Hi-Fi Rush (PS5) Quick Review – And The Beat Goes On

Hi-Fi Rush, one of the first Bethesda games that was an Xbox console exclusive post-Microsoft acquisition, is now available on PS5.

While some overzealous console fans have dreaded the news as part of Microsoft releasing its games on multiple platforms outside of Xbox, this is, technically, business as usual for Bethesda. It was more of a surprise that Hi-Fi Rush was an Xbox exclusive, after months leading up to it was Microsoft/Xbox downplaying its acquisition move was to gatekeep its titles to its own ecosystem.

And with a game this good and inventive like Hi-Fi Rush that basically had to rely on the power of a shadowdrop and the word-of-mouth spread aftershock of its surprise release, it deserves to be played by more players.

A year since its initial release, Hi-Fi Rush is still a fun time. As someone who highly rated the game back at launch, playing this game again proves that it was not a spur-of-the-moment reaction. This game is still fun, and now with all those post-launch updates, lets you keep having more fun after the main story ends. As they say, the beat goes on…

No Fancy PS5 Features

A quick note: the PS5 release of Hi-Fi Rush is essentially a port. There’s no extra special bell and whistles added with this release, nor does the original game get any new content via updates with this release. So it’s the same version of the game some have played back in July 2023.

It’s interesting that early in the 9th console generation, PlayStation was doing a lot of marketing for Bethesda games, and games like Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo boasts about how it implements PS5-specific features. There’s none of that here in Hi-Fi Rush, obviously due to the change of upper management. So don’t expect any snazzy adaptive trigger or haptic feedback gimmicks. Not that the game needs it.

Performance-wise, there are no performance options. The game just runs at a consistent frame rate of what appropriate frame rate for the scene is. During in-game action, it’s mostly, though judging by eye alone, a consistent 60 FPS.

The Writing Is Just As Good On Second Viewing

One of the things I remarked in my original review is how good the writing in Hi-Fi Rush is. The solid characterisation of wannabe rockstar Chai and the initial tension with renegade rebel Peppermint remain true. And the development of the whole squad and their banter game is still fun and funny.

And yes, the jokes still got me giggling. The game is genuinely funny. It uses a good amount of visual gags, wordplay (and being self-aware enough when they overindulge on it) as well as elaborate foreshadowing to set up silly punchlines later on.

Hi-Fi Rush was initially released closely with Forspoken, and both games back then were compared on how the writers attempt in creating banter as well as creating a fish-out-of-water hero with a companion they frequently butt heads against. Forspoken being what it is, of course Hi-Fi Rush’s attempt on this storytelling fares much better.

But now playing the game with that context removed, I still find the witty humour to land strongly.

The English script is laden with wordplays, quips and punchy back-and-forth (I wonder if all of this was able to be presented in other languages). The performance of the voice actors really sells that this was created in a fun, loving, way. It oozes quality. It doesn’t feel cringe, and if it does, it was on purpose. Hearing the team groan in agony over an obviously bad pun Chai leaves a smile on my face (again). And caught me off-guard (again) because that line precedes a combat encounter.

And while no character acknowledges this, but Chai’s one-liners he delivers before the final hit on a boss is straight fire.

Whether some of the timely references as jokes age well, we’ll have to check back much, much later. I wonder if people still get a good giggle on the video conference bit now that most folks are back with working in person and use less Zoom calls.

The Best Use Of The Prodigy In A Video Game Set-Piece

And come on, the devs designed a whole set piece based on Invaders Must Die. I wasn’t joking around when I said it’s the best use of The Prodigy in video game set piece.

Look, the fact that Chai lands and “invades” a cafeteria is likely because Invaders Must Die was released under the Cooking Vinyl label, as seen in the music name appears. And they get to do a silly gag seeing robots consuming food during the build-up of the popular EDM track.

The 140 BPM of the song is a great tempo for the onslaught of enemies needed smacking, as by this point of the game you’ll be really comfy with keeping up to the beat. The slow tempo part of the song is presented as a breather portion of the set piece. And the really catchy bridge that leads back to the main chorus beat? It’s a platforming sequence where you essentially cross a “bridge” to the stage’s mid-boss.

The devs cooked!

And for the record, the second-best use of The Prodigy in a video game, if you ask me, is the penultimate set-piece in Watch Dogs: Legion with its use of Light Up The Sky.

