Man, it’s a lovely surprise when you’re watching an announcement show and there’s something that hasn’t completely leaked and looks right up your street. Hi-Fi Rush is one such game, a rhythm-action brawler from Tango Gameworks that’s out for Xbox Series X|S and PC, and on Xbox Game Pass… now!
Right from the off the game will grab your attention with its stunning art style that mixes the visuals of Jet Set Radio with the attitude of Sunset Overdrive. Then there’s combat that combines good old hack-and-slash titles and Guitar Hero, tasking you with chaining a combo while getting your button presses down in time to the music.
With a soundtrack that includes Nine Inch Nails, Zwan, The Prodigy, The Joy Formidable, Number Girl and The Black Keys, this is a rock game with a truly rocking soundtrack. You play as Chai, a wannabe rock star and failed corporate experiemnt with a Flying-V guitar that seems to do as much swinging and smashing as it plays righteous licks. You’re going to make your way through a gorgeous futuristic landscape with evil robots bearing down on you, teaming up with other outrageous characters to bash those bad robots over the head, and eventually face off against the various corporate overlords.
Coming from Shinji Mikami’s Tango Gameworks, it’s a surprisingly unscary game given that their previous output includes the likes of Ghostwire Tokyo and The Evil Within, though Mikami-san has previously said that he doesn’t want the studio to be pigeonholed into a single genre. It’s touted as a fun, high-energy experience that’s unlike anything else you’ve ever played. While we’ll have to see how that pans out, it’s certainly got the looks and the audio to draw in quite the crowd. The animation looks phenomenal, and it seems like it’s going to have a good sense of humour too.
Also, you can pet the robot cat.
Hi-Fi Rush launches tonight, Wednesday 25th January 2023, for the Xbox Series X|S and PC. It’s also coming to Game Pass as well, so subscribers can hop right into this musical adventure for the price of the price of your subscription.
