Sounds like typical Mikami process, where his game drastically changes from first concept. That or a Capcom thing. They have a huge knack for changing up drastically as well as creating new IP out of it.
New IP will always have tons of changes, itās not like they have everything planned from day one. Pretty easy to have a guess how the next Forza, Gears or Halo will be like haha, no IP has the ability to change and morph into different things without us knowing.
Iāll say one thing though, things are a lot more fun without leaks.
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Thatās true. I know Capcom back then used to be very experimental that a supposed sequel ends up being a new IP. Like DMC was once RE4 or Final Fight for Street Fighter 2.
I thought whoever leaked that art followed up and said it wasnāt related to Hi-Fi Rush. Also the artistās website at the bottom makes no references to Tango or MS as clients.
Yeah, this is why I take news of development stumbles on projects like Everwild, Perfect Dark, Avowed with a grain of salt - with every new IP (or re-imagining of an old one) there is going to be a lot of work and changes and iteration on ideas. Itās a natutal part of developing new ideas that some things simply donāt work and some change into something better.
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Yeah, Iām pretty sure this probably confirms the āleakedā art had nothing to do with this game ever.
Man, I had a blast playing this game last night and canāt wait to continue tonight. That was one of the more awesome shadow drop surprises for me that I can remember.
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Ah yes. You know Xbox is pushing it when they do this. Love to see it!
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Mikami was not kidding when he said the new game by Johanas would be the exact opposite of horror, haha.
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These are āmost of the team membersā? These are 30 people, really makes you wonder, very talented people nonetheless.
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Yeah I was wondering how much of Tango was working on this
If thatās most of the team then itās a pretty small team overall, very impressive
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Yesterday I had no idea it had an option for this. Tried it out and I agree, Japanese is better. It makes sense too. Japanese studio, character has a Japanese name too.
So TEW 1, 2 and GT was made with such a smal team?
Really doubt it, I imagine itās a team that ābroke offā to work on this, this canāt be all of the studio.
Nah TEW1 and 2 would most likely have been full teams, although im pretty sure the studio has grown since those were made so while it would have been the whole studio, it would be less employees than they have now
Ghostwire Iām not sure on but I assume it would have been the bulk of the studio at a minimum, couldnāt have been the full studio though as this has been in development along side it
Originally published at: Review | Hi-Fi RUSH - XboxEra
Hi-Fi RUSH is the latest game from the Evil Within team at Tango Gameworks.Ā It is absolutely gorgeous, hilarious, plays incredibly well, and is one of the best surprises I can remember.Ā Announced and released in the same day, Iāve spent 11 hours straight playing what is a damned masterpiece of an action platformer.Ā
Rhythm Is A Dancer
Chai is an annoying moron.Ā With a damaged arm he signs up for a project promising him a new lease on life.Ā Little does he know that the evil corporation heās signing his life away to has other plans.Ā After the robotification project goes awry Chai is left with a super-powered robo arm, and a music player lodged in his chest.Ā The world moves to a beat in Hi-Fi RUSH, and everything Chai does to the rhythm is enhanced.Ā The first thing heāll come across is a pipe, which quickly gains the appearance of a guitar thanks to all the scrap that is magnetized to it.Ā Axe in hand youāll meet up with various misfits and outcasts who all have a tie to the evil mega-corporation, and over the course of 12 missions you will fall in love with this stupid, gorgeous world.
Hi-Fi RUSH is an action rhythm game interspersed with platforming segments and light puzzles.Ā It moves at a relentless pace during missions, cutting between stunning cutscenes that animate at a lower framerate but retain the same cel-shaded visual style of the gameplay.Ā I cannot overstate how good-looking this game is.Ā The animation work is excellent, the textures are pristine, and the image quality is crystal clear.Ā Colors pop, and the world sings to you as everything moves to the beat of the music.Ā The music my god, for a person born in the early 80s it sounds like my formative years.Ā The humor and style aim at the zoomer, but we millennials are in for a treat with bands like Nine Inch Nails leading the way as you murder robots with glee.
In between each mission, youāll have access to a hub world where you can upgrade your skills, learn new ones, customize your outfit, and hang out with your crew. I try to not spoil things but there is a delightful robot kitty kat named 808 that has one of the best sections during a game Iāve ever played.Ā It was so stupid, heartwarming, and awesome that I canāt wait for people to see it.Ā Every character shines in a story that never stops being stupid but has deeply emotional moments in the 2nd half that had me on the edge of my seat. You get a huge payoff in the story, and a modern miracle as I loved the boss fights.Ā Boss fights almost always suck in games, but I loved every single one here and I didnāt find them overly difficult in the normal setting.
