WhileHi-Fi Rush’s graphics and soundtrack are nothing to scoff at, what really gets players invested in this surprise hit is its combat. By mixing rock music with hack-and-slash gameplay, the gameblends different themes from titles likeJet Set Radiowith those ofDevil May Cry. The end result is a rhythm-based combat game that starts the year off with a bang.
Hi-Fi Rush’s combat lets players use a mix of heavy and light attacks combined with partner attacks, grapples, and parries to keep the momentum going. Players are spoiled for choice with the number of combos, upgrades, and moves they can pull off. But despite its variety, succeeding inHi-Fi Rush’s combat requires only a few simple combos.
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This Party’s Getting Crazy
As with many hack-and-slash games,Hi-Fi Rushstarts players off with some easy combos. These combos are composed of short strings of heavy and light attacks coupled with a button press at the end to dish out maximum damage. Players can further increase the damage of their combos by timing their button presses with the level’s beat. As the game goes on, however,more abilities and combos for the protagonist Chai become availablefor purchase. These combos require proper timing and more button presses (some even need players to skip a beat before inputting the rest of the combo), but the supposed payoff is an increased combo chain and added damage.
The Simplest Combos Are Sometimes The Most Reliable
WhatHi-Fi Rush’s developers failed to realize is that players can get by just fine with the simplest combos. Provided they time their button presses with the beat, players can deal maximum damage with little effort. The simple light and heavy attack combos are still very much viable during the endgame as long as players mix up their button inputs now and again. This makescomboing with allies like Peppermint and Macaronmore feasible. Considering all ofHi-Fi Rush’s partner attacks are on relatively short cooldowns, players would much rather use the dedicated partner button to keep a combo chain going than have to memorize entire strings of combos.
Gears Are Better Used Elsewhere
With this in mind, it might be better for players to save theirhard-collected Gears (the game’s main currency)for upgrades other than combos. New special and partner attacks, health and reverb upgrades, and chip slots are just a few of the purchasable items that can increase player survivability and damage output without having to remember too many button inputs.
Hi-Fi Rush’s scoring system, which takes inspiration from theDevil May Cryfranchise, also indirectly influences how players choose which upgrades they want. Taking into account that each of the game’s encounters judges the combo score, rhythm, and time it takes to complete them, players should be looking to properly time a few short-string, high-damage combos. Doing so will allow them to deal the most damage in as short a time as possible. An added factor here is that building up tothe highly-coveted S rankduring the game’s combat encounters doesn’t require much effort, and can be executed as long as players mix up a few combos and time their attacks with the beat.
Hi-Fi Rush’s multiple combat optionsallow players to mix it up however they want, but the truth is no one really needs to think about which combos they use. As long as attacks find their mark in time with the music, everyone is sure to succeed. This makes the game less difficult, a little more forgiving, and ultimately more fun for more players.
Hi-Fi Rushis available now on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
