This game feels complete. Like someone at the top had a vision for what they wanted, and the people working on it had the time and passion to execute that vision to a tee. Such a shame that this isn't the norm anymore, but I'm thankful it happens occasionally at least.
That's exactly how I feel about HFR as well! It is refreshing. A lot of games are trying so hard to be everything at once to where the scope of the project gets out of hand and starts to get fragmented. The experience doesn't feel cohesive as a whole.
This game is truly amazing and the industry needs more "out of the box" games like this. For the first time in a long time I wanted an Xbox just because of this game ( I only have the Switch and a PS4 as platforms, my PC is not very good and my internet is not the best for cloud streaming without input lag ) it's a shame that this game is only exclusive because of Microsoft's purchase of Bethesda, but still, I'm glad such a game exists.
The price speaks a lot to that with the base game only being $30 at full price. That's less than a 3ds game valued itself. The devs here knew exactly what they wanted to make, made it, and aren't pushing it too far or promising its worth more than it is (which ironically does make it worth more than its valued).
Some people don't like rhythm games but really, anyone can get the hang of this one. Just get used to pressing the button on every hit in order to keep the timing, have fun with this one guys.
I'm really bad a rhythm games, but this one's fairly forgiving, and the general gameplay just becomes an immersive thing after playing for a short while. But I have lost several times at the special challenge segments that punctuate the game (luckily the game typically just puts you right back at the start of those segments).
It also makes it really easy to achieve combo on the beat by always having your attack hitting on the beat, no matter when you press. So even if you miss the first beat, as long as you launch the second attack right when the first one hits, you'll be on time.
The way I recommend playing is like this: Chai is an extension of the player, and in his own words, he feels like he's on a stage when the music kicks in. While you play, you realize there's no lead guitar in the background music till you hit things. So... Be the lead guitar player. Play a song. Your team is your band, and your instruments are your moveset. Once you get that in your mind, you become intrinsically incentivized to follow the rhythm, because it's _your_ song at that point. The better you time your combo, the better the BGM becomes as a result. You're on a stage; give them a show.
agreed, i am terrible at any game that has any form of rhythm (i had to put jedi fallen order down to easy, got blocked in tunic at a big boss). I put hifi rush down to easy and have been having a blast, still struggle with the parry timing floating laser bots and it took me half a dozen tries to defeat each eye in the VR rooms in R&D. But the game is so much fun and so well executed i just keep playing :-)
Xbox treatment. They always do that when ever Xbox does something. You can check their library going back 7yrs.. before you refute.. If it was another published.... Nintendo/PlayStation... I promise you they'd be singing a different tune
@@borborkontri4837 OOOOOOOOR hear me out the game is just that good, so good infact that even on steam its overwhelmingly positive, even Xbox hater Imdontai who shits on Xbox every time it comes up actually enjoys it more than Forspoken, Maxamillian dood also likes the game.
@@eliotwildermann that's one of the biggest lies people keep saying. The same happened to psychonauts 2, and devs said that the polishment and final quality was met thanks to Microsoft support. Have you ever worked in something related with SW dev ? If you start a project in year 0 with a budget of 10$ , and then at year 1 suddenly you have a budget of 1000$ .... That won't impact the dev cycle? Come on, stop it.
ALL of those were mid-dev when M$ bought them. we will see, our corporate overlords dont care about art only $$$. You know how, I know M$ didnt believe/care about this game.... No marketing.
@@ultracapitalistutopia3550 Worst of all, they´re starting to resort to AI to animate, something that baffled Hayao Miyazaki about a decade ago became the norm for animators...
One of funnest and finest games I've played in years. The music, the artwork, the smooth gameplay and the great humor. This one has it all! What a masterpiece
Xbox has a franchise in the making here, a sequel could expand on characters and even music, perhaps different tempo with different music... Some characters you meet can bring in pop , hip hop sounds etc, and you having to adapt your fighting style to the different tempos. There's a lot of possibilities for this to turn into a great cast of future characters.
This is the first example of video game cel shading I've seen that actually resembles drawn animation the way it's supposed to instead of looking like an awkward Photoshop filter applied to a 3D render à la Borderlands, and it's clearly the product of thoughtful artistic choices and attention to detail rather than any major technological advancement. Crazy impressive that they're on par with or better than cinema/television work in that regard.
Yeah, it's crazy how well they did here. I loved Borderlands and I enjoyed the artstyle, but it definitely doesn't "look like a cartoon," it looks like a filter. Here, every frame looks like a super-high-quality anime with elements of other cartoon influences (like Futurama in some of the environments, for example.) The limited character framerates for the cutscenes really sell it too, moving like hand-drawn animation, and overall, the cel-shading and outlines are extremely crisp and stable. To top it off, it all runs _incredibly_ well thanks to great optimization. It's a new standard for cel-shaded graphics and I'm excited for the future of this style!
I don't remember the last game I finished and then started playing again immediately right afterwards. Such a fun game! Definitely early GOTY candidate and will be hard to top. 👍
RUSH is my first GOTY contender for 2023. upon rolling credits, it's become an all-time favourite for me and i've never been too keen on rhythm or DMC-style games, but the characters, the story, the world-building, the fluidity of the gameplay, the ingenuity of the battles & boss encounters, the seamless audiovisual design and feedback & the vibrantly dystopic world design won me over in a heartbeat, it all comes together flawlessly from start to finish. Tango has a real hit on their hands.
We need a 120fps performance mode. It would really smoothen up the gameplay, and I know that both of these machines are capable of hitting it and sustaining it with the right optimization.
