Are we seeing a trend of a Game of the Year candidate released in the early months of a year? Last year around this time we got Elden Ring. Now there's Hi-Fi RUSH! Let's get into it.
I seriously can't think of anything bad to say about this game. The only negative feeling I had while playing is directly linked to me just not being very good at it. Hi-Fi RUSH is a style battler game crossed with the rhythm mechanic we've seen attached to shooters recently with the likes of BPM and Metal: Hellsinger. So basically with Hi-Fi RUSH we have a game like Devil May Cry or Bayonetta but set to a backing track. The combat of the game consists of light and heavy attacks that are mixed together in a variety of combos that all do more damage if you sync the attacks to the beat of the song playing at the time.
Now, I'm already not great at the quick paced combat in said style action games. I enjoy them a lot but, like with this game, I tend to barely get out of fights alive and am usually left with a subpar grading of my efforts at best. Then we add on the rhythm element. I dunno if I'm tone deaf of what but I have a hard time singling out a particular beat when a whole song is going. Add on to that keeping up combos and it was just a recipe for disaster for me. Fortunately, there is a built in visual aid that tells you when the beat is going so that was extremely helpful and I was able to get through the game albeit with simpler combos at first.
On top of all that there are also assist characters you can call in to deal with enemies that have unique defenses that main character Chai can't overcome on his own. This mechanic along with what I already mentioned AND dodging, parrying, grappling and aerial combat was seriously a lot for my smooth brain to take in all at once. Again, I was able to handle it eventually and the game does do a good job introducing mechanics gradually but my method of dealing with it by the end was borderline button mashing to the beat. This, for me, was fine since I still was able to get through and earn myself pretty good grades overall but could prove frustrating for anyone else who similarly struggles with these things.
There's also remarkably solid platforming through the game and little puzzles to solve throughout. Every level is pretty unique and the platforming is the basis of the levels with combat occurring only in specific sections in each level. This would normally bug me as I like a more cohesive feel to levels but the combat in this separated as it is feels like sections of a song or tracks in a album that is the overall level. The platforming then is kinda breathers in between where story stuff happens. It's mostly on a 3D plane and you again encounter unique obstacles where you call on Chai's friends to help you on your way through. However there are also delightful little sections of classic 2D side-scrolling platforming. It's something they didn't really HAVE to do but it was a nice little touch I enjoyed that helped keep things fresh in an already crazy diverse game.
All that makes for a fun and compelling game as far as gameplay but it's the world and characters that really sell the whole thing. I compared this to Devil May Cry and Bayonetta earlier but they're only alike in terms of gameplay. Hi-Fi RUSH is set in a bright and colorful world that has a 3D render like the recent Guilty Gear and Dragon Ball FighterZ games in which they look like 2D anime style brought to life. As an extra flourish, there are some scenes that are 2D animations but thanks to the 3D style have a impressive transition between them.
Anyway, so you mostly play as this guy named Chai who wants to undergo a popular procedure from a mega corporation to get a robot arm which he thinks will help make him a rockstar. Things go wrong and he ends up having his MP3 player infused into his chest and powering his arm. This also leads to everything around Chai being set to a beat. He's able to see a rhythm in all things. This accident also gets him labeled as a "defect" by the corporation and they set out to literally dispose of him. Chai is quickly assisted by a rebellious hacker girl named Peppermint and her robot cat 808. The two help each other and find themselves in a plot to take on and expose the insidious nature the mega corporation Vandelay has developed.
Throughout the story you gain more friends and learn more about your enemies. Friends include the former head of Vandelay R&D, Macaron and his robot pal CNMN (said as "Cinnamon"). Macaron is a hulking powerhouse of a man but is very gentle and borderline meek, trying at first to be as pacifist as he can. CNMN is kind of fish out of water comic relief as an android with a matter of fact approach yo things but with smarts that help the crew on their way. There's also the various bosses who are all heads of their own divisions of the company and all offer incredibly flashy, exciting, and unique boss fights. I don't want to get too into them for spoiler stuff but they all have unique personalities for the most part and are very entertaining to watch.
Speaking of entertaining, the game has a great sense of humor to it too. Chai is a dorky guy who finds himself in trouble constantly due to lack of thinking. He constantly is made the butt of jokes for it but it's the same dull headedness that gets him and his friends out of trouble as often as in. Chai is also subject to some pretty brutal physical humor that is able to be played off as such due to the nature of the Saturday Morning Cartoon-ish world the game takes place in and it works well. There's also some clever lines throughout the game that kinda poke fun at the situations characters find themselves in as they're in them such as asking "who are you talking to?" when Chai says a one liner out loud to no one or Chai musing "I can see that" when a boss says "THE GLOVES ARE COMING OFF" and literally is taking their gloves off. It's real good fun.
Yeah so I can't think of any real criticisms. It might take some getting used to the combat if you're new to the genres or just struggle in general like me but I promise its well worth it. The story in it is like the cartoon world its in and pretty predictable but is presented in such a stylish way that it shouldn't really bug anyone. Hell the game even has a proper defined ending with only the most subtle hint that there could be a sequel. The game is jam packed with charm and fun and is something that everyone should try out at the very least. Definitely a strong start to 2023 for video games.
