I’ll put it on the market – as shocked as I used to be that Tango Gameworks had secretly made and launched a brand new sport, I used to be extra shocked that it in a short time had me preventing a large, cel-shaded robotic to the beat of 9 Inch Nails’ ‘1,000,000’. As a result of Hello-Fi Rush is one thing virtually distinctive: a rhythm-action sport in essentially the most literal sense — a traditional motion sport pushed by rhythm.
Whereas the preliminary shock is perhaps that it’s out there to play on Xbox Sequence X|S and Home windows PC at this time (and out there with an Xbox Sport Cross or PC Sport Cross membership), the follow-up feeling shall be shocked that it is a Tango Gameworks manufacturing. For a studio finest identified for its horror leanings – having created The Evil Inside sequence and final 12 months’s Ghostwire: Tokyo – it is a a lot hotter, funnier, weirder new sport than we might ever have anticipated.
Should you’re nonetheless attempting to get your bearings, let me provide you with a rundown based mostly on simply the primary hour of the sport (so no spoilers right here!):
Excellent Sound Perpetually
Consider this as a game-length idea album, telling the story of Chai – a wannabe rockstar who simply wished a candy robotic arm from the Vandelay company – who will get caught up in a tech firm conspiracy when his music participant is by accident embedded in his chest, and begins syncing the broader world as much as his personal private playlist. He’s rapidly deemed a faulty mannequin and scheduled for violent decommission – and also you’ll be guiding him by way of his escape.
Hello-Fi Rush is one thing just like the ‘Child Driver’ of video video games. It’s not only a sport set to music, however a sport pushed by it in each respect. Combos have to be hit in time to the music for the best scores, enemies telegraph their assaults extra with sound than animation, and platforming challenges depend on you with the ability to learn the music as a lot because the setting. Hell, Chai’s idle animations see him finger-snapping alongside to no matter you occur to be listening to on the time.
All of that is pushed by a guitar-heavy soundtrack worthy of essentially the most well-curated dive bar jukebox. The majority of ranges are underpinned by music created by Tango Gameworks itself, shifting as you progress, and superbly rising in tandem with your individual fight prowess. The extra damaging and in-rhythm your combos are, the extra stems you’ll add to the monitor itself. When you hit an S-level combo, the soundtrack shall be in full pressure, driving you to maintain preventing with finesse simply to listen to extra of the music.
However hit a significant story second or a boss battle, and issues kick into high-gear with the addition of licensed music. The opening of the sport options an intro set to The Black Key’s ‘Lonely Boy’, and ends with a boss battle set to the aforementioned 9 Inch Nails minimize. The sensation of driving some traditional tracks by sheer pressure of your motion sport prowess is one thing to behold – and doing it by way of fight is a recent new approach to recreate the enjoyment of the plastic instrument period of rhythm video games. I can not wait to seek out out what else the playlist has in retailer.
The Look of Love
As all nice bands know, nonetheless, your sound is just a part of the attraction, and Hello-Fi Rush has the appears to match its tracklist. This has the vibe of some misplaced ’90s Saturday morning cartoon, with an eye-searing neon colour palette, thick strains, and over-the-top animations. Cutscenes are a deal with, pushed by some beautiful facial animation tech that brings Chai to life, and immediately marks its forged of villainous bureaucrats as love-to-hate nemeses we’ll be butting heads (and metallic guitar-clubs) with over the course of the entire sport. It backs up that look with a narrative tone as heat as its visuals – it is a comedy initially, and it’s delivering visible gags from minute one.
All of that’s augmented by some beautiful comedian book-like touches that call to mind ‘Into the Spider-Verse’ – onomatopoeic phrases pop up round you, main moments (delivering the ultimate blow to a boss, as an illustration) are given a splash page-like redraw, and you’ll even see Ben Day dots making up among the textures within the backgrounds of scenes.
Vandelay Applied sciences, the tech campus-turned-prison that makes up the sport’s world, is a jagged, futuristic skyline set beneath excellent blue skies, and its twisting corridors are constructed to cover hidden collectibles, humorous lore drops and mountains of loot – all of which is able to come in useful when you attain your hideout hub base. That is the place the sport’s extra conventional motion chops (not an enormous shock, given Tango’s connection to legendary motion designer Shinji Mikami) start to indicate themselves, providing the flexibility to tweak your preventing type to your wants, and up these combo scores.
It’s that last level that has me actually excited to play extra. Inside the first hour, I already knew that Hello-Fi Rush’s distinctive premise would work for me, and that its appears had charmed me. However that promise that there’s a lot extra beneath the floor – the churning mechanical works of motion sport mechanics we’re extra used to from the likes of Vanquish or Satan Might Cry – is what I’ll wish to dig into as I undoubtedly set this specific playable playlist on repeat.
