Hi-Fi Rush

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Hi-Fi Rush
Developer(s)Tango Gameworks
Publisher(s)Bethesda Softworks
Director(s)John Johanas
Producer(s)
  • Masato Kimura
  • Shinsaku Ohara
Designer(s)Masaaki Yamada
Programmer(s)Yuji Nakamura
Writer(s)John Johanas
Composer(s)
  • Shuichi Kobori
  • Reo Uratani
  • Masatoshi Yanagi
EngineUnreal Engine 4
Platform(s)
ReleaseJanuary 25, 2023
Genre(s)Action, rhythm, hack and slash
Mode(s)Single-player

Hi-Fi Rush is a rhythm-based action game[1] developed by Tango Gameworks and published by Bethesda Softworks for the Windows and Xbox Series X/S platforms. It was announced on January 25, 2023 and released worldwide the same day.

The game follows self-proclaimed "future rock star" Chai (voiced by Robbie Daymond in English and Hiro Shimono in Japanese),[2][3] whose music player is accidentally embedded in his chest during experimental cybernetic surgery, allowing him to sense the rhythm of the world. Labelled a "defect" and hunted by the corporation that transformed him, Chai bands together with new friends to defeat the company's executives and put a stop to their plans. Hi-Fi Rush includes licensed music from bands such as The Black Keys and Nine Inch Nails.[4]

Gameplay

Hi-Fi Rush is an rhythm-action game where the protagonist Chai, his enemies, and parts of the environment move to the beat. Attacking on rhythm is not required, as actions automatically sync up with the music, but by timing the button presses right the players are rewarded with higher damage output and timing-based combo finishers deal additional damage. A parry move allows players to cancel enemy attacks by pressing the button at the exact moment of attacks. In addition to the beat-em-up action mechanics, there are also rhythm-based minigame elements where players repeat cues in a call-and-response fashion, or press buttons in rhythmic sequence based on on-screen cues.[5]

The game takes place across multiple linear stages, representing various divisions of the antagonist corporation. Each division is based on a particular musical style, and Chai engages in boss battles at various points.[6]

In addition to combat, the game also features some platform game elements, as well as a system of upgrades to unlock new moves, abilities, and perks, which can be purchased with gears, an in-game currency earned in combat or by exploring levels. Permanent upgrades to health and the special meter also appear in stages as collectibles.

Completing the game once unlocks bonus features, such as the ability to revisit past levels and previously inaccessible areas, a new difficulty setting, and Rhythm Tower, a survival mode similar to Bloody Palace from the Devil May Cry series.[7]

Story

Chai, a 25 year-old man with dreams of being a rockstar, arrives at Vandelay Campus to volunteer for Project Armstrong: a test program for cybernetic limb replacement. The campus is a massive industrial city owned by Vandelay Technologies and maintained by their robotic workforce. As Chai is being prepped for the operation that will replace his disabled arm, his music player lands on top of his chest after being carelessly tossed aside by CEO Kale Vandelay. The machine tasked with the operation fuses the music player with Chai, causing him to feel a musical connection with the environment and perceive a persistent beat within the world itself.

Chai is deemed defective due to his unplanned musical grafting, which leads to Vandelay's robot security forces assaulting him. Chai uses an electromagnetic wand stored in his new prosthetic arm, designed for trash collection, to form a makeshift melee weapon shaped like a guitar. He attempts to flee, and is aided by a hacker who communicates to him through her robotic cat named 808. The two meet in a hideout within the depths of the city, with the hacker introducing herself as Peppermint. She offers to help Chai find a way out of Vandelay Campus if he agrees to help her investigate the conspiracy behind Project Armstrong. The two form a reluctant alliance.

Soon, Chai helps Peppermint gain access to a Vandelay executive computer. There they discover SPECTRA, an AI-program that uses Vandelay's cybernetic implants as a back-door for mind control. The two hatch a plan to access and shut down SPECTRA by securing passkeys from each of the company's executives. The duo gather a group of allies on their journey, including the disgruntled former head of R&D Macaron and his inconsiderate psychology robot CNMN, and manage to convince the head of Vandelay security, Korsica, to join their cause. While exploring a museum of Vandelay Technologies, Peppermint admits that she is Kale Vandelay's sister. She explains that their mother Roxanne encouraged her to leave home and find her own path, but returned home after Kale's ascent to CEO because she sensed something was wrong.

After obtaining all but the final passkey, Chai and his allies proceeded to face Kale, only to find Roxanne, alive and well, and traps the group. Kale appears revealing that Roxanne is under control of SPECTRA and that his modus operandi was to enslave the human race to buy more Vandelay products of his choosing. Chai frees his allies from the trap and leads them in the final battle with Kale. Kale is defeated and SPECTRA is shut down.

In the aftermath, Roxanne regains control of Vandelay Technologies with Peppermint and Chai's allies willing to help rebuild the company, while Chai is offered the role of ambassador for Project Armstrong. In the post-credits scene, Chai and the gang gather to look at the sunset while he starts learning how to play guitar - in case his job as ambassador doesn't do so well.

After the end credits, Peppermint informs the rest of the group that she is still detecting SPECTRA signals on the Vandelay campus. Chai explores and discovers several hidden rooms containing encrypted data. Peppermint decrypts the data, leading Chai to an underground facility containing the SPECTRA AI, which takes the form of Kale. The AI Kale reveals that the signals were a trap, and that accessing the facility has re-activated SPECTRA. Suddenly, the AI is shut down when a cleaning robot stumbles into its power cord, unplugging it. Chai declares the problem solved and leaves behind a note warning not to touch the plug.

