Last week saw the surprise release of Hi-Fi Rush, which shocked everyone due to the fact that its existence wasn't even hinted at until a couple of hours before in dropped into digital storefronts, as well as the fact that it was coming from the Shinji Mikami-led Tango Gameworks, making it a high-profile surprise release. But while a sudden major release like this is a delight, this has also led to a huge chunk of Hi-Fi Rush's buzz coming mainly from praise over the shadow drop itself, and coming across like a good chunk of the praise so far come's from its method of release, how it didn't suffer from months of marketing, empty promises and whatnot. So we need to put that part aside for a moment and judge the game on its own merits, and once that's accomplished, we can truly see that the game is.

Hi-Fi Rush is the story of Chai, a young man with dreams of being a rock star who signs up for Project Armstrong at the renowned Vandelay Technologies, looking to get a robotic replacement for their crippled arm. Unfortunately, a freak accident gets his music player embedded in his chest, turning him into what Vandelay considers a defect and making them a wanted man. But fortunately, the music player, combined with the magnetic wand his new arm has, allows Chai to summon debris to create a giant attack guitar and sync up all of their attacks and movement with the music playing in order to help them fight back. From there, they'll team up with a motley crew of new friends in order to strike back at Vandelay and uncover the secret behind their mysterious project SPECTRA.

Now, Hi-Fi Rush is best described as a rhythm-action game, and other folks have described the game with comparisons to Jet Set Radio, Sunset Overdrive, Viewtiful Joe and others, be it on visual style, use of music or combat. Yet to me, one game that oddly kept coming to mind was Saints Row IV, if only because I remember Zero Punctuation describing it as "a big, bouncy, anarchic, irreverent roast of itself and of video games in general," which not only sounds right here as well, but leads to another term I saw multiple folks using to describe Hi-Fi Rush: "gamelike." Such a term may sound redundant or even confusing, and yet here fits perfectly. Hi-Fi Rush feels exactly like its creator wanted to make a massive tribute to everything they loved about video games, gathered all of that up, mixed it together and ground it into a powder.

It'd be easy to just simply say that Hi-Fi Rush is a love letter to an older generation of video games in the same way as a title like Evil West, both being 3D action games with linear stage progression that wouldn't feel out of home on something like a souped-up Dreamcast. But Hi-Fi Rush almost feels like a love letter to video games in general in one way or another, be it brawlers and spectacle fighters with intricate special attacks and huge combos, platforming sections both 3D and 2D, more straight-up rhythm games used for certain parries and counterattacks, collect-a-thons with a lot of extra stuff to discover, a more modern emphasis on narrative, and indeed, even some moments poking fun at video game tropes themselves (like Vandelay having literally patented a set of arrows designed to point the way forward, or even a cameo by some of the developers' other stars). This sounds like a lot, and yet all of it is somehow seamlessly executed.

The easiest way to describe the core gameplay would possibly be a combination between Devil May Cry and say, Metal: Hellsinger, where you attack groups of enemies with both light and heavy blows, preferably striking in tune with the beat of the music, all while you dodge and parry numerous attacks along the way. You'll notice that I said "preferably" striking back there, because you aren't actually required to be in perfect tune. It does help as you'll gain more gears in each battle spend on new attacks, special attacks, items to boost your health, energy and more, plus it helps you defend against enraged enemies as you parry their special attacks. But Hi-Fi Rush is all about letting players go at their own pace, doing things their own way when it comes to combat and its an approach that works perfectly, especially with combat that's so excellently smooth as butter and fast-paced that rhythm or not, you'll be able to effortlessly glide around and swipe at enemies it a brilliantly chaotic cacophony.

