Thank you Bethesda for sending us a review code!

Hi-Fi Rush was originally released in 2023 on Windows and Xbox Series X|S. After getting overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam, it’s now available on PS5 a year later! The main character’s name is Chai and he wants be a rock star. However, he has yet to learn how to play guitar. Because of an injury, he goes to Vandelay Technologies' campus to volunteer for Project Armstrong, a test program for cybernetic limb replacement. The procedure doesn’t go as planned and Chai is labeled a reject and the CEO of Vandelay Technologies wants the evidence of this failure erased before the company’s name is tarnished.

Chai doesn’t consider himself a failure and enjoys how the world now moves to the beat of the music player embedded into his chest. Chai also has a robotic arm that is magnetic and forms a guitar-like weapon which is very useful when it comes to smacking around hostile robots. If Chai attacks to the beat, he’ll get a damage bonus. At the end of each battle he’ll get a letter grade for his performance.

Attacking to the beat is nice, but not required. However, there are blocking maneuvers that are mandatory and will be required throughout the game as you encounter specific enemies and during most boss fights. Offense-only playthroughs are not possible in this title.

With Chai’s magnetic arm, he can grapple past many obstacles Spider-Man style. There are some enemies that Chai can’t defeat without the help of his friends. With their abilities to disable barriers, break through armor, and put out fires, they’re unstoppable! The first friend he’ll meet is a robotic cat named 808 and her owner, Peppermint. Most of the characters have food-themed names, but not all of them. Some of the female characters wear short shorts.

Between levels, the group will take a breather at their hideout. In the hideout you can spend in-game currency for new attack moves and health/energy meter increases. You can also customize your wardrobe and see your progress on various collectibles. Talking with your friends is worthwhile as the conversations are often humorous.

The voice acting is top notch and the game’s 66-track soundtrack is worth purchasing (it’s available on Steam). If you don’t have the Streamer mode activated, you’ll hear songs from Nine Inch Nails, Number Girl, The Black Keys, The Joy Formidable, The Prodigy, Wolfgang Gartner, and Zwan. With Streamer mode enabled you’ll hear royalty free music from The Glass Pyramids and Shuichi Koborifor.

The visuals are equally impressive and have an anime-like feel to them with brightly colored levels to navigate through. The character movements are nicely animated and their special moves are a sight to behold.

Hi-Fi Rush Rush is a well-polished game and my game of the year so far. The only nitpick I have is that there are some timed quick time events. Other than that, it was a joy to play. There is some mild language, but is relatively clean otherwise. The violence is on par with what you would find in a comic book, but with no blood. Most of the enemies are fully robotic while others are partial robots. If you like rhythm games, you should definitely look into Hi-Fi Rush!