Review: Hi-Fi Rush

destructoid.com:

Hi-Fi Rush is a rhythm-based action game developed by Tango Gameworks and published by Bethesda Softworks. It was dropped on the globe as a complete surprise during an Xbox showcase on January 25, 2023, and was available almost immediately on Game Pass for PC and Xbox consoles.

Until recently, Japanese developer Tango Gameworks had been working on an entirely different genre of games, being responsible for The Evil Within and Ghostwire: Tokyo to name just a couple. Hi-Fi Rush could not be any more different from these releases if it tried, with a cartoon-inspired art style and a population of mostly robots.

The player takes on the role of Chai, a wannabe rock star whose heart is “accidentally” replaced with his own music player in a factory-based mishap, or experimental surgery dependent on your viewpoint. Vandelay Technologies, the corporation that took out said surgery, labels him a defect and begins a quest to remove him from the production line or, you know, kill him. Again, dependent on your viewpoint of course.

Hi-Fi Rush (PC [reviewed], Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S)Developer: Tango GameworksPublisher: Bethesda SoftworksReleased: January 25, 2023MSRP: $29.99

In this animated world, every action you take is synced to the outstanding musical soundtrack’s beat, which includes licensed work from the likes of Nine Inch Nails and The Prodigy, amongst others. There’s a handy “streamer mode”, which replaces these licensed tracks with original works from the team at Bethesda, meaning those who’d like to share their Hi-Fi Rush gameplay online won’t be hit with an inconvenient DMCA notice for broadcasting the music.

One of the most satisfying things about this though, is that the player doesn’t actually need to be able to keep a