I'm about 6hrs in and it is definitely beyond impressive in every single aspect. Even the fact that the character always hit on beat is impressive. That would've been an enormous barrier for the not musically inclined. The Sony-like transitions between cutscene and gameplay makes this feel like you are playing a late 90's early 2000's cartoon. Music choice is amazing (having a boss battle while listening to Nine Inch Nails was so hyped) and the originals are great, it keeps the head bumping and as Oliver said, later in the game, it becomes second nature. I'm playing it on Very Hard difficulty and it is quite balanced, not frustrating at all. I hope this game gets the Limited Run treatment as I will love to support it as much as possible. It has the potential for an animated series and also it makes me think about what a sequel could bring to the table in terms of evolving this new approach.
Hi-Fi Rush is a sublime experience, and yes, for me a GOTY candidate - it's wonderfully unique and polished.👏 If they release a physical special edition on disc I would pick it up for sure.
This game just bleeds heart and soul.... All the devs had an absolute blast making it you can just feel it... Don't blink... you might miss some cool shit
I agree that it seems like they had fun making it... but that also makes me think it'd be kinda funny if there was actually some development hell story to it. (since it all worked out/paid off in the end)
@@EdwardViaTomato There mostly is I think... But when a dev team has great leadership and are passionate about what they are making... Crunch just becomes another hurdle.
This was truly a surprise. Love the art style and gameplay, and it looks amazing on a big screen TV. It's clear it pays homage to Jet Set Radio (which was one of my fav games on the Dreamcast). Also, this was a shadow drop, no marketing, no hype, no early previews and the best part, a day one GamePass release. Which makes GamePass clearly the best deal in gaming, everyone else is playing catch up. Looking forward to future shadow drops. This is a must play folks.
@Michael Uncharted: Stopped being good after 3 GOW: Stopped being good after 3 TLOU: Only the first one, in 2013 was good Spiderman: Most overrated game of all time Ghost of Tsushima: Was actually good, I'll give you that one Bloodborne: My favorite game of all time, also released almost 10 years ago Infamous: Stopped being good after 2 Returnal: Just play Furi
Regarding the licensed music part, the game has a streamer mode with, well, “bespoke” music that could be used as a backup, so I don’t think it’s ever going away. They’re all solide tracks and covers, but it would nice to have the OG licensed soundtrack on disc though, I agree.
Definitely a game I did not know I needed, ngl when announced I'm like rhythm game not my thing, on my second play through right now lol, tango and xbox nailed this one.
This is an early Game of the Year contender for me. It's not often that gameplay, art direction, graphics, soundtrack, story and controls all come together so seamlessly. Props to Tango Gameworks! I really hope Microsoft/Xbox allow their studios the creative freedom going forward to work on more games like this.
@Michael Lol, tell me that owning a Playstation is the defining characteristic of your personality without telling me that owning a Playstation is the defining characteristic of your personality 😂
The characters in this game are the best I seen in many years. That cat? Lol each villian has such a distinct personality and even the robots in the world have their own personalities. So much to say about this game
What's especially funny about all of this is that this is a game you'd expect from Sony's Studio Japan. This game will age beautifully, just like Gravity Rush 2 and Wind Waker. Cel shading done right will always be timeless.
This game is so well made, it seems like they managed to accomplish everything they wanted to do with the game. A solid work in pretty much every aspect, I will remember this game for a very long time
Wanna say im blown away that I can run this maxed at 240fps 1440p on a 2080S and a smooth 60fps on the Steam Deck. Masterpiece of a game Oliver I love you but it's driving me insane that you don't jump or dodge on beat 😂
Beat the game 2 days ago and had a blast the whole way through. Some parts were a little challenging but overall not bad. Loved the overall charm of the game and boss fights all felt unique and awesome.
I absolutely love how digital foundry just nails and brings to light what I'm thinking in the back of my head with these analyses, I hope the gaming industry tries to create more creative and complete titles after seeing this game's positive reception.
tbh I dont think it needs FoV options, it already pulls the camera back quite a bit and there are several sections in the game that would be compromised by an increase in FoV.
Quick tip for anybody experiencing lag on consoles: try changing to uncompressed audio. I had set my Xbox to Atmos, but there was a noticeable sync issue in this game, and swapping to 5.1 uncompressed made everything miles better.
There just seems to be a ton of really impressive tech working both behind the scenes and on the screen in this game. I'm currently replaying missions and am still finding myself constantly impressed with the quality of the in-game cutscenes. They genuinely look hand-animated at times, which I feel is incredibly hard to do successfully when dealing with 3D models. Tons of passion and talent in every facet of the game, but the environments, animations, sound, and how everything works with the beat bring it to instant legendary status.
Aside from say, the Guilty Gear series, this might be the most visually appealing cel shaded title since Viewtiful Joe or Killer7, and it seems like a great time too! Also Oliver, your presentation and editing have been essentially top tier since your debut but your writing and pacing get better and better with each release, keep it up.
I think Killer7 suffers from character models having not enough polygons due to hardware limitations, yet the close-ups only exaggerate the low-polygon issue. Modern hardcares eat polygons (precisely "vertices") for lunch, but for Killer7 the technology wasn't there.
So far I'm loving this on Gamepass. So much so, that I purchased myself a copy on Steam. These are the types of games that NEED our votes if we want to keep seeing these kinds of gems release. And the only vote that matters is money. At $30, this is more than worth it, even if I weren't to ever play my copy on Steam after finishing it on GP.
I'm glad Tango Gameworks took a chance on this game because I'm loving it! Feels like great old action platformers of old while also being fresh and original. Instant GOTY contender in my book.
This game is such an experience, highly recommend for those with hack and slash AND rhythm skills to play on hard diff, encounters were so short for me!! Game on PC looks and feels just perfect with TSR from my pov, I had some rare stutters. Also this shadow drop on gamepass even with subbed audio for different languages on day 1 is something so unexpected and a huge W for the gaming community. Great job tango games and DF for the amazing positive review!
