Image used with permission by copyright holderĭuring my playthrough, I frequently flashed back to the golden days of the Nintendo GameCube - a console that was loaded with the kind of eclectic games that you’ll only find in the indie scene these days. Even its art style rebels against modern instincts, opting for vibrant colors and an illustrative style rather than chasing “next-gen” realism. It’s an entirely unique fusion of rhythm and hack-and-slash action, turning Devil May Cry into a music game. It’s not a run-of-the-mill AAA game featuring an expansive open world and obsessive hooks meant to keep consumers logging in (one could argue that Tango’s own Ghostwire: Tokyo fell victim to some of those trappings). Hi-Fi Rush itself feels like a rejection of the capitalistic restrictions that major studios like Tango Gameworks often face. That theme isn’t just reflected in its story. It’s a message that feels especially relevant to the year it’s releasing in, as the gaming industry inches closer to mass unionization. One of my favorite text logs is a poem written by a maintenance robot forced to ceaselessly clean company floors that never get dirty. The dystopia is filled with corporate propaganda posters and lore logs that paint a picture of the world’s exploited working class via loaded gags. Biting satire is baked into its colorful world, as it makes some heavy themes more digestible for a range of age groups. Though its story can be a bit “anti-capitalism 101” at times - and loaded with the same quippy humor that plagues games like Forspoken - much of its narrative decisions work in the context of its light aesthetic. That kicks off an alt-rock-fueled journey to take down the company’s top brass with the help of some allies and a metallic guitar blade. Set in a metropolis run by an oppressive megacorporation, the story focuses on a worker named Chai who’s deemed defective after having a music player fused to his chest. Narratively, Hi-Fi Rush is a cyberpunk game wrapped up in cartoon aesthetics. It’s the rare major studio game that breaks free from the monotony of a stagnating medium to deliver something that truly, earnestly rocks. It has all the style of an anime, the long-lost creative energy of a GameCube game, and the bright-eyed exuberance of a 2000s teen at their first indie rock show. Hi-Fi Rush rockets to the top of the rhythm-action genre thanks to a stellar combat system that goes far beyond simple beat-matching. Steady beats serve as an invisible force that powers its vibrant cyberpunk world, but I can hardly ever feel that restriction in a musical quest that plays like a creative improv session. Rather, everything about it is built around that music, like a band naturally locking in after a drummer’s opening count-in. Tango Gameworks’ rhythm-action game, which surprise-launched on PC and Xbox last week, doesn’t just throw players a good playlist and ask them to keep time over it. While some music games could stand to learn a thing from that video, Hi-Fi Rush is a model student. Xbox exclusive High On Life delayed to December due to bugs Xbox just surprise announced and released a stylish new Game Pass title Hi-Fi Rush – Arcade Challenge update speeds up the beat
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