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.

Hi-fi rush age rating