It's the best game I've played in a long time. I can't stop singing it's praises to everybody I speak to. As somebody who had been playing games since the mid 80s, it's everything I want a game to be. Fun, funny, immediate, fast, simple, exciting etc. Whilst playing it I am reminded of: Persona 4 and 5 Viewtiful Joe Space Channel 5 Catherine Jet Set Radio Scott Pilgrim Okami Paper Mario Not just in game style but in terms of the writing, the wit, the thematic concepts and the execution. Gotta stop writing now... Need to play more Hi-Fi Rush 🤟
Hi Fi Rush looks so good and crispy on my LG OLED on my Xbox Series X that it feels like it’s in Augmented Reality. Xbox is making the most amazing games in the industry. I love the variety and uniqueness of Xbox games.
I think HiFi Rush is gorgous, but I really wish that, if it's not a baked in part of the animation, that there was an option to run the 3d cutscenes at an unlocked framerate. The on-2's animation style personally makes me a little nauseous when done in 3d, I have the same issue with a lot of CGI anime, Spiderverse, etc. I personally also just don't think the effect adds much: The cel shading, 2d overlays and smears, etc look great, but free on 1's in betweens is one of 3d's advantages as an animation medium and I wish that was leveraged. Cyberconnect 2's work on the Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm games, while somewhat dated now, I think shows how incredible using good cel shading and 2d overlays, smears, etc over full interpolated, on ones animations can look.
I suck at rhythm games. But sticking with this has been so worthwhile. The characters are all so well written, the voice acting is top notch, the visuals and sound track work so well and most importantly I have a huge grin while playing this.
This game is such a gem. Ive had more fun running through this game than I have had playing gow or horizon. It's just so damn good. The devs knew what they wanted and completely embraced it.
Crazy that MS just shadow dropped Tango Gameworks as a legitimate Insomniac (and/or Sucker Punch?) competitor, in January. Maybe this will motivate Sony to allow Insomniac to make something original outside of licensed Disney games. (But probably not, because licensed Disney games sell.)
If this game doesn't get turned in to a cartoon series Hollywood is asleep at the wheel. This is the PERFECT setup for a super awesome kids show that has battle sequences to the beat and teaches kids about music. Also, it's the best game I've played in FOREVER and I'm still halfway through. For $30 this is just an 11/10 package.
Where have you been playing NEW enticing and interesting games at? I want that platform and I have all the systems released. All I have seen is sequels and remakes, so please let me know, but I'm guessing you are talking about the Switch.
@@Deehulk888 nah I love sequels and remakes if they are good lol. One of the games besides starfield I’m looking forward to is resident evil 4 remake. And I don’t play on the switch cause there is no achievements
@@Deehulk888 I've been out of the loop has the switch not just been sequels and remakes? I don't think it's a huge deal but more new IP would be nice. I think indie devs deliver well on that front but they don't get the public notice they deserve.
I'd look into Pentiment and Scorn. Definitely not everyone's cake, but definitely blow it out of the park for interesting and unique like Hi-Fi Rush (Pentiment got robbed not getting any awards or nominations for the quality of effort obsidian put in).
I think having a smaller focus bit AAA polish did a lot for this game. So much more interesting then another open world bloated piece of s#€%. I hope other devs take notice that its okay to have levels and be a bit more like a ps2/ dreamcast game.
@@Somewhere_sometime_somehow I can't help but think about Ubisoft whenever I hear this kind of complain. They simply dropped two of the best platformers of the last decade (Rayman Origins and Legends) and then jumped on the open world/live service bandwagon and started to release a bunch of crap until they find themselves at this shameful state that they are right now.
The way they handled AO, shadows, and reflections in a cel shaded game is genius. That cross hatching AO is so cool. And reflections can be done in a cel shaded game without being out of place.
January Hi-Fi Rush, February Devil's Third 2... I mean Wanted: Dead, March Wo Long Fallen Dynasty. Hack n Slash action game fans are definitely getting their fixes in the early part this year.
Beautiful game and I wishlisted it in a heartbeat (backlog's too big!) on Steam though I'm quite surprised there isn't a 120 fps mode on the consoles given the artstyle. Either way, hoping to see more surprise bangers from Xbox!
@@harrierdubois9961 even the series s should be able to lock it at 120fps, a Ryzen 5 2600 can do it 99% of the time so i'm sure the Series S could do it at 1080p (and obviously the Series X as well)
It’s a shame Playstation is no longer interested in making these kind of fun, light hearted and quirky games. That used to be their selling point during the PS2 and PS3 era. I miss that Sony sometimes.
It's been a while since i have so much fun playing a game from start to finish. Hi-Fi Rush is a god tier game and i especially love the character animations, Chai's idle animation is definitely my most favorite idle animation ever and watching Korsica circling around you during her boss battle is just glorious.
Great video, Oliver, it was nice to see Hi Fi Rush being featured in DF. However, I would appreciate it if for the PC segment, you used a PC that was more representative of what the average person has instead of something so top of line
Reminds me those times when cell shaded games were prominent because they didn't have a big impact on performance but as technology evolved they didn't realize how nice they looked and moved on to more demanding and complex graphics gameplay. I am glad to see a game like this coming back being simple yet taking full advantage of modern consoles and TVs, I hope it starts a trend of games inspired in consoles from the early 2000s.
I've been singing Tango's praises since the start, and John Johanas' praises since TEW2. Possibly my favorite dev studio currently and y'all been sleeping on em.
I was impressed by Microsoft with the Xbox Developer Direct, especially because of Hi-Fi Rush. Thanks for the review, it confirms my earlier impression. Should I ask about 720p 60fps? Know where I'm heading?
Full agreement, this was so refreshing after so many games seem more expensive and less complete or interesting. I can't imagine a GOTY much better than this, I really hope people remember it in time to nominate! My only complaint was that it cloud-syncs your graphics and audio settings, so if I play it on my steam deck and then go back to the desktop, I have to set the resolution, graphics, and audio settings again each time, it's a pain.