Groovin to the Music
Rhythm is key to mastering Hi-Fi RUSH but you donāt have to always be on the beat.Ā You will always attack, but doing so on the beat adds damage and other positive possibilities.Ā Youāll get a dash, parry, and have a double jump right from the start.Ā All of these and more are tied to the beat so that when you use them on it they work better and can activate more powerful versions.Ā X is your main attack with Y being a heavy one.Ā The right bumper is your dash while the left bumper becomes a magnetic hook.Ā The right trigger will activate your chosen ally to help you in combat or puzzle solving, while the left trigger cycles through them.Ā B is your parry, which becomes hugely important later on. The moment-to-moment combat is constantly broken up by small rhythm-based minigames and it keeps things feeling fresh the entire time.Ā
This game is like a rhythm Devil May Cry mixed with some of the best 3d anime-style visuals Iāve ever seen. The upgrades available add so many combos, super moves, and extra abilities to your friends that I never once felt like the combat was becoming stale.Ā On the platforming front, it can feel off at first. Once I realized how much jumping and dashing to the beat added distance-wise though things clicked. Itās not perfect, but itās damned good once you get the hang of it and much like the combat there are constant minigames built into the platforming that worked brilliantly at keeping the pace up.
After beating the main campaign things are not done.Ā Like any good action platformer new difficulties, challenges, and a level select are all there to keep you engaged for a dozen more hours.Ā Itās an incredible amount of content for what is a $30 package at launch, and of course, itās available through Game Pass day one on console, cloud, and PC. Ā
Jet Set RUSH-io
As stated previously Hi-Fi RUSH is a gorgeous game. Itās unique in a way Iām finding difficult to describe.Ā It really does feel like a modern 3d anime come to life, except it looks far better than any 3d anime Iāve seen both during gameplay and cutscenes.Ā The title runs at 4k/60fps on Series X, where I reviewed it, and 1440p/60fps on Series S.Ā I noticed zero framerate drops while playing though the change in framerate was jarring a few times while transitioning from gameplay to cutscenes. My only issue with the game is that the combat can become difficult to read as the screen fills up with utter chaos.Ā Knowing when to dodge/parry/attack was routinely obfuscated by enemies and effects.
Sound-wise my first impression wasnāt positive on Chai.Ā He was high-voiced and whiney, but by the end, I thought both his character and the actorās portrayal were excellent.Ā The writing in the game is phenomenal and accomplishes the nearly impossible task for a video game by being genuinely funny the entire time.Ā The story and setting, again without giving much away, started out in an āokā spot. After a few hours, I was completely engrossed and quickly fell in love with each of the main characters.Ā Even the villains are all standouts thanks to their excellent voicework and smartly crafted encounters.
All of this goodness is wrapped in a mostly 2000s soundtrack that kicks serious ass.Ā Not every song in the game is licensed, and the Bethesda studio tracks hold up well against some serious heavyweights of the music industry.Ā Sound effects are clean and the positional audio works well for letting you know where enemies are in the heat of a fight. Accessibility wise there are a wide number of options to help those with vision impairments along with settings to make the combat and staying in rhythm less taxing.Ā You can play the entire game on one or two buttons if you like and the game will auto-combo and use teammates on its own.Ā There are difficulty-based achievements, which I know some donāt like, and my full campaign clear ended with me only getting 310 out of 1000 achievement points.
I had zero crashes or bugs of any type while playing.Ā It might be the first time in years that I can say that.Ā Not one freeze, not even a hitch.Ā No crashing or odd enemy behavior.Ā I never clipped through a wall or had the sound cut out.Ā It was as bug-free an eleven hours of gaming as I can remember.
Wrapping Things Up
Hi-Fi RUSH came out of nowhere and floored me.Ā It is one of my favorite-looking games, maybe ever.Ā The combat is sublime, the story is great, and the music just works.Ā Tango Gameworks has shifted from making ok to good horror games and created one of my favorite action platformers of all time.Ā
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Iām terrible at rhythm games but the art is pulling me. Nice review as always.
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Oh boy, I am excited to play this later. Is there swearing in the game? Looks and sounds like a game my kids lose their shit overā¦