Gamepass Series – HiFi Rush (Xbox Series X|S)
Reviewed on Xbox Series S
Xbox Gamepass is slated for one of its more stacked years in recent memory. With the anticipated releases of Redfall, Forza Motorsport, and Starfield, among others, it can be an all-time great year for Xbox’s pride and joy subscription service.
We all love some value in a world that grows more expensive by the minute, don’t we? HiFi Rush adds just that to Xbox Gamepass.
Should Shadow Dropping Be A Trend?
Now for those who are not familiar, HiFi Rush shadow dropped during the Xbox Developer Direct on January 25th of this year. Nobody and I really means nobody was expecting the game to release the way it did.
However, it was very well received. Having a game ready to go, with no game-breaking bugs, and without any overdue anticipation set it up for a fantastic announcement and launch.
I, like many others, immediately downloaded it and was ready to go at the first available chance. It did not disappoint and it begs to ask the question should more games be shadow dropped?
Do or Chai:
The story of HiFi Rush is about an ambitious young man named Chai (yes like the latte) who is creating a path for himself to become a Rockstar. He volunteers to be a part of Project Armstrong for Vandelay Technologies and this is where the story begins. During the experiment, Chai becomes fused with his music player because of a freak accident that occurs.
He now has a robotic arm and a music player in his chest that allows him to feel the rhythm of his surroundings! He also is now labeled a defect by Vandelay Technologies and the most wanted person in the company…
Chai being able to sense the rhythm of his surroundings is the key aspect of the entire game. Literally, the entire game, not just an element or two but everything you do is based upon this rhythm Chai can now feel.
The movement, combat, level design, enemy combat, puzzles, you name it, revolves around the rhythm of the game. It makes for one of the most unique experiences in a video game that I have ever had.
Ride The Rhythm:
Your ability to feel the rhythm and base your actions around it directly impact your level of success in the game. There are bonuses to combat, damage, and specials that you perform if you can time your actions to the rhythm of the level.
At first, it took me a second to get used to every action being related to a specific rhythm. There’s help for that with the game providing its version of metronome for you to use until you have figured out the rhythm without the need for assistance.
Once I picked it up the real enjoyment began for me. Performing devastating combos and reversals on enemies in spectacular fashion added extra fulfillment beyond just advancing in the game. You also get letter-grade performances based on the time it took you to complete a section, points earned off of combos, and your timing of actions to the rhythm.
That little aspect gave me a fond memory of one of my favorite games, Viewtiful Joe 2, and that only aided my experience and opinion of the playthrough in a positive way. The enemy combat revolves around the rhythm as well so understanding it also helps you in your defense, timing of parrying, and other defensive mechanics that aid you in combat.
Becoming A Rockstar:
As resilient as Chai is he does not go through his journey alone. Along the way, he has help from friends, Peppermint, Macaron, CNMN (pronounced cinnamon), and 808. I would like to note that I am fairly confident that Tango Gameworks was either eating or craving some sweets when coming up with the names of the characters but it was a nice touch!
These characters all have special abilities and skills that are necessary for Chai to battle Vandelay Technologies and stop them from their wicked plans. They also allow Chai to perform upgrades on himself that allow players to customize how they want to tackle the game. I will always point out when players have options, it’s such a high-quality component to include in any genre of a video game.
Hifi Rush also stands out with its vibrant art style that enriches the game design as a whole. Some of the boss designs and builds are some of the most unique of any game that I have played. The humor involved in the dialogue of the cutscenes was not for me but I can appreciate that it did go with the vibe of the game and it doesn’t feel forced or out of place at any point.
You can clearly see the level of passion and effort that was put into making it and that goes a long way to the success of any game. Nothing was forced for the purpose of earning a check, it genuinely feels like a passion project that a team of people enjoyed working on every step of the way.
Final Thoughts:
No game is perfect. The only true critique that I have is that at times it felt like the rhythm didn’t change much if at all. What do I mean? Each level has a unique soundtrack that plays throughout the entirety of the level. The rhythm from one level felt the same even when playing on a different level with a different soundtrack.
Now maybe I adjusted quicker on subsequent levels after picking the initial rhythm on the first one. Or maybe it didn’t actually change. Either way, it’s such a minor critique that it was something I wish was more noticeable but didn’t really take away from my experience.
Overall HiFi Rush was a breath of fresh air from some of the patterns in gaming that have been a trend lately. It also dropped in at the perfect time with not much similar to play along with it.
It kicked off 2023 for Gamepass with a bang and is well worth your time if you are subscribed to the service! It has helped make the anticipation and wait for the bigger AAA games such as Redfall, Forza Motorsport, and Starfield a little more bearable and truly adds value and enhances Gamepass for the better.
