Reviews online shooting games: Hi-Fi RUSH
Rumors about Hi-Fi RUSH have been circulating for some time and have been drawing the following: it was supposed to be a multiplayer shooter set in a sci-fi setting. Of all the data provided by insiders, only those that reported the announcement of the project on Friv5Online were confirmed. Ruslan Yarsanaev, the author of Kanobu, thinks that this is good - in this article he talks about the key features of the project and what awards this year he can claim.
When Bethesda and Tango Gameworks, the authors of The Evil Within, presented their new game, it did not evoke any emotions in me. The announcement trailer looked dull, and the gameplay seemed unhurried - for a slasher (and other similar genres), this sounds like a death sentence. In addition, inexpressive concepts of what insiders reported were still hovering in my thoughts. But - BOOM! - like a bolt from the blue, Hi-Fi RUSH comes out a couple of hours after the announcement. The game is available in Game Pass, and the press and ordinary players leave rave reviews about the project. In addition, many not only praised the game, but also compared it to the Devil May Cry series and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. And for me, recommendations could not be better, because I love these online shooting games.
The online shooting games takes place in a world in which, like in a song, the plastic world has won - corporations are everywhere, everything is patented in general, and people do not mind replacing their organic limbs with mechanical ones. One of those who wished was the main character Chai (drink has nothing to do with it). He dreams of becoming a rock star, but he was not lucky enough to injure his right hand. And the operation to replace it would have been successful if the antagonists had not created problems for themselves - due to an accidental set of circumstances, Tea gets a player sealed in his chest.
After that, two things happen: the hero begins to hear the music, to the beat of which the whole world moves, and the corporation recognizes him as defective. The latter threatens him with destruction, since in this world of corporations there is no place for something imperfect. But Chai is a potential rock star, so he does not intend to give his life without a fight. Following the precepts of Johnny Silverhand from Cyberpunk 2077 (adjusted for character), the guy is trying to escape from many dangerous robots. However, a simple escape suddenly turns into something more serious at the moment when the hacker girl Mint comes to his aid with the timid cat Eight. In the end, unwittingly, Chai is drawn into the heart of a corporate conspiracy.
True, all this description of the plot is not particularly important. The history of the game is not far from children's cartoons in which gouging guys save the world from soulless corporations. And it's great! The plot is devoid of complex twists, everything that happens is clear, obvious and understandable. It is immediately clear who is good, who is bad, and why. The game almost says that sometimes you have to be rebels and give free rein to your desires. This can be seen both in what is happening inside Hi-Fi RUSH, and in the history of its development - the authors of Evil Within developed a project in a completely new genre simply because they wanted to, and released it almost immediately after the announcement. Without a PR campaign, without a ton of trailers, but with complete confidence that everything will work. This is, to put it bluntly, cool!
The story remains simple, but consistent - the authors went down the not-so-difficult path, inviting players to collect five keys from the villains in order to deactivate their plan. Therefore, the scriptwriters devoted a lot of time to revealing the characters: not only are the antagonists expressive and have their own unique features, but the characters turned out to be bright and with interesting characters. Although sometimes (ha!) What is happening looks absurd, the characters manage to empathize - they react vividly and believably to what is happening. When a woman joins a group who isn't brash, doesn't respond with sarcasm, and knows how to support others, almost everyone has to deal with the concept of "praise."
At the same time, morality, as already indicated, is in place here. Hi-Fi RUSH does not teach you to be a pedant or to approach everything in a slipshod manner. The project focuses on the need for balance in everything. Creativity is important, but if it requires some cost, then it must take into account the resources used. Any work should be approached responsibly, but you don’t need to turn yourself into a soulless machine - it’s better to relax and give free rein to your inner impulses. Sometimes it works with workflows, sometimes it doesn't. But anyway, it's necessary. In addition, the game draws attention to the fact that it is worth trying to expand your horizons, look beyond what is under your nose. This idea runs through both the hero Chai and the final villain. Almost the funniest plot twist is connected with the latter (about the true goal of the SPECTRA project),
It is worth noting that Wright staged the film "Baby Driver", which also tells about the hero, whose whole life is built on music. The dynamics of the film and Hi-Fi RUSH have quite a lot in common, however, the story of the online shooting games is much brighter and kinder.
Hi-Fi RUSH is a rhythm game, everything happens to the beat of the music. In order to successfully dodge and deal more damage, players need to press the appropriate buttons in a beat. However, there are no punishments for those who have bears dancing on their ears, as was the case in BPM. Attacks that do not deal maximum damage when pressed are not rhythmic, but still spoil the life of enemies and interrupt their animations. In order to be as efficient as possible, the developers have hung a lot of tips and indicators.