Feeling The Rhythm

In case you’re not familiar with Hi-Fi Rush, it’s a character action game (some say spectacle fighter) in the veins of Devil May Cry, or Final Fantasy XVI. But the gimmick is that everything moves on beat, to a rhythm, to a song. And you are heavily encouraged to time your button presses to the beat.

While my first go-around with the game I understand the trick immediately, playing it again I was struggling. Was it my setup? My PS5 is hooked up to an old TV whereas my laptop where I first played the game has a 144Hz monitor. Was it the controller? It had some issues, including the analog stick drifting.

Turns out, it’s likely my muscle memory was used to late-game Hi-Fi Rush, where you have access to more abilities, more moves and more everything. The game really takes your time with onboarding you. The first stage introduces a concept in a safe area, then lets you roll with it in combat, and allows you to revise what you learned via another tutorial via your friendly and not-creepy smart fridge, Smidge.

Once I reached the part where you basically have all the abilities unlocked (the museum stage), I get used to it again. My Just Timing scores improved after that. I was so used to high beats-per-minute rhythms that it’s hard to slow down the timing again.

Still, the hit-the-beat-on-the-beat beat-’em-up is a fun time when you get the hang of it. Nothing beats the joy of being able to easily parry attacks because you have a good sense of rhythm. Pressing buttons on the beat is definitely a learning curve, though.

So many games, including fighting games, encourage you to dial a combo as fast as you can, while Hi-Fi Rush asks you gently to time it with the Chai’s movements, or the visual cues, or the music beats, as all of them are in sync. You’re not punished for going off-beat, it’s merely affecting your score. But you’ll feel more satisfied if you can get an S Rank at the end of each fight,

If you can get past that huddle, Hi-Fi Rush’s take on character action has it all. Air combos, combos that require a pause, dodges and air dodges, advanced moves that can link combos together if used well.

On another note, the platforming feels much more… okay. It’s still not perfect, but a lot of my aggreviances from my original review has not cropped up here as much. For example, that wind-blasting mini-game featuring the third companion? It’s not as hard to gauge the timing this time around.

Post-Game Blues

Hi-Fi Rush’s runtime may be short from a AAA video game perspective (10 hours-ish), but there’s plenty to sink your teeth into if you really want more of that rhythm-based action. It’s a character action game after all, so of course there’s a higher difficulty option and a Bloody Palace equivalent in the form of Rhythm Tower.

The post-launch update for Hi-Fi Rush adds two more arcade modes unlocked after beating the game. BPM Rush is a fascinating mode, as this wave-based horde mode’s twist is that every floor you cleared, the tempo gets faster.

I wish it would just continuously flow rather than having it be loading in and out of a new stage as you the beat gets faster. But there’s probably technical constraints for that to happen. It’s a good idea to explore should there be a Hi-Fi Rush sequel though, stages where the beat dynamically goes faster or slower requiring you to adjust your inner human metronome with the fluctuating tempo.

The other mode, Tower Up Power Up just brings a roguelite twist to the Rhythm Tower, which is fun but that’s not much to talk about.

If you fall in love with Hi-Fi Rush’s brand of combat, you’ll be glad to know that there’s more where that came from.

Closing Thoughts

In my original review, I had high hopes that Hi-Fi Rush can still top the charts of the video game Billboards of 2023. It almost did. At least here at Gamer Matters, it was the second best game of 2023.

Hi-Fi Rush is still a good time one year later, and if you’re consider picking up the PS5 release, you should. The game has parity with the original releases, you aren’t missing out on anything.

But more importantly, Hi-Fi Rush proves that Tango Gameworks can do cool things other than simply following up its reputation. The company was founded by survival horror icon Shinji Mikami and the first game this team made was The Evil Within, a decent survival horror game. But with Mikami having left the company, I don’t think Tango should be pigeonholed into just making horror (or in Ghostwire: Tokyo’s case, spooky) games unless the team wanted to. This is the team’s first foray into a new genre and a new theme and they hit it out of the park.

Fresh, creative games are usually only seen in the indie games scene as the big-budget AAA game makers have now become too afraid in taking big risks, using all that big budget to make safe blockbusters. I sure hope that’s not the trend. Hi-Fi Rush is by no means an indie game, but give the talented developers at AAA game studios some indie freedom in smaller projects. Let them loose with a modest budget. And we’ll be getting more gems like Hi-Fi Rush.

It’s been only a year, but I’m glad new Bethesda games are released on multiple consoles again.

This quick review features no updates to the game score. The original review score stands.

Reviewed on PS5. Review copy provided by the publisher.

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