Development

In the March 2022 Famitsu interview, Shinji Mikami, the founder of Tango Gameworks, has stated that he wants the company to venture outside of the survival horror genre and nurture younger game creators. He also mentioned that the next game by The Evil Within 2 director John Johanas is "the complete opposite of horror."[8]

Johanas described the game as a "dream game" idea he had in his mind since "way, way back." He pitched the title to Bethesda higher ups after completing work on The Evil Within 2 in 2017, and development commenced in parallel with Ghostwire: Tokyo, which was already in production at that point.[9]

Hi-Fi Rush was announced at Xbox and Bethesda Developer_Direct on January 25, 2023.[10] The game's appearance was intended as a surprise, although the title and logo were leaked online a day prior to the event.[11] After showcasing the trailer and some gameplay footage, Tango Gameworks announced that the game will be releasing on the same day for Windows and Xbox Series X/S.[12]

Music

The game's original soundtrack was composed by former Konami composer Shuichi Kobori, former Capcom composer Reo Uratani, and Tango Gameworks' sound designer Masatoshi Yanagi.

Hi-Fi Rush uses nine licensed music tracks throughout the story: "1,000,000" and "The Perfect Drug" by Nine Inch Nails, "Inazawa Chainsaw" by Number Girl, "Lonely Boy" by The Black Keys, "Invaders Must Die" by The Prodigy, "Whirring" by The Joy Formidable, "Wolfgang's 5th Symphony" by Wolfgang Gartner, and "Honestly" by Zwan. Bethesda Softworks also created an official Spotify playlist with most of these tracks.[13]

To avoid issues such as YouTube copyright strikes, the game includes an option to replace all licensed songs with similar original tracks performed by the band The Glass Pyramids.[13]

Reception

Hi-Fi Rush received universal acclaim upon its release, according to review aggregator Metacritic, with an average score of 90 and 88 for its Windows and Xbox Series X/S versions, respectively.[14][15]

Jordan Middler, from Video Games Chronicle, said that Hi-Fi Rush is "oozing with style and confidence", although there are "repetitive level design and some clunky platforming", scoring with a 4 out of a 5 star rating.[20] Jesse Norris, from XboxEra, praised the combat, calling it sublime, but "can become difficult to read as the screen fills up with utter chaos", scoring it with 9.5 out of 10.[21] Diego Argüello, from Polygon, called its animation gorgeous and Jet Set Radio-esque art style vivid and arresting.[22] Giovanni Colantonio, from Digital Trends, called it "Tango Gameworks' most confident, stylish and surprising project to date".[16]

References

  1. ^ Skinner, Tom (26 January 2023). "'Evil Within' studio releases rhythm-action game 'Hi-Fi Rush'". NME. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  2. ^ Tomakic, Izabela (26 January 2023). "All Hi-Fi Rush English voice actors". Dot Esports. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  3. ^ "Behind the Voice Actors of Hi-Fi RUSH". BTVA. 26 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  4. ^ Peters, Jay (25 January 2023). "Hi-Fi Rush, a new rhythm-action game from the developers of The Evil Within, is out today". The Verge. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  5. ^ Bailey, Kat; Valentine, Rebekah (25 January 2023). "Tango Gameworks Announces Hi-Fi Rush During Xbox Developer_Direct Showcase, Out Today". IGN. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  6. ^ Kaser, Rachel (25 January 2023). "Tango Gameworks announces Hi-Fi Rush, which launches today". VentureBeat. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  7. ^ Leri, Michael (30 January 2023). "Hi-Fi Rush Review: Devil May Fi". Yahoo!. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  8. ^ Scullion, Chris (24 March 2022). "Shinji Mikami wants Tango Gameworks to make smaller and non-horror games". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  9. ^ Xbox - Hi-Fi Rush's origins, 27 January 2023, retrieved 27 January 2023
  10. ^ Peters, Jay (25 January 2023). "Hi-Fi Rush, a new rhythm-action game from the developers of The Evil Within, is out today". The Verge. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  11. ^ Nightingale, Ed (24 January 2023). "Unannounced Tango Gameworks game leaks ahead of Xbox Developer_Direct". Eurogamer. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  12. ^ Cooper, Dalton (25 January 2023). "Evil Within Developer's New Game Hi-Fi Rush is Out Today on Xbox Game Pass". Game Rant. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  13. ^ a b Green, Jake (30 January 2023). "'Hi-Fi Rush' soundtrack and song list". NME. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  14. ^ a b "Hi-Fi Rush for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  15. ^ a b "Hi-Fi Rush for Xbox Series X Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  16. ^ a b Colantonio, Giovanni (30 January 2023). "Hi-Fi Rush review: a new blueprint for rhythm-action games". Digital Trends. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  17. ^ West, Josh (31 January 2023). "Hi-Fi Rush review: 'An undeniably wild ride that shouldn't be ignored'". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  18. ^ Oloman, Jordan (30 January 2023). "'Hi-Fi Rush' review: a shockwave of creativity". NME. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  19. ^ Zamora, Gabriel (31 January 2023). "Hi-Fi Rush Review". PCMag. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  20. ^ a b Middler, Jordan (27 January 2023). "Hi-Fi Rush is a stylish, loud and messy first album full of potential". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  21. ^ Norris, Jesse 'Doncabesa' (26 January 2023). "Review | Hi-Fi RUSH". XboxEra. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  22. ^ Argüello, Diego Nicolás (27 January 2023). "Hi-Fi Rush arrived at the perfect time". Polygon. Retrieved 28 January 2023.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hi-Fi_Rush&oldid=1136903096"