During Xbox Developer Direct in January 2023, an all-new 3D platform game Hi-Fi Rush was revealed, and shadow dropped that same day exclusive to Xbox Series X|S and PC. The game published by Bethesda and developed by Tango Gameworks received rave reviews from critics and gamers, even winning a few awards and has been nominated for more at the upcoming Game Developers Choice Awards.

Surprisingly, even with all those accolades, it wasn’t as successful as it should’ve been, likely due to being released out of nowhere without any advertising or promotion. With Microsoft now releasing selected Xbox-exclusive games on other consoles, Hi-Fi Rush now Rock n Rolls its way to PlayStation 5, mixing the action-adventure and rhythm genres without missing a beat.

Players take control of Chai, an aspiring rockstar who isn’t able to play guitar due to his disabled right arm. He volunteers for Project Armstrong in hopes of having his right arm replaced with a cybernetic one, so he can rock out once again. Chai soon learns that the project is a cover-up that sends its subjects to slave labour once the procedure is finished.

While attempting to escape, Chai’s portable music player ends up getting lodged into his chest during the struggle and gets fused with his new robotic arm as it reacts to the beat of the song. After magnetically pulling together random pieces of junk to form a V-shaped guitar, Chai with his newfound abilities must escape the facility, while playing some sick tunes and fulfilling his dream of becoming a rockstar.

Overall, Hi-Fi Rush is a simple-to-play and easy-to-learn action-adventure game, but the main feature of the game is sticking to the beat and where the rhythm genre comes into play. Almost everything in the game plays along to the beat, from Chai’s finger clicking when idle, to lights flashing, machines pumping, enemies fighting, and even the controller in your hands, so keeping the vibration function is highly recommended.

While it is possible to play the entire game without worrying about staying in tune, the real fun is trying to match the beat in every aspect throughout the game. There is a consistent thumping beat that can be heard and felt from start to finish, which also acts as part of the game’s soundtrack. This consistent beat gets more music and lyrics added as players progress through the game. The beat builds up just as the players do.

Combat plays the biggest part in sticking to the beat, where if players can time their attack buttons to match it, they can jam some extra damage and bigger combos on anyone trying to take out Chai. This becomes even more important when facing bigger enemies who keep their guard up, where matching the beat will break their guard and stun them, leaving them open to take some damage.

Light attacks are quick and can match every beat, while Heavy attacks are a little slower, but matching every second beat will land some really hard rocking moves. Listening to the beat also helps with anticipating enemy attacks, as they even play along to the rhythm.

Building up combos by mixing Light and Heavy attacks will send the enemies flying. All this also builds up the Rhythm meter that when full, will allow players to unleash a super combo for some epic guitar-smashing action with some sick riffs.

To help players match the beat, the Timing Guage can be enabled anytime at the press of a button. This displays the thumping beats at the bottom of the screen, so players can time their buttons to the rhythm easier. This along with the vibration function is helpful for those who may be hard of hearing.

In between all the combat, there is some fun and simple 3D and occasionally 2D platforming. Players will also come across some interesting obstacle courses and puzzlesolving as well, which keeps things simple and doesn’t take up too much of the overall game. The only minor drawback with going from point A to point B is that there is no sprint option, so navigating through the stages can sometimes drag on a little, especially when having to repeat them after a game over.

Along Chai’s journey, more combos and upgrades will become available for the tougher challenges ahead, especially the boss fights. Each boss that Chai must face is fun and challenging and will put players through their paces. Just like everything else, the bosses also play along to the beat, which helps anticipate their attacks and more importantly, keep the rhythm going. Each of the bosses is very different from one another, which helps mix things up and keeps things fresh.

The boss battles also include licensed music from various bands including Nine Inch Nails, Number Girl, The Black Keys, The Prodigy, The Joy Formidable, Wolfgang Gartner, and Zwan, and they all return for the PlayStation 5 release. Hearing all these bands only adds to the already hard-rocking epic boss battles. For those wanting to livestream Hi-Fi Rush or post footage online, a Streaming Mode is also available which replaces the licensed music with similar-sounding music performed by The Glass Pyramids, to help avoid copyright strikes.

The cel-shaded graphics help create a cartoonish presentation, very similar to the old Jet Set Radio games that helped innovate this graphics style. In what would normally be a dark and grim setting, everything from the character designs and environments looks bright, colourful, and lively and works perfectly with the rock n roll theme of the game. All the characters that Chai meets along the way add so much style and personality to the overall atmosphere, whether they’re humans or robots.

The PlayStation 5 version may not add anything new other than the fun sound effects coming from the controller, but it is a perfect port of the Xbox Series X|S version. It even includes all the free DLC that’s come out since the original release a year ago, including Photo Mode to take some action shots, Anniversary T-Shirt Bundle to customise Chai with new threads, and Arcade Challenge that can only be accessed after completing the game, bringing even more unique challenges for players to test their mettle, or more appropriately their metal!

Arcade Challenge features two game modes, BPM RUSH! and Power Up! Tower Up! and can be played by accessing the shiny new arcade cabinet in Chai’s Hideout. BPM RUSH! has players taking waves of enemies new and old, with each surge of enemies also increasing the Beats Per Minute of the music. The aim is to consistently match the beat no matter how fast it gets and boost the tempo up to 200 BPM. Power Up! Tower Up! starts players off with a de-powered Chai, with none of his abilities at first.

Players will need to select upgrades between rounds, being either positive bonuses or a bug offering a reward but with a risk of rebuilding their power as they make their way up the tower. Arcade Challenge has its own rewards such as clothes to customise Chai, new stickers for Photo Mode and even its own set of Trophies/Achievements for the completionists out there.

Hi-Fi Rush may not have been successful the first time, but now it’s available to even more players on PlayStation 5. First, it was only accessible via the Xbox Game Pass, but now it’s available to purchase on its own and a physical version will also finally be available thanks to Limited Run Games. The bright and colourful characters, environments, enemies, bosses and more, all playing along to the beat, make this a must-buy for any console it’s available on. Hi-Fi Rush is the perfect game for anyone ready to rock!

Written by: Sammy Hanson