Hi-Fi Rush, the surprise Xbox exclusive game, is pure delight

At the Xbox and Bethesda Developer Immediate showcase in January 2023, there was a person shock that the publishers managed to by some means keep under their hats. Hi-Fi Hurry is a new activity from Bethesda, formulated by Tango Gameworks (The Evil Within, Ghostwire Tokyo), and it’s totally compared with the spooky and horrific games the Tango has turn out to be synonymous with.

It’s a vibrant, colourful, and expressive character motion sport in the vein of Satan May perhaps Cry, with a rhythm ingredient. The globe moves to a singular defeat, and that conquer informs every little thing from character motion, enemy attacks, and your own steps, to the issue the place syncing your button presses with the beat will improve the consequences of your individual attacks and movement talents.

Hi-Fi Hurry was at the same time announced and unveiled on Xbox and Computer. It was also created readily available on the Xbox Activity Move subscription assistance.

So much, it is been a superb shock.

In a 2022 job interview with Japanese online games publication Famitsu (as translated by VGC), Tango Gameworks CEO Shinji Mikami (Resident Evil, Resident Evil 4, God Hand) mentioned that the company did not want to grow to be synonymous with survival horror games, in spite of his legacy as 1 of the creators of Resident Evil – a single of the earliest illustrations of the genre.

In the same job interview, he teased the existence of what would come to be Hello-Fi Hurry: ‘John Johanas, who directed the DLC for The Evil In just and The Evil Within 2, is operating on a totally new title that is the finish opposite of horror… It is a definitely excellent video game, so preserve your eyes peeled.’

‘The complete opposite’ is ideal.

A 50 percent-dozen hours with Hi-Fi Hurry so far, and I cannot stop smiling. It helps make a quite strong perception in its opening hours – the artwork path is brilliant and eye-popping, and the characters are complete of lifetime, endearing and self-conscious. The Saturday early morning cartoon-style animation, where people move at a reduce framerate to mimic a hand-animated cel fashion, appears to be great. There is a great deal of like, artistry, and consideration to element in this article.

But the rhythm-infused melee overcome is, of training course, the primary star of the exhibit – a dynamic and flashy process that is fulfilling to participate in with, even in its most primary variety. Like the a lot of other character action online games that have occur ahead of it, strings of continual gentle or hefty attacks form combos, but generating absolutely sure each and every button you press is on the defeat of the soundtrack (each and every defeat for gentle attacks, and every single 2nd defeat for heavy assaults) will give the attack added oomph, as very well as appear with visible and audio comments that gives you a small endorphin strike each and every time.

As the activity progresses, Hello-Fi Hurry step by step introduces mechanics like combo finishers, dodges, distinct guide figures that bring their personal weapons into the fray, particular talents, a grappling hook, and a parry and counter program. All of these matters are tied to the identical conquer.

It can be satisfyingly complex, if you want it to be. Just a couple of stages in, combating a group of enemies in Hello-Fi Rush is a highly entertaining physical exercise in methodically keeping the conquer by using your controller as a percussion instrument as you continually string movement and assaults jointly – a person, two, three, four, assault, attack, pause, attack, jump, slam, grapple, dodge, parry, parry, counter, finisher.

For an individual who’s a major admirer of the two rhythm action and character action game titles, Hello-Fi Rush is an utter pleasure – a best synergy of satisfying, skill-centered techniques. But for these who aren’t as rhythmically inclined, the recreation also attributes a selection of difficulty and accessibility possibilities, this sort of as clearer conquer indicators or even automatic combat capabilities that seemingly make it achievable to love the game as a colourful, button-mashing brawler.

A lot of folks on social media have remarked that it feels like a video video game from the late 1990s and early 2000s which is someway manufactured its way to the fashionable age, something that would have felt right at property on the Sega Dreamcast or Nintendo GameCube – and they’re totally appropriate. The vibrant artwork design and frame of mind are in-line with video games of the time like Jet Established Radio. Some of the certified songs options at first elevated some eyebrows – like Zwan, the quick-lived supergroup from Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan – but they are also from that era, so that kinda can make feeling much too, I imagine?

Even the style of sport it is – character motion and rhythm action – went via a golden age through this time. In actuality, Shinji Mikami served as the Executive Producer on some of the greatest character motion titles of that period, like Devil May possibly Cry, Viewtiful Joe, and God Hand – although that is not to price cut the clear function of director John Johannes, and the relaxation of the group that brought the video game to life.

Perhaps it’s simply because it is the right time for 2000s nostalgia. It’s possible games have been very long overdue for a title from a key publisher that feels so carefree and exuberant. Perhaps it was just awesome to get a seriously good surprise to kick off the calendar year.

What ever the cause, the existence of Hi-Fi Rush is a blessing. It is a game which is simple to adore, tricky to set down, and just an utter delight to shell out time with. What a great way to commence 2023.

Hi-Fi Rush is obtainable now on Xbox consoles and Computer system through Steam or the Microsoft Retailer. It is also readily available on the Xbox Recreation Move subscription assistance.