Been loving the hell out of this game, it's easily GOTY for me this game has so much style and charm to it that its tough to put down after I start playing it. Only thing I want from it is a Boss Rush mode and I'll be set.
The robots in this game have more personality and life in them than most photrealistic humans in AAA games using cutting edge tech. Facial pores and sub-surface scaterring skin and RT are nice but I'll prioritize luscious style and rich animation any day.
I just randomly heard about this game sometime this week and decided to try it. SO good! It's amazing that such a fun and charming game came out of nowhere. I don't have an Xbox, so I'm glad my PC was able to run it well. You're right about how intuitive the combat feels as well. At the beginning of the game, I was a bit intimidated by having to stay to the beat when attacking enemies, but it didn't take long for it to be come natural and I didn't have to think about it.
I’ve always been curious how hard it must be to replicate anime in 3d and funny enough even 3d anime can’t properly replicate 2d anime like this game and guilty gear can. Real-time finally beat pre rendered visuals
when they announced this i rolled my eyes i cant lie, but just looking at the gameplay and seeing hiw unique it looks, it makes me want to play it, i miss when publishers released unque games like these
@@DTheVigne haha just because I thought the game was trying to be like quirky and 4th wall breaking, and I don't know it didn't peak my interest at that time.
@@bubbag3332 I see where your coming from. It sure looks like that type of game. But at least we got a great game with some jokes here and there that aren't eye roll worthy. I don't like 4th wall break either
This game feels complete. Like someone at the top had a vision for what they wanted, and the people working on it had the time and passion to execute that vision to a tee.
Such a shame that this isn't the norm anymore, but I'm thankful it happens occasionally at least.
I commented the same thing. It is as good as it aims to be, what a solid delivery.
That's exactly how I feel about HFR as well! It is refreshing. A lot of games are trying so hard to be everything at once to where the scope of the project gets out of hand and starts to get fragmented. The experience doesn't feel cohesive as a whole.
It makes so much difference when they know exactly where they're going. It's like the absolute antithesis of Anthem.
This game is truly amazing and the industry needs more "out of the box" games like this.
For the first time in a long time I wanted an Xbox just because of this game ( I only have the Switch and a PS4 as platforms, my PC is not very good and my internet is not the best for cloud streaming without input lag ) it's a shame that this game is only exclusive because of Microsoft's purchase of Bethesda, but still, I'm glad such a game exists.
The price speaks a lot to that with the base game only being $30 at full price. That's less than a 3ds game valued itself. The devs here knew exactly what they wanted to make, made it, and aren't pushing it too far or promising its worth more than it is (which ironically does make it worth more than its valued).
Tech gets outdated a good artstyle does not
Underrated comment. Games like this age so damn well.
like Halo CE, Bioshock 1, Kameo and Portal 2. Still looking good.
Thing about art style is that it's purely taste
@@KneppaH dishonored 1 and prey also
This will still look fantastic in 15 years time
This is a game you can still play in 20 Years and the artstyle will hold up! Tango did some great work here.
Totally agree! Thats why there must be disc version. Even if Thats means extra costs due to the bundled music IP.
Some people don't like rhythm games but really, anyone can get the hang of this one. Just get used to pressing the button on every hit in order to keep the timing, have fun with this one guys.
I'm really bad a rhythm games, but this one's fairly forgiving, and the general gameplay just becomes an immersive thing after playing for a short while. But I have lost several times at the special challenge segments that punctuate the game (luckily the game typically just puts you right back at the start of those segments).
It also makes it really easy to achieve combo on the beat by always having your attack hitting on the beat, no matter when you press.
So even if you miss the first beat, as long as you launch the second attack right when the first one hits, you'll be on time.
I played metal Hellsinger for 2-3 hours before dropping it but with Hi-Fi Rush I didn’t even notice the time go by
The way I recommend playing is like this: Chai is an extension of the player, and in his own words, he feels like he's on a stage when the music kicks in. While you play, you realize there's no lead guitar in the background music till you hit things. So... Be the lead guitar player. Play a song. Your team is your band, and your instruments are your moveset. Once you get that in your mind, you become intrinsically incentivized to follow the rhythm, because it's _your_ song at that point. The better you time your combo, the better the BGM becomes as a result. You're on a stage; give them a show.
agreed, i am terrible at any game that has any form of rhythm (i had to put jedi fallen order down to easy, got blocked in tunic at a big boss). I put hifi rush down to easy and have been having a blast, still struggle with the parry timing floating laser bots and it took me half a dozen tries to defeat each eye in the VR rooms in R&D. But the game is so much fun and so well executed i just keep playing :-)
This game feels like a PS2 era game, but in the good sense. Good production values and very creative.
I hear you but I thought about Dreamcast
Solid direction and devs had a clear objective, it is a shame this isnt the norm anymore
og xbox
Like a Viewtiful Joe
@@gothicm3rcy426 Xbox is shit
Hi-Fi Rush is definitely a GOTY candidate. I can't seem to stop playing it. It's super fun!
Stop it Xbot. This game is 23rd most played game on Xbox. Disgusting.
@@thev3432 "stop having fun" who pissed in your cheerios dude
lol 😂 GOTY ya mean only game xbox has of the year 😂😂😂 final fantasy 16, spiderman 2 or zelda will win that
@@interrobangings looks like the CMA pissed on your last meal. Sorry about the news.
@@thev3432 don't personally really care about the merger but ok dude
Haven't heard Oliver praise a game like this before, must play
Xbox treatment. They always do that when ever Xbox does something. You can check their library going back 7yrs.. before you refute..
If it was another published.... Nintendo/PlayStation... I promise you they'd be singing a different tune
@@borborkontri4837 cope and seethe hifi rush is excellent
@@borborkontri4837 OOOOOOOOR hear me out the game is just that good, so good infact that even on steam its overwhelmingly positive, even Xbox hater Imdontai who shits on Xbox every time it comes up actually enjoys it more than Forspoken, Maxamillian dood also likes the game.
