808 acts as a vessel for the squad to communicate, but she’s also an adorable little baby tiger who’ll steal your heart simply doing cat things. She steals every scene she’s in, and in many ways, this story is more about her. Peppermint is the slick badass who’s the brains behind the operation to take down Vandelay’s band of comically evil executives. Chai’s great as the goofy, irreverent everyman, but it’s the supporting cast that makes the journey feel whole. While the harmonious fusion of rhythm and action is an outstanding achievement, what makes Hi-Fi Rush truly memorable is seeing its charismatic crew and world come to life. The consequences aren’t dire for misjudging a jump, but the fact that you can do so fairly easily is still a minor but noticeable inconvenience. That said, for as slick as it is on a conceptual level, movement during platforming isn’t quite as fluid as it is during combat. The beat establishes a ruleset and dance you understand, nailing the timing is about seeing the environment as an extension of the music. There’s no mistake when it comes to timing – Hi-Fi Rush can’t pull any cheap tricks or hit you with inexplicable difficulty spikes when it always plays by the same rules. Platforming and puzzle sections between the staged combat encounters operate on the same principles, with platforms and key objects retracting and moving to the same beat. I can’t be the judge of whether or not it’s enough from an accessibility standpoint, but those who may struggle with rhythm games or need assistance with the audio do have some options here, and it’s worth acknowledging the importance of including them and the effort put forth to level the playing field. Additionally, you can activate an on-screen metronome at any point to help keep time more explicitly. For example, powerful combo finishers called Beat Hits use colored circles to show their proper timing, while big incoming attacks leave AoE markers on the ground that change color to the beat to indicate when they’ll land. Seeing Soundsīecause music is the driving force behind Hi-Fi Rush’s design, anything that syncs to the beat through audio cues is also represented with distinct visual cues. Thankfully, with all the tools at my disposal, I could overcome any moments of frustration by changing my approach or at least playing it safer. That can become a problem when Hi-Fi Rush layers on flame-wielding robots and electrified floors, for example, but it works well-enough for most fights. The targeting system did leave me in precarious positions on occasion – since there’s no manual lock-on, I’d sometimes hook onto or gravitate towards enemies I didn’t intend to target, leaving me vulnerable or swinging at the wrong foe. Enemies gradually evolve in complexity with different offensive styles, and things can get chaotic in encounters that mix and match enemy types. My natural ability to clap on two and four wasn’t enough to get past Hi-Fi Rush’s tougher battles. It doesn’t linger on any one concept or gimmick for too long either, steadily throwing in new ideas to toy with before bringing them all together to test my mastery, which meant I never felt like I was simply hammering away to a basic 4/4 time signature. Deciding whether I should use a light or heavy attack to mix up my combo string, a dodge or parry in anticipation of incoming hits, the grappling hook to close the gap on targets, or a summon to have a companion break shields or stun enemies never felt overwhelming since I could just pace myself to the music. This rhythmic system leaves no ambiguity in combo timing and paces itself in a way that allows for room to consider each follow-up move. Using a similar foundation as Devil May Cry or Bayonetta, each combat encounter across the roughly 10-12 hour campaign is graded on completion speed, elegance, and the ability to stay on beat with combos, but that constant tie to the music results in a type of satisfaction I just don’t get from other stylish-action games. Chai always executes his attacks on the beat regardless of your own input timing, but keeping in rhythm with the BGM’s BPM rewards you with extra damage rather than punishing any missed notes. It Takes You to TangoĪt its best, Hi-Fi Rush’s combat creates a unique harmonious flow where music is your guide every step of the way. From so many angles, Hi-Fi Rush is able to showcase its uniquely charming spirit. It's done with effortless humor and some genuinely warm moments. This playful setup sets a strong tone, and things only get better from there as Hi-Fi Rush layers on a fantastic crew of allies, charismatic villains, and bombastic fights - and often wrapped in a poignant satire of our tech dystopia.
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