This week I decided to take a look at the game that was randomly dropped on Gamepass. This week is Hi-Fi Rush.

Hi-Fi Rush is a rhythm action game from Tango Gameworks and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game was released in January of this year on Xbox and PC. It retails for $30.

You are Chai, a wannabe rock star who stumbles upon a growing conspiracy that capitalism is bad and the big bad man is trying to take over the world with his tech business. You and your three buddies team up to conquer capitalism with the power of friendship and unrequited love.

The game industry is not new to rhythm action games but rhythm beat-em-ups are an entirely different beast. Hi-Fi Rush never stops, it is always going. beating up bad guys is okay but what the player really needs to do is have an ounce of rhythm to deal more damage by being on the beat. Chai has a light attack that takes up one beat or a heavy attack that takes up two beats. You have the obligatory currency that enemies drop to buy new attacks, health, and other powerups.

The thing about Hi-Fi Rush’s combat is that it is incredibly stylish, and satisfying and it never gets stale. Chai can fight by himself, or he can call in his friends to help. Each friend has a specific ability that helps with puzzles and certain enemy types. Peppermint shoots a gun and can break shields, Macaron uses his big hands to break armor and Korsica can stun and overheat certain objects. There is a new enemy type introduced until the very last moment of the goddamn video game. You think you had the game figured out and then it comes out of the left field with a new enemy type, it is great.

Boss fights are some of the best that I have seen in a long time. The variety is insane.

Hi-Fi Rush really never lets you forget that the game is a rhythm game. Music is everywhere and inhabits everything in the world. Bushes bounce on the beat while fountains shoot water on the off-beat. It is helpful because if the player ever falls off the beat, they can see how the world is reacting and just hop back into the song’s rhythm.

Hi-Fi Rush‘s look is what really grabbed me. The vibrant world of Saturday morning cartoons. The cartoonish art design is so good to look at, and the way that the characters act really brings home the cartoon feel.

The music is absolutely top-tier. The music really kept me wanting to play the game. The fast-paced, electric soundtrack makes the combat explosive and stylish and during the cutscenes, it really sells the bad guy’s sense of grandeur. It is a near-perfect soundtrack.

Hi-Fi Rush is the reason why I have Gamepass. It is the perfect game to justify having it. The music is awesome, the combat is flashy and super fun and it looks beautiful.

If you have Gamepass, you should really play this video game.