Game Review: Hi-Fi Rush

When Microsoft announced in May 2024 that they were closing down Tango Gameworks as part of a strategic and “necessary” cost-cutting measure; the entire gaming community was in outrage. Originally owned under Zenimax studios, the Japanese developer is most well-known for their creative horror releases like The Evil Within and Ghostwire Tokyo.  When Zenimax was acquired by Microsoft, by association Tango Gameworks became an Xbox exclusive studio.  After the moderate success of Ghostwire Tokyo, a lot of people were expecting Tango Gameworks to take a decent amount of time to work on their next game, likely another horror game or sequel to their already existing portfolio. That all changed however when Tango Gameworks revealed and shadow-dropped Hi-Fi Rush on January 25th 2023, a game which oozed bright and creative style unlike anything Tango had ever done before.  After all the success and critical response the game received, it made sense to expect Xbox to double down on Tango Gameworks as a flagship developer.  I think that’s why the sudden announcement to shut them down hurt and confused a lot of people.  This was a studio that proved they were capable of delivering experiences people wanted and in turn bring credibility to the Xbox brand; how could Xbox look at them and be confident in their decision to move forward with their closure? It’s a sad and bitter result of continuous mismanagement that is all too prevalent in the industry currently. But it’s not all bad news, as Tango Gameworks was saved from closure when they were bought by Krafton.  So with their future for the time being thankfully secured, let’s dive deep into the experience Hi-Fi Rush presented and analyse why this game was received as well at it was.

The narrative of Hi-Fi Rush is set up in a futuristic metropolis within a campus owned and operated under the jurisdiction of Vandelay Technologies; a technology firm responsible for significant enhancements in robotic fields.  The main character known as Chai, enlists in Vandelay’s newest program known as Project Armstrong which offers him the ability to replace his disabled arm with a new robotic limb.  Filled with ambitions to be a rockstar, it’s by some odd twist of fate that Chai’s augmentation goes awry and his music player accidentally ends up part of his augmentation.  The result of the experience not only gives Chai a new robotic arm, but an unexpected ability to synchronise with his environment though the music player in his chest.  Labeled a defect by Vandelay Technologies, Chai ends up having to go on the run and ends up joining up with another rebel known as Peppermint and her robot cat called 808.  Together they form a resistance movement with the sole aim of taking Vandelay’s crooked management down before they can enact a sinister mind-control program called SPECTRA on all the participants of Project Armstrong.  This mission will take them through the heart of the campus, forcing them to come face to face with the executives of Vandelay, all the while recruiting more allies to their cause.

While not deep in any sense, there is an undeniable charm embedded into the narrative of Hi-Fi Rush. It invokes a lot of the same elements you would come to expect from the many Saturday-morning cartoon serials we watched as kids.  Chai and his fellow allies each project an easy sense of likability that allows them to leave a firm impression on the player.  I do feel the game missed a potential opportunity to flesh these characters out a bit more though. The narrative is fast and fun yes, but its quick nature sacrifices the ability to flesh these characters out to be more than mere caricatures.  I feel the only real character that benefits from development is Peppermint and that’s only because the story is structured in way that ties her into it more than the other allies do.  Even Chai himself feels slightly shallow in his definition.  He’s funny and likable, there’s no denying that.  Yet there doesn’t seem to be much past his charming personality.  I know this is probably a redundant complaint, but I enjoyed these characters so much I would have appreciated the game giving more effort to flesh them out.  What makes up for the lack of depth though is how much variety is packed into the journey you go on.  Each Executive you face across the Vandelay campus has a unique design and personality that can be felt all across the levels you progress to get them.  It’s a great means of projecting their definition when the environment helps with the storytelling too.   It’s also interesting how a lot of the core themes of the story like corporatism and anti-consumer practices ironically reflect the actions of Xbox’s decision to shut down Tango Gameworks; just a small point I noticed during my time in the story.

The real bread and butter of Hi-Fi Rush though comes in the form of it’s gameplay.  Rhythm is an intrinsic part of the functionality behind the game.  The music that plays within the levels and its sequences are ingrained into your movement and combat.  By moving, fighting and jumping all in time with the beat of the music, you benefit from increased scoring,  damage, but most importantly satisfaction.  There’s nothing more cathartic than syncing with the beat of the game’s music.  Combat offers you a lot of opportunity to take out the variety of robotic enemies while keeping along to the beat.  Timing circles will play out alongside combos to add an extra flourish and damage to your attacks. Parrying also keys in with the beat of the music and by parrying attacks sequentially you avoid any kind of damage.  Allies will also be able to called upon in combat sequences to offer their own assistance.  Their abilities are vital to overcome certain enemy types as you progress through the game.  It has to be said, for someone who has a very average sense of rhythm, the game accommodates for it in a lot of helpful ways, including a metronome sequence.  It’s also good to note the game has a large collection of enemies to throw at you to test your synchronicity and combat skills.  The biggest stand out are the boss fights though, as they encompass a nice collection of themes and timings that reflect the skills you’ve learned throughout the collection of levels leading up to them.

In terms of visual design, this game is a visual delight from start to finish.  Utilizing a cell-shaded art style, combined with a anime-esque design; the game knows how it wants to portray itself in the best of ways.  The ability to seamlessly intertwine cutscenes and gameplay together in one fluid motion cannot go without recognition either.  The biggest display of the games visual quality for me though comes from its environments.  As mentioned, the game is synchronised to the music and beats being played.  The environment is animated in such a way that you get a visual cue of the beat at every turn.  The way the environment reacts to sequences in the music shows a meticulous level of detail akin to Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver. With music being so integral to the game, it’s a great boon to have actual licensed songs be a part of the soundtrack for some the games larger than life sequences. I was pumped to play through segments with the likes of Nine Inch Nails and The Prodigy playing overhead. The remainder of the game’s soundtrack is composed wonderfully by Shuichi Kobori, Reo Uratani and Masatoshi Yanagi who each add their own flavour and style to the games overall musical vibe.

After playing through and experiencing everything Hi-Fi Rush has to offer, I fully understand now why the gaming community was so livid at Xbox’s decision to shutter Tango Gameworks.  Hi Fi Rush felt like breath of fresh air in an era in which games are stagnating and at risk of becoming boring.  To go all in on a premise and deliver it in such a marvelous fashion deserves the highest of recognition.  Even in spite of its minor flaws, the game never for one second lets up on trying to deliver everything it promises with little to no compromise.  Whether we see more from the world of Hi-Fi Rush, time will tell, but for the moment, what we have is more than enough to showcase why Tango Gameworks is a studio well worth supporting in any of their future endeavours.