@@borborkontri4837 And its only $30!!! for this amazing ass game
@@borborkontri4837 😂 someone is upset
I think there is something to be said about Xbox devs ‘passion projects’. They’ve really surprised me. Hi Fi Rush, Pentiment, & Grounded notably.
And people keeps saying that Xbox only makes fps games..
@@nunezkantUnfortunately will take a while to clear that stereotype
Well this game was long in development before they became xbox devs so can't really attribute it to xbox
@@eliotwildermann that's one of the biggest lies people keep saying.
The same happened to psychonauts 2, and devs said that the polishment and final quality was met thanks to Microsoft support.
Have you ever worked in something related with SW dev ?
If you start a project in year 0 with a budget of 10$ , and then at year 1 suddenly you have a budget of 1000$ .... That won't impact the dev cycle?
Come on, stop it.
ALL of those were mid-dev when M$ bought them. we will see, our corporate overlords dont care about art only $$$. You know how, I know M$ didnt believe/care about this game.... No marketing.
This game is in the class of Yoshi's Island with its art work being future proof. In 10 years it will still look amazing
Yoshi's Island hasn't aged a day and it is incredible. One of the most creative art styles. Beautiful game.
YES
Trash
and gameplay, too
22 years old Jet Set Radio is a prime example of this.
One of the rare games you can totally suck at but still have a blast
so maybe i have a shot lol
I love how the animation and art style looks better than most animated shows
Most animators regardless of country are paid like janitor, that's why many animes/cartoons look so poorly drawn.
@@ultracapitalistutopia3550 sad truth, it’s a crunch hell.
@@ultracapitalistutopia3550 Worst of all, they´re starting to resort to AI to animate, something that baffled Hayao Miyazaki about a decade ago became the norm for animators...
One of funnest and finest games I've played in years. The music, the artwork, the smooth gameplay and the great humor. This one has it all! What a masterpiece
Fanboys actually will disagree on that you already know which side.
@@ronniecantiga5629 it's ironic that u r commenting this under a comment that's from an actual delusional xbox fanboi
@@cliverosfield69 oh really?
@@cliverosfield69 Tell me one Playstation game released within the last 5 years that is better than this game. I'll wait.
@@bobsnob3073 ratchet and clank,God of war 4 and 5,GOT,returnal,spiderman,ff7 remake 1,spiderman miles morales etc.
You can feel the love and care that went into making this game
Xbox has a franchise in the making here, a sequel could expand on characters and even music, perhaps different tempo with different music... Some characters you meet can bring in pop , hip hop sounds etc, and you having to adapt your fighting style to the different tempos. There's a lot of possibilities for this to turn into a great cast of future characters.
X2
As I was playing the first hour or so.
I was thinking this would make an amazing anime
I agree
I'd prefer this to be a one off. Not everything needs to be turned into a franchise
This is an absolute must play. It's so good to see players get a surprise W like this. Being on Game Pass is icing on the cake.
This is the first example of video game cel shading I've seen that actually resembles drawn animation the way it's supposed to instead of looking like an awkward Photoshop filter applied to a 3D render à la Borderlands, and it's clearly the product of thoughtful artistic choices and attention to detail rather than any major technological advancement. Crazy impressive that they're on par with or better than cinema/television work in that regard.
Yeah, it's crazy how well they did here. I loved Borderlands and I enjoyed the artstyle, but it definitely doesn't "look like a cartoon," it looks like a filter. Here, every frame looks like a super-high-quality anime with elements of other cartoon influences (like Futurama in some of the environments, for example.) The limited character framerates for the cutscenes really sell it too, moving like hand-drawn animation, and overall, the cel-shading and outlines are extremely crisp and stable. To top it off, it all runs _incredibly_ well thanks to great optimization.
It's a new standard for cel-shaded graphics and I'm excited for the future of this style!
I don't remember the last game I finished and then started playing again immediately right afterwards. Such a fun game! Definitely early GOTY candidate and will be hard to top. 👍
This and dead space remake are early candidates who would have thought xbox would release a exclusive and a goty candidate this early
@@willfields2096 goty my ass
@@cliverosfield69 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@cliverosfield69 I bet you think Forespoken was the best release so far this year.
RUSH is my first GOTY contender for 2023. upon rolling credits, it's become an all-time favourite for me and i've never been too keen on rhythm or DMC-style games, but the characters, the story, the world-building, the fluidity of the gameplay, the ingenuity of the battles & boss encounters, the seamless audiovisual design and feedback & the vibrantly dystopic world design won me over in a heartbeat, it all comes together flawlessly from start to finish. Tango has a real hit on their hands.
Cope
@@cliverosfield69
You seem desperate for attention. Hi. Here's that attention you were hoping for.
Enjoy.
We need a 120fps performance mode. It would really smoothen up the gameplay, and I know that both of these machines are capable of hitting it and sustaining it with the right optimization.
1080p + amd fsr 2.1. done.
The highest praise I can give this is that it reminds me of Psychonauts 2 but is different.
I'm about 6hrs in and it is definitely beyond impressive in every single aspect. Even the fact that the character always hit on beat is impressive. That would've been an enormous barrier for the not musically inclined. The Sony-like transitions between cutscene and gameplay makes this feel like you are playing a late 90's early 2000's cartoon. Music choice is amazing (having a boss battle while listening to Nine Inch Nails was so hyped) and the originals are great, it keeps the head bumping and as Oliver said, later in the game, it becomes second nature. I'm playing it on Very Hard difficulty and it is quite balanced, not frustrating at all. I hope this game gets the Limited Run treatment as I will love to support it as much as possible. It has the potential for an animated series and also it makes me think about what a sequel could bring to the table in terms of evolving this new approach.
