Time is constantly passing, but it is also undeniably a flat circle. Trends come and go, cycles come and go, and here we are — 2023 is our year to reign, a time portal has just opened above our heads, dropping Dreamcast classics on our laps. or GameCube classics, to be fair – it feels like I’m most at home on either of them.The point is, the latest first-party addition to Xbox Game Pass It feels like time travel from circa 1998 to 2003. I mean, in the best possible way.
A brand new alternative action game tango gameThis Bethesda So far, the studio has been all about survival horror. The studio was founded by Shinji Mikami, who is often cited as the most influential person in the creation of the Resident Evil franchise–so far, the studio’s work has matched that. But this game, for which Mikami was a producer for The Evil Within 2 director John Johannas, proved that he and Tango could do more.
Colorful and glamorous, with gorgeous aesthetics and bright eyes and white teeth, Hi-Fi Shock Thinking back to many of my favorite games from that era, where the spirit of approachable and accessible arcade games merged with the first console hardware that was truly comparable to or more powerful than arcade machines. When I talk about this era, I mean things like Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, and Viewtiful Joe—the latter of which was actually produced by Mikami. That’s the energy on display here.
In fact, Hi-Fi Rush is a fun take on character action games like Devil May Cry (another Mikami-produced collaboration) and rhythm games. The whole world pulses to the BPM of the music that is currently playing, and while you can mix and match with the push of a button, the way to do more damage and be effective against enemies is to time your hits and combos directly to the dancing music .
It’s just great video game action. You’re slapping someone with a guitar made out of scrap metal. You have a robotic arm. Because it’s all about the music, there’s a toe-tapping poison that slowly seeps into your pores.
When you get to the game’s first real boss encounter, which takes place on a licensed nine-inch peg track, you feel yourself slowly sliding into the goblin-mode pose most familiar to drummers and DJs – I can tell from experience with the former Talk – Gollum is a little listless, but shoulders shake and pop to the beat of the beat. The world around you fades away.
To be fair, the best role-playing games and intense arcade video games have always had this quality. I can fall into a similar trance while playing Crazy Taxi or Ikaruga. You don’t need music arranged this way – but gosh, it helps. I think Hi-Fi Rush is good enough to get there on its own – but the music lets it take your soul away in record time. It’s a genius design that elevates what was basically a fun and very accessible action-fighting game into something entirely different.
Also enhancing the experience is its appearance. Beautiful animation, vibrant colors, and cutscenes that honestly made me pause briefly and think “is this live or pre-recorded”? There is style here. It’s a new-gen-only game, available on Xbox Series X/S and PC, but it’s a testament to that, without excess detail and with a raw, crisp style— And it runs silky smooth.
If you’re not too comfortable with rhythm games, there’s a lot to help here, from perpetually pulsating UI and cosmic elements to help you keep up with the beat, to additional optional interface parts to make everything more explicit. However, if you’re really struggling, the game’s playability is adequate–but it feels its best when you’re hugging and matching the music.
I just love what this is. It’s a video game with a fucking capital V. It has zero pretense and no real desire to be considered high art. It’s just a wholesome video game that sucks you in and makes time pass away. Nostalgia is one hell of a drug, but it’s not just old school and bringing back memories of this thirtysomething. This entry succeeds because it’s fresh and exciting, while certainly drawing on and revering some of the classic games of the era that I’ve mentioned throughout this article.
It’s the kind of game that usually has a hard time finding an audience — not a realistic visual presentation, not serious enough, not enough sad dad frowns and sighs, not enough multiplayer to keep you stuck forever. Released on Xbox One, I can see where it’s going: a cult hit, like it, but a sales bomb. In fact, Insomniac’s Sunset Overdrive has a similar energy. While that wasn’t as good as this game, it deserved a larger audience and never found it.
But hopefully on Xbox Game Pass, it’s going to be a huge hit – I really think that if you played the first level of this game and didn’t want to continue, you’re definitely the wrong person. Come to think of it; we didn’t even (officially) know this existed yesterday. That’s the magic of digital distribution and subscription services, even more magical than playing StarCraft “for free” on day one.
I haven’t finished Hi-Fi Rush yet. In fact, I think I still have a long way to go. But long ago, I knew it was one of the best games of 2023. I find it refreshes and energizes me — which is exactly what an escapist game should strive to do.
