Hi-Fi RUSH
A rhythm-action game where everything -- combat, movement, the entire world -- pulses to the beat of the soundtrack, from Tango Gameworks, the studio Microsoft closed less than a year after this shipped to genuine acclaim.
- //Announced and released on the same day in January 2023 -- a genuine surprise launch with no lengthy marketing build-up.
- //Every combat action and environmental detail syncs to the beat of the soundtrack, and the combo system rewards actual musical timing, not just speed.
- //Sits at 97% Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam -- one of the highest-rated action games of its era.
- //Microsoft closed developer Tango Gameworks in May 2024, roughly 16 months after Hi-Fi RUSH's critically and commercially successful launch.
- //Features a licensed rock and alt-rock soundtrack that's central to how the combat and movement systems actually function, not just background music.
Hi-Fi RUSH puts you in the role of Chai, a musician-obsessed protagonist who gets an MP3 player accidentally fused to his chest during a botched cybernetic augmentation, giving him the ability to fight in perfect rhythm with the world around him. Every attack, every enemy movement, every environmental detail syncs to the beat of a licensed rock and alt-rock soundtrack, and the combo system rewards genuine musical timing rather than just button-mashing speed. It was announced and released on the same day in January 2023, a surprise launch that became one of the best-reviewed games of that year -- and less than a year later, Microsoft closed Tango Gameworks anyway, despite the game's critical and commercial success.
One of the most purely joyful games released in years -- style, combat, and music working together in a way almost nothing else attempts, let alone pulls off. That Microsoft closed the studio that made it less than a year later, despite the acclaim, is a genuinely bleak footnote to a genuinely great game.