A piece fully inspired by media, you can see it in every other scene. Part of me felt like I might've been reaching when I wondered, "is this game truly inspired by... Ben 10: Protector of Earth?" but... the first boss in BOTH games is a big robot that you can only see from the chest up. You have to hit both of their hands and later on the head... Plus, its banter between the two main characters flows exactly like an early Ben 10 episode, and my love for Ben 10 makes this game feel... extremely mixed. I like it. I hate it. I love it. I don't even wanna finish it anymore.

It just... feels like it needs some extra polish in its gameplay, despite being somewhat fun. It also shoots itself in the foot by having so much to teach you. For a game about rhythm, music and going with the flow, it sure halts its pace quite often to tell you one thing or another about the details that you could've figured out on your own. Plus, its writing only works during the back and forth between the main two characters. The rest... I can't stand it. I'm guessing that's how High on Life felt for many! That one didn't irritate me, but it did get stale. This, I just can't stand listening to for long.

Despite the negativity, I enjoy a lot about Hi-Fi Rush, such as the simplicity in its combat, while also having a good variety of combos and special moves. Though again, three hours into the game, and it still feels like I haven't finished the tutorial... It's extensive to the point that it's obnoxious. Once it lets go of your hand though, there's a lot of fun to be had.

coulda used some better songs though!