family by the end of the game.

It's a unique, hilarious and great looking experience. And while there are numerous inspirations and references, ,,Hi-Fi Rush" doesn't feel like a copy. It's rather a clever blend of many great elements. Also, I'm just glad to have a game that is so similar to ,,Jet Set Radio". Another factor working in the game's favor is its style and length. Photorealistic approach to graphics and open worlds filled with too much stuff is something that I see too often, Meanwhile, Tango's game is suddenly fresh despite so many obvious inspirations.

Overall, I loved the rhythmic gameplay, beautiful art style and simple, but quite charming story.

There was plenty of hype surrounding this game last year and I wanted to play it so bad but didn’t have a PC or Series X. Had an Xbox One but Game Pass only allowed cloud gaming for it and it was never available for my turn. I finally see why!

This game was amazing, start to finish! I found no issues with this game unless I have to be knit picky and find a problem with a magnifying glass. I want to say this is my first “non music game rhythm game” if that makes sense. I was blown away by the mechanics of the combat. I was looking to time everything perfectly and create awesome combos. Game runs amazing and I didn’t experience any frame issues

I love the story and characters. I would sort of compare the vibes to Persona 5 but not much because that’s a 60 hour game and characters in HFR aren’t as flushed out obviously. But nonetheless I love all the characters, they have great personalities and their own flair.

This game is definitely a gem. One of the best games I’ve ever played. Definitely will have to go for platinum further down the line. Hats off to Tango Gameworks I hope everyone involved with this game can find success elsewhere. F*CK XBOX