I seriously can't think of anything bad to say about this game. The only negative feeling I had while playing is directly linked to me just not being very good at it. Hi-Fi RUSH is a style battler game crossed with the rhythm mechanic we've seen attached to shooters recently with the likes of BPM and Metal: Hellsinger. So basically with Hi-Fi RUSH we have a game like Devil May Cry or Bayonetta but set to a backing track. The combat of the game consists of light and heavy attacks that are mixed together in a variety of combos that all do more damage if you sync the attacks to the beat of the song playing at the time.
Now, I'm already not great at the quick paced combat in said style action games. I enjoy them a lot but, like with this game, I tend to barely get out of fights alive and am usually left with a subpar grading of my efforts at best. Then we add on the rhythm element. I dunno if I'm tone deaf of what but I have a hard time singling out a particular beat when a whole song is going. Add on to that keeping up combos and it was just a recipe for disaster for me. Fortunately, there is a built in visual aid that tells you when the beat is going so that was extremely helpful and I was able to get through the game albeit with simpler combos at first.
On top of all that there are also assist characters you can call in to deal with enemies that have unique defenses that main character Chai can't overcome on his own. This mechanic along with what I already mentioned AND dodging, parrying, grappling and aerial combat was seriously a lot for my smooth brain to take in all at once. Again, I was able to handle it eventually and the game does do a good job introducing mechanics gradually but my method of dealing with it by the end was borderline button mashing to the beat. This, for me, was fine since I still was able to get through and earn myself pretty good grades overall but could prove frustrating for anyone else who similarly struggles with these things.
There's also remarkably solid platforming through the game and little puzzles to solve throughout. Every level is pretty unique and the platforming is the basis of the levels with combat occurring only in specific sections in each level. This would normally bug me as I like a more cohesive feel to levels but the combat in this separated as it is feels like sections of a song or tracks in a album that is the overall level. The platforming then is kinda breathers in between where story stuff happens. It's mostly on a 3D plane and you again encounter unique obstacles where you call on Chai's friends to help you on your way through. However there are also delightful little sections of classic 2D side-scrolling platforming. It's something they didn't really HAVE to do but it was a nice little touch I enjoyed that helped keep things fresh in an already crazy diverse game.
All that makes for a fun and compelling game as far as gameplay but it's the world and characters that really sell the whole thing. I compared this to Devil May Cry and Bayonetta earlier but they're only alike in terms of gameplay. Hi-Fi RUSH is set in a bright and colorful world that has a 3D render like the recent Guilty Gear and Dragon Ball FighterZ games in which they look like 2D anime style brought to life. As an extra flourish, there are some scenes that are 2D animations but thanks to the 3D style have a impressive transition between them.
Anyway, so you mostly play as this guy named Chai who wants to undergo a popular procedure from a mega corporation to get a robot arm which he thinks will help make him a rockstar. Things go wrong and he ends up having his MP3 player infused into his chest and powering his arm. This also leads to everything around Chai being set to a beat. He's able to see a rhythm in all things. This accident also gets him labeled as a "defect" by the corporation and they set out to literally dispose of him. Chai is quickly assisted by a rebellious hacker girl named Peppermint and her robot cat 808. The two help each other and find themselves in a plot to take on and expose the insidious nature the mega corporation Vandelay has developed.
Throughout the story you gain more friends and learn more about your enemies. Friends include the former head of Vandelay R&D, Macaron and his robot pal CNMN (said as "Cinnamon"). Macaron is a hulking powerhouse of a man but is very gentle and borderline meek, trying at first to be as pacifist as he can. CNMN is kind of fish out of water comic relief as an android with a matter of fact approach yo things but with smarts that help the crew on their way. There's also the various bosses who are all heads of their own divisions of the company and all offer incredibly flashy, exciting, and unique boss fights. I don't want to get too into them for spoiler stuff but they all have unique personalities for the most part and are very entertaining to watch.
Speaking of entertaining, the game has a great sense of humor to it too. Chai is a dorky guy who finds himself in trouble constantly due to lack of thinking. He constantly is made the butt of jokes for it but it's the same dull headedness that gets him and his friends out of trouble as often as in. Chai is also subject to some pretty brutal physical humor that is able to be played off as such due to the nature of the Saturday Morning Cartoon-ish world the game takes place in and it works well. There's also some clever lines throughout the game that kinda poke fun at the situations characters find themselves in as they're in them such as asking "who are you talking to?" when Chai says a one liner out loud to no one or Chai musing "I can see that" when a boss says "THE GLOVES ARE COMING OFF" and literally is taking their gloves off. It's real good fun.
Yeah so I can't think of any real criticisms. It might take some getting used to the combat if you're new to the genres or just struggle in general like me but I promise its well worth it. The story in it is like the cartoon world its in and pretty predictable but is presented in such a stylish way that it shouldn't really bug anyone. Hell the game even has a proper defined ending with only the most subtle hint that there could be a sequel. The game is jam packed with charm and fun and is something that everyone should try out at the very least. Definitely a strong start to 2023 for video games.