Hi-Fi Rush

I took my time to finally play this, but my God, what a fantastic game. The graphics, gameplay, sound design, soundtrack and characters are all top notch. The cartoony cel-shade design looks great, almost identical to a cartoon. The way the entire scenery moves, woobles and makes noise along the beat gives it way too much personality. The spectacle fighter gameplay is amazing. The way the rhythm is incorporated with it flows smooth, feels fun from start to finish. I have a small problem with some enemies with defenses that require tag assists, which is kind of a flow breaker, but works well enough to mix the difficulty. There are a lot of different enemies that require different strategies, so the game never stays bland as you are always fighting different groups of enemies. One other problem I have with the combat are the super moves. You can only have two active, and you need to swap them midfight with a button before using them. The first attack you get can only be done at the ground, and there is a purchasable air version, but that one can only be done in the air. So to use it, you need to constantly change between each other during the fight. A different button combo to use the second attack would be a better mechanic. Sound design and the soundtrack are incredible. The way everything syncs to the beat, the way your moves and attacks complement the beat with different riffs and slaps, the way the obstacles move along the song, how the song changes through the entire stage. Even the covers and non-licensed songs are great. All the characters have great designs and personalities. I think the development goes a bit too fast, as they become super best friends in tecnically a few hours and some stuff isn't adressed, but they are great either way. The villains also don't get much development, showing up and vanishing in 30 minutes or less. While the game has a good length and doesn't overstays, I really wanted the story to last a bit longer. It feels a bit, well, rushed. Yes, there is a bunch of post game content and minigames, but if it was one hour or two longer just to develop the characters a bit more, it would be a 10/10 for me. Gotta settle for a 9.8/10 though.

So I beat the game in about 8 hours, was fun. Not sure if rhythm games are really my thing but the story was pretty good, combat was a bit restrictive at first until you unlock more abilities/ characters. Would absolutely recommend the Auto-parry inside the accessibility settings, otherwise you might lose your ♥♥♥♥ lol. Some annoyances here and there in terms of enemies, but it's not too difficult. Health packs are being dropped when you're low, and are defeating the enemy. Music is a nice addition too! 6/10, if you are really into rhythm games go try it out. Game is worth full price for sure. DMC fans, you're gonna enjoy this one too!

The story isn’t particularly deep or complex, but it hooked me from the beginning and had some great twists that I genuinely didn’t see coming. I also loved how varied the world was. Every chapter had a completely different setting and atmosphere, whether it was a volcano, a garden, a music festival, or something else. The gameplay is easily one of the best I’ve ever played. The game constantly introduces new ideas and builds upon old ones before anything starts to feel repetitive. New combos kept unlocking throughout the game, and the enemy variety was great, with different enemies requiring different approaches, whether it was parrying, dodging, or something else. The rhythm system was also amazing. I never expected to enjoy a rhythm-based game this much, but it ended up being one of my favorite parts of the gameplay. I really liked the characters and how different their personalities were, both among the allies and enemies. I also loved watching the relationships between the characters develop throughout the game. The emails and notes scattered around the world added a lot to the characters and made me more invested in the world. The art style and music are fantastic, and the ending was a great way to finish the game. Most importantly, the game never felt padded or repetitive. Whenever I started getting used to something, it would introduce something new and keep the experience fresh. Hi-Fi RUSH truly respects the players and their time.