The dystopia is filled with corporate propaganda posters and lore logs that paint a picture of the world’s exploited working class via loaded gags.

Biting satire is baked into its colorful world, as it makes some heavy themes more digestible for a range of age groups. Though its story can be a bit “anti-capitalism 101” at times - and loaded with the same quippy humor that plagues games like Forspoken - much of its narrative decisions work in the context of its light aesthetic. Hi-Fi Rush itself feels like a rejection of the capitalistic restrictions that major studios like Tango Gameworks often face. That kicks off an alt-rock-fueled journey to take down the company’s top brass with the help of some allies and a metallic guitar blade. Set in a metropolis run by an oppressive megacorporation, the story focuses on a worker named Chai who’s deemed defective after having a music player fused to his chest.

Narratively, Hi-Fi Rush is a cyberpunk game wrapped up in cartoon aesthetics. It’s the rare major studio game that breaks free from the monotony of a stagnating medium to deliver something that truly, earnestly rocks. It has all the style of an anime, the long-lost creative energy of a GameCube game, and the bright-eyed exuberance of a 2000s teen at their first indie rock show. Hi-Fi Rush rockets to the top of the rhythm-action genre thanks to a stellar combat system that goes far beyond simple beat-matching. Steady beats serve as an invisible force that powers its vibrant cyberpunk world, but I can hardly ever feel that restriction in a musical quest that plays like a creative improv session. Rather, everything about it is built around that music, like a band naturally locking in after a drummer’s opening count-in.

Tango Gameworks’ rhythm-action game, which surprise-launched on PC and Xbox last week, doesn’t just throw players a good playlist and ask them to keep time over it. While some music games could stand to learn a thing from that video, Hi-Fi Rush is a model student. Xbox exclusive High On Life delayed to December due to bugs Xbox just surprise announced and released a stylish new Game Pass title Hi-Fi Rush – Arcade Challenge update speeds up the beat

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