Hello-Fi Rush is offered at this time for Xbox Sequence X|S and Home windows PC. The sport out there obtain with an Xbox Sport Cross or PC Sport Cross membership.
Hello-Fi RUSH Deluxe Version
Bethesda Softworks
$39.99
Really feel the beat as wannabe rockstar Chai and his ragtag group of allies insurgent towards an evil tech megacorp with raucous rhythm fight! From Tango Gameworks, the studio that introduced you The Evil Inside and Ghostwire: Tokyo (no, actually) comes Hello-Fi RUSH, an all-new motion sport the place the characters, world and fight stylishly sync to the music!
AMP UP WITH THE Hello-Fi RUSH DELUXE EDITION
Get the VIP backstage therapy with the Hello-Fi RUSH Deluxe Version, together with:
– Hello-Fi RUSH (Base sport)
– Two Chai outfits*
– Seven bonus Chai t-shirts
– 808-Themed Guitar Pores and skin
– 808 Alternate Pores and skin
– Gears Starter Pack with 20,000 Gears for unlocking fight abilities and different upgrades. (Notice: Gears are obtained by way of fight and exploration in-game and never out there as a purchasable forex.)
*Every of the Chai Outfits features a coiffure, scarf, jacket, trousers and footwear which will be blended and matched with the T-shirts and guitar skins.
Notice: Gears are instantly out there after buy. Gamers get entry to the opposite gadgets after beating the opening stage and may change their outfits within the Hideout.
CHAI VERSUS THE WORLD
Labeled ‘faulty’ after a shady company experiment mistakenly fuses a music participant to his coronary heart, Chai should now combat for his freedom in a slick animated world the place every little thing – platforming puzzles, enemy assaults and even the colourful gags & banter – are synced to the beat.
OPEN UP THE MOSH PIT!
Tackle armies of company drones (learn: precise robots) in satisfying, rhythm-amplified fight. Time your strikes to drag off flashy Beat Hits, hard-hitting particular talents and even mixture assaults together with your allies! Wish to showcase? Go additional and faucet into the beat to amp up your abilities and earn these covetous S-rank scores.
ROWDY REBELS VS. BADASS BOSSES
Lead a squad of colourful teammates and take the combat to the center of an, er, heartless company. Sq. off with every division’s boss, from Manufacturing to Advertising to Finance, every extra prepared to guard the corporate’s backside line than the final in over-the-top battle sequences accompanied by their very own music tracks!
GRAB YOUR HEADPHONES
Faucet your toes to a killer mixtape of unique music, in addition to songs by 9 Inch Nails, The Prodigy, The Pleasure Formidable and extra! Wish to showcase your abilities to a stay streaming viewers? Fret not: Hello-Fi RUSH features a streamer-friendly alternate audio mode to maintain you from broadcasting copyrighted music.
Notice: Gears are instantly out there after buy. Gamers get entry to the opposite gadgets after beating the opening stage and may change their outfits within the Hideout.
Hello-Fi RUSH
Bethesda Softworks
$29.99
PC Sport Cross
Xbox Sport Cross
Really feel the beat as wannabe rockstar Chai and his ragtag group of allies insurgent towards an evil robotics enhancement megacorp with raucous rhythm fight! From Tango Gameworks, the studio that introduced you The Evil Inside® and Ghostwire®: Tokyo (no, actually) comes Hello-Fi RUSH, an all-new motion sport the place the characters, world and fight stylishly sync to the music!
CHAI VERSUS THE WORLD
Labeled ‘faulty’ after a shady company experiment mistakenly fuses a music participant to his coronary heart, Chai should now combat for his freedom in a slick animated world the place every little thing – platforming puzzles, enemy assaults and even the colourful gags & banter – are synced to the beat.
OPEN UP THE MOSH PIT!
Tackle armies of company drones (learn: precise robots) in satisfying, rhythm-amplified fight. Time your strikes to drag off flashy Beat Hits, hard-hitting particular talents and even mixture assaults together with your allies! Wish to showcase? Go additional and faucet into the beat to amp up your abilities and earn these covetous S-rank scores.
ROWDY REBELS VS. BADASS BOSSES
Lead a squad of colourful teammates and take the combat to the center of an, er, heartless company. Sq. off with every division’s boss, from Manufacturing to Advertising to Finance, every extra prepared to guard the corporate’s backside line than the final in over-the-top battle sequences accompanied by their very own music tracks!
GRAB YOUR HEADPHONES
Faucet your toes to a killer mixtape of unique music, in addition to songs by 9 Inch Nails, The Prodigy, The Pleasure Formidable and extra! Wish to showcase your abilities to a stay streaming viewers? Fret not: Hello-Fi RUSH features a streamer-friendly alternate audio mode which replaces these licensed songs with unique tracks made particularly for streaming Hello-Fi RUSH.
