In the middle of last week, the Internet rejoiced. Xbox And Bethesda held an online event where Shinji Mikami, currently the head of the studio Tango Gameworks, which is best known for the dilogy The Evil Within, and John Johanas announced their new game Hi-Fi Rush . And the dazzlingly bright, stylish trailer with a gorgeous soundtrack and incredible dynamics made my husband nervously sweat with anticipation.
And when he found out that this game was in the RHYTHM-SASHER-PLATFORMER genre, he just went crazy. The game looked like everything he had ever dreamed of. He was ready to break down the doors of the Tango studio to get the opportunity to play right now. But at the end of the presentation dedicated to the game, the developers added.
. TONIGHT. Well you understand? Well, that is, on January 26, take it on Xbox or PC, or get it for free in Game pass, and play!
What is Hi-Fi Rush? Is the hype justified?? What exactly is a rhythm slasher?? Is the game that was released immediately on the day of its announcement buggy?? While my husband was playing, I decided to figure it out. But this text is not a review of the Hi-Fi Rush game, it’s about whether my husband’s dream came true.
Have you already seen what the game looks like?? It’s hard to imagine that the same studio once made Survival Horror. But the studio founder has already hinted that he does not want Tango Gameworks to be associated only with horror films.
Of course, it’s nice that fans perceive us as a studio with experience in developing survival horror games. But we want to show that we can create a wider range of games.
Shinji Mikami
And after a not entirely successful previous project and a long silence, they dropped the bomb! A rhythm slasher that instantly evokes a thousand associations in your head, but only positive ones. Immediately I remember Sunset Overdrive, "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World", Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and much more. But let’s take it in order.
Plot
The game is about a guy named Chai who wants to become a rock star. And he doesn’t even know how to play the guitar! But he is full of determination and desire to make his dream come true. To do this, he takes part in the Armstrong project. Apparently, he decided that to become a star, he needed a robotic arm. Probably inspired by Johnny Silverhand.
We are immediately shown that the corporation that distributes cyber prosthetics to everyone is up to something bad. Well I think you can guess what they want? (Of course!)
During an operation to establish a cyber arm, an accident occurs. Chay’s favorite player, thrown out by the villain, falls right on his chest. No one bothered to remove him, and the hero was crushed by a huge waffle iron.
But no. He’s alive. True, in addition https://plexian-casino.uk/bonus/ to the desired hand, Chay will now have selected music pumping blood through his veins. And because of this, the already bright and colorful world has now acquired RHYTHM. That is, now for us life is a continuous musical.
Due to an accident, the corporation put us on the list of defective ones, and such ones must be destroyed. And robots, like good soldiers, follow orders. But with the help of music and a cyber-hand, Chai will have to fight back against a powerful corporation, make new friends, defeat all the company’s leaders, and also reveal their terrible secrets and save the world. But the most important thing is that we will all do this in the company of the cat 808 (Eight-O-Eight)!
I must say that although the story turned out to be banal, it was presented with exceptional taste. Everyone shines with charisma: the main character, the cat, each new partner, the villain, and even the robots encountered in the levels. By the way, there are some good old friends among them.
The game isn’t shy about breaking fourth walls and throwing in jokes of varying levels of quality. But most importantly, it is full of well-staged cut scenes and drawn cartoons. I want to watch and rewatch them. The story always maintains a brisk pace and is interesting to follow, but it’s much more important to listen to the rhythm. It’s time to talk about the gameplay.
Gameplay
Hi-Fi Rush is a slasher game in the spirit of Devil May Cry 5 . In general, we have to move through corridor locations, periodically encountering arenas with opponents, as well as obstacles to be overcome by jumping. But unlike DmC here
It’s not that the world didn’t know about games where all movements must be done strictly to the rhythm of the music. There were Crypt of the Necrodancer, BMP: Bullets per Minute, Metal: Hellsinger and others. But my husband has never seen a rhythm slasher before. Of course, he won’t be surprised by moving in space; he’s already seen it all. Here you can even be attracted like Nero in the same DmC . But even here the creators of the game are always coming up with something new. Be it jumping on timed platforms, riding ropes and even changing the camera to a side view. And, by the way, many might have thought from this shot from the trailer, which immediately made me remember the amazing Sunset Overdrive, that the game will be in the open world.
But no, all levels are linear and well designed. The developers have hidden secrets around every corner, and getting to them is sometimes not so easy. Although it initially seemed to my husband that he would certainly collect all the improvements in the first run.
But enough about jumping, what about fights?? Tea fights with a stick that magnetizes guitar-shaped trash. The player, which sits so comfortably in his chest, is able to amplify these blows. Getting into the rhythm with weak or strong blows, we will make them stronger. And every blow will be accompanied by the cry of our hero.
