Hi-Fi Rush Review

What is Hi-Fi Rush?

Hi-Fi Rush is a single player 3D rhythm based action game released on January 25, 2023 for Xbox Series X&S, Microsoft Windows, and Xbox Cloud gaming. It was developed by Tango Gameworks and published by Bethesda Software. The game follows main character Chai, a wanna-be rockstar that gets caught up in a corporate conspiracy of a futuristic robotics company. I played the game on PC through PC Gamepass, it is available on all levels of Xbox Gamepass. It took me 8.75 hours to beat the main story.

Game Review:

Hi-Fi Rush is not a game that is typically in my wheelhouse. It’s a rhythm-based action game where everything is set to a beat. The gimmick of the game is that if you time your attacks to the beat, you get a damage bonus and can rack up a higher score. As someone who is not really musically talented, rhythm can sometimes be a challenge for me, but Hi-Fi Rush succeeds in making it a fun and engaging rhythm system that also leaves some room for error. You will still land hits and do damage if you don’t time each action perfectly. That being said, there are sequences in the game, particularly in boss fights, where you are required to nail the rhythm. The developers provide grace here by giving you plenty of health and opportunities to try these sequences a bunch of times.

Any good rhythm game needs a good soundtrack, and Hi-Fi Rush delivers. They use a mix of licensed and original indie rock songs. I tend to like alternative rock music so I felt myself jamming out more than if they had picked pop songs. I could tell the difference between the licensed and original music even without the credits because the licensed music used more vocals and felt more energetic. When they really wanted to emphasize the action and deliver a big moment they tended to lean into the licensed music. The originals blended a little more into the background to me when they were playing. Overall it was a really good soundtrack with a number of songs that I had never heard before.

Combat in action games is almost always based around combos: stringing together hits into chains that stun or juggle your opponents and rack up your score multiplier. Hi-Fi Rush also uses this combat approach. To really succeed and shine in combat you will need to learn your combos while also being able to time them to the beat. However, I don’t think you need to learn all of them to enjoy your time, finding the combos that work for you and fit your gameplay style is all you need. BUT if you’re the type of player to memorize a spreadsheet full of combos, Hi-Fi Rush still has plenty of depth.

Hi-Fi Rush doesn’t only have combos though. There are also support characters that can be summoned to throw out different types of moves to help in combat, in addition to level exploration. I found that summoning the right character at the right time was the most enjoyable and optimal way for me to play. These characters can contribute to the damage but more importantly they stun enemies giving you an opportunity to get close and start your own combo. Blending all this together really gives Hi-Fi Rush a combat experience that can stand up with many of the best action games out there.

The other major facet of Hi-Fi Rush’s game design is the platforming and level exploration. The developers really went all out in the level design, particularly the art design. The world is so bright and colorful but feels believable for the advancement of technology in this game’s world. Exploration is a fun time with meaningful collectibles that help upgrade your abilities, to be found around nearly every corner. The platforming is creative and cool in idea but the mechanics of the platforming, particularly jumping, are not my favorite. Chai feels like he jumps really high vertically but not very far horizontally so I died a few times just because my jump wasn’t able to go far enough. They remedy this by giving a dash, including a mid-air dash, and a grappling hook item that allows Chai to move more quickly but in the more confined and tight platforming areas it’s a little slow and not very smooth.

Character growth is a big part of good storytelling. Hi-Fi Rush’s characters do show a lot of character growth in a believable fashion. At the beginning of the game Chai is cocky, naive, impulsive, and a bit of a fool. I really did not enjoy whenever he opened his mouth. But throughout the game he learned the importance of thinking through a problem, sharing the spotlight with his allies, and putting the greater good before his own needs. There are several side characters that I won’t spoil who also go through some good character development. Their examples are less extreme and apparent than Chai’s but still meaningful and impactful, particularly a character arc that has to do with familial struggles.

Hi-Fi Rush tells a pretty straightforward story of a corporate tech company turned evil under new leadership and a ragtag group of rebels (both employees and civilians) who see the evil and try to take down the leadership. I think it’s attempting to be a commentary on unchecked capitalism and the problems with turning business leaders into idols. It’s obviously an extreme example in which big business is clearly the villain. This story fits very well into the genre of music and its culture that inspired it.

Family Friendliness:

Hi-Fi Rush is designed to look like a saturday morning cartoon with its art style and animations but I wouldn’t call this game family friendly per se. For one, there is a decent amount of swearing in the game. There is also a decent amount of violence, including things where the villains appear to die, even though it is all done in a cartoonish over-the-top way. I think this game would probably be fine for a teenager to play through, as it isn’t severe in either category but still would be a bit more than I would be comfortable letting a little play or watch.

Features for Parents:

Hi-Fi Rush has a great pause system that works even in cutscenes. The game also features a good checkpointing system that saves your instance so you don’t have to backtrack at all once it finishes saving. The game also features a bevy of accessibility features including options to make the timing of inputs in rhythm easier.

Final Verdict:

Hi-Fi Rush is a surprisingly great game coming from the first-party Xbox catalog. It is one of the first games in the Gamepass library that is truly a must-play, especially if you love rhythm or action games. It blends its music expertly with its combat, creating a beautiful flow state in combat. And it pairs its musical genre very nicely with its rebellious but warm-hearted story. Hi-Fi Rush is a great game and an example of nailing what the developers were going for.