In Hi-Fi Rush, the streets are alive with the sound of music. The trees don’t sway with the breeze, they bop to a beat. Everything does. Trash cans, molten lava, power converters. As you move, so too do a series of gorgeous sci-fi spaces; they skew out of shape in service of four-on-the-floor – steady accented beats provide a pulse to the world, and you a connection with everything contained within it. Protagonist Chai senses it too, as the wannabe rockstar rhythmically smashes and crashes his way from one robotic enemy to the next; the combo meter always rising. His toe taps and finger snaps, mirroring the way steel structures contort beneath the massive weight of the in-house Bethesda Softworks band. A sharp snap of a snare drum here, bass guitar strings assaulted by a thick-gauge plectrum there. Hi-Fi Rush is a harmonious cacophony of raunchy rock ‘n’ roll and character-driven action.
