The Paw Print

By Cameron Smith, Arts and Entertainment Staff Writer

Hi-Fi RUSH promises to be an engaging, action-packed adventure game.

About Hi-Fi RUSH

Hi-Fi RUSH is a rhythm-based action beat-’em-up video game developed by Tango Gameworks and published by Bethesda Softworks exclusively for the Microsoft platforms. This musical adventure, created and published by the studios behind the Evil Within saga, was announced and later released for the Microsoft Windows and Xbox Series console platforms on January 25, 2023. In this game, follow the adventures of a wannabe rockstar with the power of music—literally!

Plot: A

Main characters Chai (left) and 808 (right).

Hi-Fi RUSH follows 25-year-old college dropout Chai, who arrives at the company campus of Vandelay Technologies to volunteer for Project Armstrong, an experimental cybernetic limb replacement program, to realize his dream of being a rockstar. However, things don’t turn out the way Chai expected when, along with his new robot arm, his music player ends up surgically embedded in his chest, giving him the ability to see the world through and fight with musical synesthesia! However, this brands him a defect, leading to the company’s robotic security to go to extreme lengths to get him “recalled”! Teaming up with new allies, Chai must use his new powers to uncover a conspiracy within Vandelay’s six department heads and stop them from executing it! Can he succeed and truly learn what it means to be a real rockstar?

Gameplay: A

Chai facing off against QA–1MIL, the first boss of the game. In this fight, Nine Inch Nails’ song, 1,000,000, will play.

In Hi-FI RUSH, play through a twelve-chapter story as you fight hordes of robotic security with the power of music by your side! Chai’s attacks land on the beat of the music, but enacting button commands in sync to the beat will give more damage and even more of a score bonus! Smash, thrash, crash, and slash your way through Vandelay’s various departments as you fight, dodge and parry on the beat to make your way to victory! Through your adventure, call upon Chai’s friends Peppermint, Macaron, and Korsica to help damage enemies or reveal the path forward.

Chai performing a powerful Beat Hit. Beat Hits deal big damage if you finish a combo on the beat!

The main thing to help you fight effectively is finding the beat. Following the beat is as simple as looking everywhere. The environment around Chai will be moving, shifting or bouncing to the beat—even Chai himself will be snapping his fingers or moving to the beat of the music, while his robot feline companion 808, in a ball-like form, acts as a metronome for you. You can even use the Rhythm Assist option to help you if finding the beat is difficult. Look around and set a personal metronome to send these bots to the junkyard!

Reception: A+

Hi-Fi Rush received above-high praise from critics and players alike! The game received praise for its visual style, art direction, humor, characters and combat, though some criticized its repetition, level design, and limited soundtrack.

The game received a whopping 89/100 by Metacritic, while it received a recommendation from Eurogamer, a 9/10 from IGN, a 5/5 perfect score from Hardcore Gamer, and four stars from GamesRadar+, The Guardian, and VIdeo Games Chronicle. Here is a comment made about the game by Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw of The Escapist: “Rhythm action is a natural pairing with spectacle fighting.” Another reviewer also commented on the game’s combat aesthetics, calling it “sublime”. By August 2023, Hi-Fi Rush attracted over 3 million players, both from buying the game and downloading it for free via Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions. Currently, Hi-Fi Rush has only one award under its belt: the CEDEC Sound Award for its soundtrack, which includes licensed songs from bands like the Black Keys, the Joy Formidable and Nine Inch Nails. 

View more about Hi-Fi Rush on Bethesda Softworks’ official website! Also, view the voice cast on behindthevoiceactors.com.

Learn the tips and tricks of Hi-Fi Rush here. You can also see the first chapter gameplay of the story here. P.S. SPOILER ALERT!

ESRB Rating:

Rated T for Fantasy Violence and Language.