Hi-Fi Rush is a sublime experience, and yes, for me a GOTY candidate - it's wonderfully unique and polished.👏
If they release a physical special edition on disc I would pick it up for sure.
Polished is rare nowadays lol
@@detroitsmith313 Sadly so true!
If there had been a Dreamcast 4, this is the kind of game i would expect to be on it.
Dreamcast 4... if only man 😔
Dream
This comment will start me on a tirade about how the fate of both the Dreamcast and Xbox are linked
This game just bleeds heart and soul.... All the devs had an absolute blast making it you can just feel it... Don't blink... you might miss some cool shit
I agree that it seems like they had fun making it... but that also makes me think it'd be kinda funny if there was actually some development hell story to it. (since it all worked out/paid off in the end)
@@EdwardViaTomato There mostly is I think... But when a dev team has great leadership and are passionate about what they are making... Crunch just becomes another hurdle.
This was truly a surprise. Love the art style and gameplay, and it looks amazing on a big screen TV. It's clear it pays homage to Jet Set Radio (which was one of my fav games on the Dreamcast). Also, this was a shadow drop, no marketing, no hype, no early previews and the best part, a day one GamePass release. Which makes GamePass clearly the best deal in gaming, everyone else is playing catch up. Looking forward to future shadow drops. This is a must play folks.
Hope we get more games like this one
@Michael Cringe
@Michael invalid
Yeah, I'd love to see more studios branch out like tango game works (and obsidian with pentiment)
@Michael Why don't you go beg Sony to give you something good for once?
@Michael Uncharted: Stopped being good after 3
GOW: Stopped being good after 3
TLOU: Only the first one, in 2013 was good
Spiderman: Most overrated game of all time
Ghost of Tsushima: Was actually good, I'll give you that one
Bloodborne: My favorite game of all time, also released almost 10 years ago
Infamous: Stopped being good after 2
Returnal: Just play Furi
Regarding the licensed music part, the game has a streamer mode with, well, “bespoke” music that could be used as a backup, so I don’t think it’s ever going away. They’re all solide tracks and covers, but it would nice to have the OG licensed soundtrack on disc though, I agree.
A game created with pure passion. Artistic vision carried out flawlessly with no compromises to performance. This is how games should be made.
Definitely a game I did not know I needed, ngl when announced I'm like rhythm game not my thing, on my second play through right now lol, tango and xbox nailed this one.
What an amazing title, for some reason give me that "dreamcast feeling" from my childhood.
Gorgeous game. I love cartoonish artstyle. Also usually games like that age very well
This is an early Game of the Year contender for me. It's not often that gameplay, art direction, graphics, soundtrack, story and controls all come together so seamlessly. Props to Tango Gameworks! I really hope Microsoft/Xbox allow their studios the creative freedom going forward to work on more games like this.
Agree, he should have won it too but Starfield already had it in the bag.
@Michael ok michael
@Michael Or, and hear me out here, maybe I have my preferences just like you have yours? Novel concept, I know.
@Michael funny you saying anything about low standards.
@Michael Lol, tell me that owning a Playstation is the defining characteristic of your personality without telling me that owning a Playstation is the defining characteristic of your personality 😂
This game comes out of literal nowhere, and blow everyone's expectations out of the water.
My GOTY so far. It just so damn fun and polished.
The characters in this game are the best I seen in many years. That cat? Lol each villian has such a distinct personality and even the robots in the world have their own personalities. So much to say about this game
What's especially funny about all of this is that this is a game you'd expect from Sony's Studio Japan. This game will age beautifully, just like Gravity Rush 2 and Wind Waker. Cel shading done right will always be timeless.
This game is so well made, it seems like they managed to accomplish everything they wanted to do with the game. A solid work in pretty much every aspect, I will remember this game for a very long time
Deserves a game of the year nomination
Even more impressive is the amount of post game content there is making it easy to replay again and again and again.
This game is just so refreshing 😌
@Michael ok michael
@Michael ok michael
@Michael ok Michael
@Michael ok Michael
Ok @Michael
Wanna say im blown away that I can run this maxed at 240fps 1440p on a 2080S and a smooth 60fps on the Steam Deck. Masterpiece of a game
Oliver I love you but it's driving me insane that you don't jump or dodge on beat 😂
I just spam Jump and dodge and hope it works fast enough lol
Shadow dropped GOTY and it's on gamepass day one.
@Michael ok Michael
@Michael ok michael
ok @Michael
@Michael So far what release in 2023 has been better? Forspoken?
@Michael This is your brain on fanboyism
Beat the game 2 days ago and had a blast the whole way through. Some parts were a little challenging but overall not bad. Loved the overall charm of the game and boss fights all felt unique and awesome.
Same lol beat the game on weekedns. now replaying on another difficulty
I absolutely love how digital foundry just nails and brings to light what I'm thinking in the back of my head with these analyses, I hope the gaming industry tries to create more creative and complete titles after seeing this game's positive reception.
tbh I dont think it needs FoV options, it already pulls the camera back quite a bit and there are several sections in the game that would be compromised by an increase in FoV.
The art style is going to be as future proof as Zelda Wind Waker is.
Quick tip for anybody experiencing lag on consoles: try changing to uncompressed audio. I had set my Xbox to Atmos, but there was a noticeable sync issue in this game, and swapping to 5.1 uncompressed made everything miles better.
There just seems to be a ton of really impressive tech working both behind the scenes and on the screen in this game. I'm currently replaying missions and am still finding myself constantly impressed with the quality of the in-game cutscenes. They genuinely look hand-animated at times, which I feel is incredibly hard to do successfully when dealing with 3D models. Tons of passion and talent in every facet of the game, but the environments, animations, sound, and how everything works with the beat bring it to instant legendary status.
This game is going to age pretty well with this art style.
The outline rendering is pristine. Would love to see a tech breakdown of their approach!
