Boss battles are a highlight, but even as the game adds in elements like rhythm duels and support characters it’s clear the idea can only be stretched so far.

A bit of fiddly platforming is invariably followed by you getting locked in a small area until you’ve defeated all the nearby robots. Beyond the cel-shaded visuals the inevitable comparisons to Jet Set Radio are unwarranted, except in the fact that the game’s experimental nature and lack of seriousness feels exactly like something that would have been at home on the Dreamcast or PlayStation 2.Īs such, its flaws are fairly predictable, with too little variation in the level design and progression structure. The story behind Hi-Fi Rush is, by necessity, nonsense (something about an evil corporation turning people into cyborgs) which only adds to the feeling that this is a game out of time. Hi-Fi Rush – a very welcome surprise (pic: Microsoft) Visually, the game is fantastic, with the only presentational sticking point being the script, which is trying desperately hard to be sassy and irreverent but, while not as obnoxious as Forspoken, is never actively funny. Although the backdrops quickly get a bit repetitive the characters are all oozing personality and really do look like cartoons come to life.

If you had a bingo card guessing which of its newly purchased studios Microsoft was going to shut down first your hand would be hovering ominously over Tango Gameworks and yet Hi-Fi Rush excludes such confidence and technical expertise it’s hard to believe the same people are responsible.Īpart from anything else, this is one of the best-looking cel-shaded games ever made, with only Arc System Works’ fighting games even being in the running. Developer Tango Gameworks is best known for The Evil Within horror games, which we were never fans of, and Ghostwire: Tokyo, which we considered to be one of the worst games of 2022. There are other optional visual cues you can add but no matter what song is playing (including a number of licensed tracks) the basic timing concepts are always the same, and something that quickly becomes second nature.Ĭombining the relative simplicity of a rhythm action game with a fully formed 3D action adventure is no easy task but what’s so impressive about Hi-Fi Rush is the sheer panache with which it’s been pulled off.

If you want to do real damage though you have to attack in time with the rhythm, which is indicated not just by the music but by the whole game world bouncing along in synch, via background details like blinking computer lights and jumping floor panels.

Is hi-fi rush on ps5