Also, later meeting the most adorable partner in the history of video games – that same cat 808, you will be able to make a powerful blow to the beat. To do this, after performing a combo, you must not miss, press the button of one of the blows in time. By the way, my husband, like a fool, without carefully reading the tutorial, thought that for a powerful blow he needed to press 2 buttons at the same time, which made his life very difficult. So read the tips carefully. Moreover, the game constantly introduces new mechanics and complicates the combat process. And she’s very. SOOO really wants to teach you how to play rhythm. As soon as you get a new skill, you will first be trained in the training room, and after that a cute robot refrigerator will definitely be waiting for you, who will chew on the new skill again.
Mastering skills is vital. And I think you might have a question. What happens if I don’t get into the rhythm?? Of course, you won’t be scolded or fined. The combo will not be interrupted, health will not be taken away, and there will be no shouts of "Boo". But there is one thing. At some point you will learn to parry blows. And the problem is that there is no way to ignore them. There’s even a whole boss here that you can defeat solely by repelling attacks. There is a special duel mechanic here, where first you are given the rhythm of pressing a button, and then you need to repeat it. And sometimes it is very difficult to do this. I definitely couldn’t!
But don’t worry, they will help you. You are prepared for such attacks, and the whole environment, the cat, the health bar, the switchable rhythm bar, the vibration in the gamepad – all this will help you catch the rhythm. Although Chai is armed exclusively with a stick/guitar, he has partners who make up the hero’s additional arsenal. Someone shoots, someone breaks the armor, someone puts out the fire. All of them instantly come to the rescue when you press the trigger.
Of course, there is currency in the game. Here it is used as spare parts, with which you can buy new combos and special attacks, items, improvements, and after completion, cosmetic bells and whistles.
As the game progresses, Tea will encounter many opponents, very diverse in strength and skills. The rhythm exam will be taken, as mentioned earlier, by bosses of incredible charisma and strength. One is simply more beautiful than the other. In addition to the unique move-sets of each of the bosses, one, as expected from competent boss building, has several phases that can radically change the subsequent battle. And every time it’s some kind of unexpected surprise, for example a musical battle like in “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”.
Summing up the gameplay, I would like to say that, like any slasher, the game gives you a challenge. There is room for improvement here. Well, of course, the game evaluates your battle. So it’s time to fight again in Smoking Sexy Style. Thus, the unlockable “virtuoso” difficulty offers you to complete the game without lowering the style level to mark D.
About the main thing
Well, about the main thing – how the game looks and works. My husband was truly speechless for a while when he saw the trailer. The game looks like a cartoon come to life. And here the developers hit the bull’s eye. Indeed, everything is perceived as a dynamic comic book. The design of everything will somehow cause some kind of flashbacks. But it’s a great mix, and everything here looks self-contained. But the most important thing is that the developers sought to make the whole world and the whole game about music. And looking at the environment, the hero’s movements, cutscenes, you will never forget about it. Everything moves to the rhythm. Life is in full swing. Music flows throughout everything here, and it’s truly mesmerizing. And the space around the hero is constantly changing: you will run through a huge city, destroy a construction site, walk through luxurious estates and much more. Of course, because of the comic-style effects VZHIH And BOOM, it becomes a little difficult to navigate in combat. But it’s not so much the effects’ fault as the camera’s. And you may have to take a break from the game from time to time. Although she is beautiful, sometimes it’s hard to look at her for a long time because of the abundance of colors. In any case, once you see what the game looks like, you will be interested anyway.
The game works perfectly. Nothing hangs, it works smoothly and there are no bugs!
OK once the game produced a strange sight – the hero was simply thrown out of the arena, and the husband had to replay the whole battle. Otherwise everything was perfect.
Results
Based on the results… Based on the results, we can only say that.
. AMAZING!
A completely new gaming title that was carefully hidden. There were no leaks, rumors or anything like that. The game simply knocks down the door and sets the atmosphere in the room, like a chic music record starting to gently spin on a vinyl player. A banal but fascinating plot that, thanks to the charismatic characters, will force you to complete the game to the end. Interesting combat that constantly throws up something new and leaves room for improvement. Awesome music, both original, written for the game, and from famous artists. Outstanding visual style that you won’t want to take your eyes off of. It has everything a gamer like my husband dreams of. He always wanted to see a game where music was deeply integrated into the gameplay and narrative. The main character looks like a copy of him, which allowed him to easily immerse himself in the world of the game. I personally haven’t seen a game in a very long time that aroused so many emotions and sincere enthusiastic cries in my husband (especially when it started playing The Prodigy – Invaders Must Die). After completing it, you immediately want to continue. Return to your favorite characters and amazing gameplay. I want to fall back on the couch and stroke Eight-O-Eight. And so the game fell into the husband’s heart as unexpectedly as the player fell into Chai’s heart