I love this game so much. Near perfect in every way.
He says the shadow at 5:50 looks 'gloopy and rounded' but it's surprisingly bold and brash
Aside from say, the Guilty Gear series, this might be the most visually appealing cel shaded title since Viewtiful Joe or Killer7, and it seems like a great time too!
Also Oliver, your presentation and editing have been essentially top tier since your debut but your writing and pacing get better and better with each release, keep it up.
I think Killer7 suffers from character models having not enough polygons due to hardware limitations, yet the close-ups only exaggerate the low-polygon issue. Modern hardcares eat polygons (precisely "vertices") for lunch, but for Killer7 the technology wasn't there.
This neeeeeeeds a physical release!
So far I'm loving this on Gamepass. So much so, that I purchased myself a copy on Steam. These are the types of games that NEED our votes if we want to keep seeing these kinds of gems release. And the only vote that matters is money. At $30, this is more than worth it, even if I weren't to ever play my copy on Steam after finishing it on GP.
I'm glad Tango Gameworks took a chance on this game because I'm loving it! Feels like great old action platformers of old while also being fresh and original. Instant GOTY contender in my book.
This game is such an experience, highly recommend for those with hack and slash AND rhythm skills to play on hard diff, encounters were so short for me!! Game on PC looks and feels just perfect with TSR from my pov, I had some rare stutters. Also this shadow drop on gamepass even with subbed audio for different languages on day 1 is something so unexpected and a huge W for the gaming community. Great job tango games and DF for the amazing positive review!
It's the best game I've played in a long time. I can't stop singing it's praises to everybody I speak to.
As somebody who had been playing games since the mid 80s, it's everything I want a game to be. Fun, funny, immediate, fast, simple, exciting etc.
Whilst playing it I am reminded of:
Persona 4 and 5
Viewtiful Joe
Space Channel 5
Catherine
Jet Set Radio
Scott Pilgrim
Okami
Paper Mario
Not just in game style but in terms of the writing, the wit, the thematic concepts and the execution.
Gotta stop writing now... Need to play more Hi-Fi Rush 🤟
What a surprise this was! Gorgeous to look at and plays very well with great humour without trying desperately hard to be funny 👍
Masterpiece!!! For me is a 9.5/10
Hi Fi Rush looks so good and crispy on my LG OLED on my Xbox Series X that it feels like it’s in Augmented Reality. Xbox is making the most amazing games in the industry. I love the variety and uniqueness of Xbox games.
I think HiFi Rush is gorgous, but I really wish that, if it's not a baked in part of the animation, that there was an option to run the 3d cutscenes at an unlocked framerate. The on-2's animation style personally makes me a little nauseous when done in 3d, I have the same issue with a lot of CGI anime, Spiderverse, etc. I personally also just don't think the effect adds much: The cel shading, 2d overlays and smears, etc look great, but free on 1's in betweens is one of 3d's advantages as an animation medium and I wish that was leveraged. Cyberconnect 2's work on the Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm games, while somewhat dated now, I think shows how incredible using good cel shading and 2d overlays, smears, etc over full interpolated, on ones animations can look.
As a PS owner there are a few Xbox games I am jealous of, mainly Forza and Flight Sim, but this is a new one!
Bruh
timeless art design is always a good thing.
I suck at rhythm games. But sticking with this has been so worthwhile. The characters are all so well written, the voice acting is top notch, the visuals and sound track work so well and most importantly I have a huge grin while playing this.
This game is such a gem. Ive had more fun running through this game than I have had playing gow or horizon. It's just so damn good. The devs knew what they wanted and completely embraced it.
@Michael I have, all 3 games on PC. Hi-Fi Rush has something I missed, full focus. No open world padding, just a linear, carefully paced experience.
@Michael I actually use Linux
@Michael imagine being a fanboy. cringe.
@Michael Proton, mantained by Valve, allows almost all Windows games to run on Linux. That's how the Steam Deck works.
@Michael he’s taking about you you know
Crazy that MS just shadow dropped Tango Gameworks as a legitimate Insomniac (and/or Sucker Punch?) competitor, in January. Maybe this will motivate Sony to allow Insomniac to make something original outside of licensed Disney games. (But probably not, because licensed Disney games sell.)
@Michael According to reviews, it's better than any Insomniac and Sucker Punch game 🤷🏿♂️
@Michael a legacy IP, that didn't seem to sell particularly well either. I'm talking about making a new original IP altogether.
@Michael ok Michael.
ok @Michael
@Michael it sure is better then the new ratchet and clank
If this game doesn't get turned in to a cartoon series Hollywood is asleep at the wheel. This is the PERFECT setup for a super awesome kids show that has battle sequences to the beat and teaches kids about music.
Also, it's the best game I've played in FOREVER and I'm still halfway through. For $30 this is just an 11/10 package.
Finally, an enticing & interesting new game to bring me back to my Series X. I can’t wait to play this one, it looks like so much fun!
Where have you been playing NEW enticing and interesting games at? I want that platform and I have all the systems released. All I have seen is sequels and remakes, so please let me know, but I'm guessing you are talking about the Switch.
@@Deehulk888 nah I love sequels and remakes if they are good lol. One of the games besides starfield I’m looking forward to is resident evil 4 remake. And I don’t play on the switch cause there is no achievements
@@Deehulk888 salty xbot
@@Deehulk888 I've been out of the loop has the switch not just been sequels and remakes? I don't think it's a huge deal but more new IP would be nice. I think indie devs deliver well on that front but they don't get the public notice they deserve.
I'd look into Pentiment and Scorn. Definitely not everyone's cake, but definitely blow it out of the park for interesting and unique like Hi-Fi Rush (Pentiment got robbed not getting any awards or nominations for the quality of effort obsidian put in).
