Tango Gameworks’ next game is Hi-Fi Rush, a rhythm adventure game in development exclusively for Xbox Series X | S, and will be released tonight.
The trailer was announced during the Xbox Developer_Direct presentation, revealing a comic-like art style, original beats and movement and rhythm-based combat. Tango Gameworks is releasing the game, including the Game Pass version, today – with plans to hit digital storefronts a few hours after the show ends.
Hi-Fi Rush’s rhythm-based gameplay affects every aspect of its world. Playing as a chai wannabe rock star, you are the victim of a strange corporate experiment that left you unable to feel the beat of the world to the beat of the game’s soundtrack. So everything: your attacks, enemy attacks, obstacles, scenes, everything happens to the beat of the music.
But Tango maintains that this is not a punishing rhythm game. You can jump, dodge, dodge and attack with any buttons and they’ll automatically sync to the beat of the music – but if you can keep the beat right, you’ll deal more damage or build powerful combos. It follows Chai 808’s companion, a small robot cat, and provides light visual aids to help players maintain rhythm, and more accessibility options are also available.
While Hi-Fi Rush has its own original soundtrack, it also has licensed music for boss fights from artists like Nine Inch Nails, The Black Keys, The Prodigy, The Joy Formidable, Number Girl, Wolfgang Gartner, and Zwan.
Tango Gameworks, a Japanese studio best known for The Evil Within, was part of Xbox’s 2021 acquisition of Zenimax. His latest release is Ghostwire: Tokyo, which we complimented on the way it brought Japanese culture and mythology to life.
Hi-Fi Rush was part of a show that also featured Minecraft Legends and more. You can find everything else revealed during today’s Xbox Developer-Direct here.
Rebecca Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @employee.
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