Hello-Fi Rush Evaluate | TechRaptor

Hello-Fi Rush got here out of nowhere in so some ways. The sudden launch on the identical day it was introduced is sort of as shocking as the truth that it got here from the identical studio behind The Evil Inside and Ghostwire: Tokyo. Now, within the aftermath of its launch, everybody appears to be tapping their toes alongside to the rhythm Hello-Fi Rush has set, and for good purpose. 

The rhythm-action game from Tango Gameworks takes chaotic character-action fight and fantastically mixes it with a beat. Supported by a easy story and an enthralling solid of characters you may root for, Hello-Fi Rush is an album stuffed with hits, with solely the occasional filler you’ll want you possibly can skip.

March to the Beat of the Strum 

The primary attraction of Hello-Fi Rush is definitely its fight. All through the primary two-thirds of the 12 ranges, you’ll hold accruing new skills, resulting in a symphony of actions at your disposal. Mixing mild and heavy assaults in several methods offers you completely different combos, and you may amp up the finisher by hitting a button to the beat. It’s a simple but constantly rewarding loop that feels simply as nice within the final hour because it does the primary time. 

Doing all of those combos requires you to remain on the beat. When you can nonetheless assault off-beat, you gained’t do as a lot injury, and touchdown finishers or extra sophisticated combos can get tough. Dodges and parries comply with related guidelines. They’re nonetheless doable off-beat, however you may string three on-beat dodges in a row. Parries have a decent window, and each enemy normally telegraphs their assaults with a call-and-response rhythm.

While you comply with the beat, all of it seems like a fragile dance with chaos. Typically you’re main, generally you’re following, however you all the time have a guiding mild: the music. 

Amid your combos, you may summon allies to do various kinds of assaults, every offering a sure benefit over particular enemies. Nevertheless, they are often upgraded as nicely, providing you with extra methods to make use of them, together with summoning them on a finisher or proper after a parry for larger injury. 

There’s loads occurring in these fights, particularly within the latter set of ranges. You may be wailing on one massive enemy whereas two different massive bots encompass you, with their little minions taking pictures lasers at you from afar. But, while you comply with the beat, all of it seems like a fragile dance with chaos. Typically you’re main, generally you’re following, however you all the time have a guiding mild: the music. 

While you’re in tune with the music and have a great grasp of the controls, Hello-Fi Rush feels in contrast to every other motion game. You’re concurrently jamming to the music whereas in stream with the fight, really utilizing sound results greater than visible cues to react. For gamers with a penchant for rhythm, that is an absolute deal with. And even if you happen to describe your self as rhythmically challenged, Hello-Fi Rush continues to be a fairly accessible game.

Chai’s Obtained an Axe to Grind 

While you’re within the motion, you’ll management a personality named Chai, a lovable doofus that wishes to be a rockstar. After getting a brand new robotic arm (and a music participant in his coronary heart), he finds himself with the facility to summon a guitar-shaped membership. He sees the world in rhythm, explaining why the fight follows his beat. 

He and his motley crew got down to topple Vandelay, the almighty megacorporation that’s giving everybody these robotic enhancements. The corporate represents late-stage capitalism, unhealthy work tradition, and power-hungry executives multi functional, so it’s simple to root towards. It’s a typical “let’s take down The Man” story that feels as rock n’ roll as Chai needs he have been. There are few surprises right here, and also you’ll doubtless be capable to see lots of them coming. 

What actually sells the narrative is the moment-to-moment writing. The way in which Hello-Fi Rush illustrates the sleaziness of Vandelay is expertly executed with finesse and charisma. One of many essential enemies generally provides extra work to the agenda, casually acknowledges there isn’t time within the schedule, and matter-of-factly informs everybody to work time beyond regulation. When a employee says it’s not within the funds, the boss tells him to take it out of the yearly bonuses. It relishes within the foolish parody, prefer it’s winking at you, figuring out that you just’re extra conversant in the satire than you would like you have been. 

It’s all of the little jokes in between that makes Hello-Fi Rush so enjoyable. You’d be hard-pressed to not discover one thing that makes you chuckle or places a smile in your face. It’s campy, meta, foolish, and playful, by no means taking itself significantly. It is aware of this isn’t a narrative for the ages, and it’s not making an attempt to be one.

Rockin’ With Fashion 

To enhance its light-hearted nature, Tango Gameworks opted for a comics-inspired cel-shaded artwork path that’s as trendy as it’s whimsical. Huge assaults usually include comic-style explosions, and on-beat hits say “Good!” in a vigorous font. You don’t want the most recent graphics card to play Hello-Fi Rush, and it’s all the higher for it. 

The artwork path additionally goes a good distance in bringing the characters to life. Their faces are visually expressive, and Chai particularly has been given quite a lot of love. His idle animation sways and snaps to the beat, and if you happen to’re near a wall, he sways much less and faucets his foot to the rhythm as an alternative.

The cutscenes that includes bosses goes an extended solution to characterizing them, too. Zanzo’s frantic actions illustrate his impulsive nature, whereas Rekka’s pro-wrestling swagger tells you all the pieces you’ll want to find out about her reckless drive to be primary. 

Environments are fantastically dropped at life with this artwork fashion, as nicely. The colourful coloration palettes and easy textures are simple to visually digest and paint a pleasant image wherever you look. As a bonus, the whole atmosphere follows the beat, too. Objects bounce, smoke puffs, lights flash – all timed to the identical rhythm that Chai sways to. In all places you look, Hello-Fi Rush funnels you towards its essential objective of splendidly marrying rhythm and motion. 

When it comes to degree design, the important path is made fairly clear with arrows. In keeping with the in-game lore, Vandelay itself trademarked the idea of arrows so it might sue anybody else who makes use of them. All through one stage (the lava one, in fact), you may learn journal entries of the robotic who needed to put up the arrows, who finally obtained existential about its objective on this planet. As soon as once more, Hello-Fi Rush commits to the bit.

The one massive draw back to the extent design, nonetheless, is that you possibly can argue that it could possibly really feel like padding at instances. There are small further corridors you may stroll down for extra forex or powerups, if you happen to’re inclined. Total although, the exploration and platforming can really feel a little bit uninspired, particularly when juxtaposed with the finely polished motion segments. 

This will make subsequent replays really feel extra like a chore, which is a disgrace contemplating that there are post-game challenges that unlock after ending the ultimate boss. You simply have to seek out them inside all the degrees. With some unskippable cutscenes and dialog including much more padding, Hello-Fi Rush may be extra of a one-and-done kind of game for all however probably the most devoted achievement hunters. And that’s not a nasty factor both; the roughly 12 hours of game time has been a few of the most enjoyable I’ve had in 2023 thus far. 

Hello-Fi Rush Evaluate | Ultimate Verdict

Hello-Fi Rush got here out of nowhere and rocked its method into the motion style with its personal twist. Followers of rhythm video games and motion video games will discover loads to dive into, and the extent of stream state when the 2 combine completely feels implausible. Whereas the moments between the motion can really feel a little bit padded, the hilarious dialog and foolish banter will hold you happy till the subsequent massive hit of fight. 

TechRaptor reviewed Hello-Fi Rush on Xbox Collection X through Xbox Game Move. It’s also obtainable on Xbox Collection S and PC.