This is an amazing example of strong art direction being used to best use the hardware, the game looks amazing and runs well.
more games like this would be nice
I think having a smaller focus bit AAA polish did a lot for this game. So much more interesting then another open world bloated piece of s#€%. I hope other devs take notice that its okay to have levels and be a bit more like a ps2/ dreamcast game.
@@Somewhere_sometime_somehow I can't help but think about Ubisoft whenever I hear this kind of complain. They simply dropped two of the best platformers of the last decade (Rayman Origins and Legends) and then jumped on the open world/live service bandwagon and started to release a bunch of crap until they find themselves at this shameful state that they are right now.
The way they handled AO, shadows, and reflections in a cel shaded game is genius. That cross hatching AO is so cool. And reflections can be done in a cel shaded game without being out of place.
I don't like rhythm games in general but oh boy I enjoyed this one
January Hi-Fi Rush, February Devil's Third 2... I mean Wanted: Dead, March Wo Long Fallen Dynasty. Hack n Slash action game fans are definitely getting their fixes in the early part this year.
Beautiful game and I wishlisted it in a heartbeat (backlog's too big!) on Steam though I'm quite surprised there isn't a 120 fps mode on the consoles given the artstyle. Either way, hoping to see more surprise bangers from Xbox!
Probably no 120fps mode for consistency, if it couldn't make a lock 120, following the beat would be a pain in the ass
@@harrierdubois9961 even the series s should be able to lock it at 120fps, a Ryzen 5 2600 can do it 99% of the time so i'm sure the Series S could do it at 1080p (and obviously the Series X as well)
Dang I didn't even think of the "digital shelf life" because of the music. I played on game pass but now I agree definitely needs a disk release.
Love the game. Love the art style. What a fun surprise it was.
It’s a shame Playstation is no longer interested in making these kind of fun, light hearted and quirky games. That used to be their selling point during the PS2 and PS3 era. I miss that Sony sometimes.
But now you'll be able to try it yourself if you're on PlayStation - game is hitting PS5 in April.
It's been a while since i have so much fun playing a game from start to finish. Hi-Fi Rush is a god tier game and i especially love the character animations, Chai's idle animation is definitely my most favorite idle animation ever and watching Korsica circling around you during her boss battle is just glorious.
Great video, Oliver, it was nice to see Hi Fi Rush being featured in DF.
However, I would appreciate it if for the PC segment, you used a PC that was more representative of what the average person has instead of something so top of line
I’m happy for xbox & Tango Gameworks. Excellent beautiful game. Evil Within still my favorite though from this developer.
Reminds me those times when cell shaded games were prominent because they didn't have a big impact on performance but as technology evolved they didn't realize how nice they looked and moved on to more demanding and complex graphics gameplay. I am glad to see a game like this coming back being simple yet taking full advantage of modern consoles and TVs, I hope it starts a trend of games inspired in consoles from the early 2000s.
1440p, 60fps on Series S... Such a powerless Console 😂🤘... Tango shows how it goes.
First 1st Party M$ game in over a year? Pentiment says hi.
I've been singing Tango's praises since the start, and John Johanas' praises since TEW2. Possibly my favorite dev studio currently and y'all been sleeping on em.
I was impressed by Microsoft with the Xbox Developer Direct, especially because of Hi-Fi Rush.
Thanks for the review, it confirms my earlier impression.
Should I ask about 720p 60fps? Know where I'm heading?
8:39 Can't remember the last time I've seen such a straight frametime graph on a DF review. I know the graphics are relatively simple but holy......
Full agreement, this was so refreshing after so many games seem more expensive and less complete or interesting. I can't imagine a GOTY much better than this, I really hope people remember it in time to nominate!
My only complaint was that it cloud-syncs your graphics and audio settings, so if I play it on my steam deck and then go back to the desktop, I have to set the resolution, graphics, and audio settings again each time, it's a pain.
This game looks amazing! It's a shame about the lack of HDR but it still looks beautiful.
Been loving the hell out of this game, it's easily GOTY for me this game has so much style and charm to it that its tough to put down after I start playing it. Only thing I want from it is a Boss Rush mode and I'll be set.
Let's not take it too far it's only February it's a good game to pass the time
I did run into one bug. One of the puzzles failed to work correctly. But, reloading the game and doing the puzzle a second time resolved the issue.
Yay! What a great new exclusive IP! Keep em coming!
The robots in this game have more personality and life in them than most photrealistic humans in AAA games using cutting edge tech. Facial pores and sub-surface scaterring skin and RT are nice but I'll prioritize luscious style and rich animation any day.
Will you guys cover Like a Dragon Ishin when it comes out in 3 weeks? Love the content, cheers.
I just randomly heard about this game sometime this week and decided to try it. SO good! It's amazing that such a fun and charming game came out of nowhere. I don't have an Xbox, so I'm glad my PC was able to run it well.
You're right about how intuitive the combat feels as well. At the beginning of the game, I was a bit intimidated by having to stay to the beat when attacking enemies, but it didn't take long for it to be come natural and I didn't have to think about it.
A MASTERPIECE.
How did I not be aware of this amazing looking game??? 👀👀
I’ve always been curious how hard it must be to replicate anime in 3d and funny enough even 3d anime can’t properly replicate 2d anime like this game and guilty gear can. Real-time finally beat pre rendered visuals
I hope this gets a physical release!
when they announced this i rolled my eyes i cant lie, but just looking at the gameplay and seeing hiw unique it looks, it makes me want to play it, i miss when publishers released unque games like these
Can I ask why did you roll your eyes at first? I'm curious
@@DTheVigne haha just because I thought the game was trying to be like quirky and 4th wall breaking, and I don't know it didn't peak my interest at that time.
@@bubbag3332 I see where your coming from. It sure looks like that type of game. But at least we got a great game with some jokes here and there that aren't eye roll worthy. I don't like 4th wall break either
Awesome video. Now where our next dead space video!?