That said, going at the combat in your own way doesn't mean missing out on the music. The entire world now moves to the beat of Chai's music player, and as such, you can see scenery like industrial equipment, shrubbery and more bounce to beat in the game's world as you move through it. Aside from serving as a visual guide to help players keep along with the beat (though you have the option to add a more traditional metronome gauge to the screen at the push of a button), it makes the world even more alive than it could, and that's saying a lot given the visual style. Even Chai's steps are in tune with the beat, in a spectacular little touch. As for the gem of the soundtrack, it would be more surprising if a game of this nature didn't have a terrific soundtrack, but Hi-Fi Rush delivers both an astonishing batch of original rock tunes and curated licensed tracks (the latter which play during special gameplay moments and cutscenes) that are all a joy, especially in how they're integrated into level progression and each action, with this writer's personal favorite being the use of "Whirring" by The Joy Formidable as it plays through the penultimate level (or "track" as its called here).

It's tricky to discuss moments and story elements such as those without spoiling the magic, but you have to put focus on Hi-Fi Rush's characters considering that they consists of 808, a robot cat who turns into an orb drone that assists you in battle by helping you summon in other characters for addition gunshots, melee attacks, and more. But aside from the lovably impulsive yet not-too-bright yet optimistic Chai, we also have Peppermint, the more sarcastic tech wiz that heads up out resistance, the soft bruiser Macaron, robot assistant CNMN, and the six bosses of Vandelay, each heading up a different department, and each with their own personalities and quirks.

These characters are all brilliantly designed and lovable in one way or another (even the ones trying to kill you), but that feat is achieved though both terrific voice acting and writing, especially when it comes to a sense of humor. There are collectable memos discussing the sheer drudgery of modern corporate work amplified by the future like the announcements of eight-day work weeks that somehow have four Mondays, over-the-top action punctuated by comic book and manga-style frames (including at least one Jojo homage), various robot employees you can talk to with humorous lines that you can all attack for extra dialogue and more. But concerning that last point of interest, special mention goes to CNMN, a robotic psychological analyst that speaks in a chipper British voice and draws all of their expressions on their face rapidly with a marker, the drawing of which you actually get to see. He easily has some of the best lines, and may somehow be my favorite character in a game that also includes a robot cat.

Unsurprisingly for a game inspired by Jet Set Radio in more than a couple of areas, the game boasts astonishing cel-shaded graphics will a wide blend of vibrant colors that not only look visually striking, but also feel perfectly like a living comic book or a cartoon, to the point where some of the transitions to actual animation can feel almost seamless at times. And while the Vandelay campus may be ruled over by the types of folks who might kill you if it meant making a dollar, it does somehow manage to look like an awesome place to work at. Every part of it looks astounding, every track has a different setting with its own unique flavor and every part works perfectly with the brilliant level design in order to create something that looks jaw-dropping.

It's hard to dig into the remainder of the game without making this review a novel, but here goes. Bosses? Impressively designed, perfectly challenging and epic. Other enemies? Nice and varied, also with a great challenge. Chip system that lets you mix passive elements? Nicely designed and unique, allowing you to craft a perfect playstyle to your liking. Platforming sections? Fun, even if the jumping can feel a little stiff at times. Side quests? Honestly, those felt like a bit of an afterthought, and can even be skipped over without knowing. Special attacks? Nice to experiment with and wild to watch. Post-game content and challenges? Levels that encourage exploration? Always welcome, right down to the hidden graffiti to find. Fun touches that give you a lot to do beyond the additional ten or so hours. Little environmental puzzles requiring you to summon the other characters? Not the most complex, but charming additions. Segments where you use Chai's magnetism to zipline? You had me at "zipline." Honestly, Hi-Fi Rush turned out to be a more accurate name than expected, because it delivers a rush of an action game guaranteed to leave you dizzy from sheer insanity and pure fun long after the credits roll, like an epic rock song.

Closing Comments:

What likely started out as an Xbox and/or Bethesda executive thinking "Hey, wouldn't it be neat if we kept this game a secret and launched it during a special event?" has led to what could easily wind up as one of this year's GOTY contenders exploding onto the scene in spectacular fashion. Hi-Fi Rush is classic video game action that blends amazing combat in a unique hybrid of genres in with memorable characters, a wicked sense of humor, terrific gameplay that's accessible for all players and mind-blowing visuals and music. It's an instant classic, even without the shadow drop, and delivers a candy-coated blast of chaos that conceals a clear labor of love and a weird purity to it all that you need to experience.