The authors clearly tried to make the game as accessible as possible, because the players are prompted by the flying robo-cat Eight, the optional metronome, and even the whole world around them.
Since for Chai the whole world is subject to rhythm, his perception is reflected in every element of the environment. The gears go to the rhythm, the foliage sways and steam is released. Every element, even a small piston, moves to the music. The hero walks to the rhythm and always attacks to it - this allows you to restore the desired pace even if a mistake has been made. Hi-Fi RUSH is doing its best to help the player to keep the right attitude.
Enemies who attack in a bit are also subject to the pace. This makes them easier to dodge and parry. And, of course, you also need to parry the attacks of enemies at the right time. Some of the robots can be finished off with a single attack... if you don't crash the QTE segment with the rhythmic repulsion of their attacks, of course.
It is worth noting that there is a lot of content in Hi-Fi Rush. The main story runs for about twelve hours, and during this time the game offers something new over and over again, whether it be situations or enemies. The hero is also constantly acquiring tools and techniques, which is why the combat system is gradually becoming more diverse. At a very early stage, the player is limited to only light and heavy attacks that form simple combos. But over time, the arsenal grows, and in order to deal maximum damage, players will have to literally dance on the gamepad / keyboard.
In addition to regular strikes, Chai gains the ability to summon his allies to help. They not only help deal damage, but also allow you to bypass the special talents of enemy robots and impose statuses. You cannot constantly use the same character, however, you can switch between them unlimitedly.
And at the end of the Hi-Fi RUSH single-player campaign, the story doesn't just end there. Yes, the story is over, but you can replay the game on a different difficulty and unlock all the secrets. For example, visit previously blocked rooms, which may contain collectibles and chips. They will make the main character even stronger: by collecting several parts of one item, Chai can increase his characteristics. And the chips improve the summoning of partners, for example, by reducing the reload speed or enhancing various effects. What's nice is that it's optional. Players are not required to upgrade their character if they do not want to: they can also kill enemies with starting abilities. Just upgrades greatly simplify life and allow you to adjust the gameplay to your own preferences.
In addition, along the way, Chai may encounter analogues of side quests. They are not demanding and do not interfere with the passage, although they can take some time - if the player refuses to complete them, they simply will not receive an additional bonus. Otherwise, he should carefully study the location: for example, look for and drive away pigeons that interfere with the baby robot.
At the same time, the magnificence of Hi-Fi RUSH is emphasized by graphic design. Stylistically, the online shooting games is similar to a cartoon, and incredibly beautiful - okay, the pistons move to the beat of the music, but the characters are not far behind! There is always a certain dynamics in the frame, whether it is the emotions of the characters or active gestures - all this is animated at the highest level. The heroes are always moving, even being in the background: it is always pleasant to watch the comical reaction of the Eight. And even the lack of frames does not hurt the perception, and sometimes you don’t pay attention to it at all, because this visual feature was already in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and the Puss in Boots sequel.
However, for my taste, not everything was perfect. First, platforming. He came out not quite responsive, and sometimes it seems completely crooked. This is clearly seen in the example of points for which it is necessary to cling to the hook. Sometimes you can't get drawn to them because of the wrong (according to the developers) camera position, or because the corresponding label simply disappears. Also, in some segments, Tea seems to be too slow. The fastest way to move is dashing, which is unsafe on small platforms.
Secondly, which is very subjective, music gave me little pleasure. Especially licensed. The original Hi-Fi RUSH soundtrack is not inferior, and in some places even surpasses the musical compositions of eminent authors, including The Prodigy and Nine Inch Nails. And if Invaders Must Die sounds exactly on topic, emphasizes humor and sets the context perfectly, then the song The Perfect Drug distracted me a lot. She plays in the final boss fight, and it seems chaotic to me, which caused me to lose my rhythm. The tracks that sounded in the battle with the first two antagonists did not even stick in my head - they just were, leaving neither a bad nor a good impression.
The storyline fulfills its task, and the characters fall in love with their sophistication. It can be seen that the developers from Tango Gameworks put their soul into the project, filling it with a huge amount of content and giving it a special personality.
There simply isn't a single game like it right now that combines great visuals with cute animations, rhythm action without punishing players for bad pace, and, of course, an overall good soundtrack.
The authors may have room for improvement in the future, when creating a sequel or other similar projects. But I know that now I will replay this particular game. She that during the passage, that after the final credits leaves behind a lot of positive impressions. Never before has a game that represented one big QTE segment brought me so much pleasure. Every second spent on the passage paid off.
And if in 2022 Elden Ring immediately became a contender for many awards, this time Hi-Fi RUSH became such a game. I believe that the project should be nominated for many awards, even if it does not win. I think it should be presented in the following categories: action of the year, art of the year, soundtrack of the year and online shooting games of the year.
