WhileHi-Fi Rush’s gameplay and soundtrack are the stars of the show, the game’s narrative takes on a different approach. Chai and the rest of the title’s case have predictable personalities and deliver corny lines, but the whole vibe of the game is meant to evoke an anime and cartoon-like feel. It is because of this thatHi-Fi Rush’s characters can get away with cheesy one-liners and fourth wall breaks.
Speaking of fourth wall breaks,Hi-Fi Rushis chockful of them. Whether it be in the context of the main storyline or just small talk to break upthe monotony between Chorus combat sections, the game doesn’t take itself too seriously and addresses its existence as a video game. ButHi-Fi Rush’s biggest fourth wall break can only be experienced when going through the campaign a second time.
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Hi-Fi Rush Breaks All The Walls
Hi-Fi Rushstarts doling out the fourth wall breaks as early as the tutorials.Whenever Chai unlocks a new move, the game transports the protagonist to an imaginary stage. It is here where an announcer gives him the rundown of his new moves and where crowds of people can be seen cheering him on. This is all in Chai’s head, however, as he is still very much in the thick of fighting Kale Vandelay’s robotic minions (the robots can even be seen questioning Chai’s sanity while he is in the middle of a tutorial).
Later on in the story, multiple fourth wall breaks make their appearance. Chai tells Peppermint that her explanations are akin to those found in a video game. R&D boss Zanzo can be found pushing away text effects around him that area clear reference to the animeJojo’s Bizarre Adventure. Even CNMN, the talking robot that doesn’t do much in combat, adds a hacking progress bar to the HUD during one of the game’s tenser missions. WhileHi-Fi Rush’s writing can be enjoyed by players of all ages, those with a grasp of pop culture references and video game terminology will love it even more.
The Story And Combat Aren’t Safe From Fourth Wall Breaks
Hi-Fi Rush’s main story has a ton of fourth wall breaks, but the biggest, most obvious one can be found during arerun of Track 3: Trial By (Volcanic) Fire. As players near the end of the level, Zanzo - the head of R&D at Vandelay Technologies - deploys a new robot fitted with Z-Shielding. On an initial playthrough, players can’t defeat the robot due to its unique armor plating. They have no choice but to let themselves be defeated by the robot and meet up with a new ally, Macaron, in the succeeding Track. It is with Macaron’s help that players can break the robot’s shielding and progress through the R&D department.
This sequence plays somewhat differently on succeeding playthroughs. Since players have access to all of Chai’s companions after beating the game once, Macaron is already part of the party in Track 3. This makes it possible for players to prematurely defeat the once-unbeatable robot.Macaron, CNMN, and the rest of the party know thisand admit that Chai (and by extension the player) is cheating. Eventually, players defeat the robot, causing a break in the game’s narrative.
Instead of rewriting the story, CNMN simply decides to play the same cinematic where players lost to the robot; making it seem as if nothing different happened. This act by the game is humorous in that it acknowledges players' capabilities. But instead of simply disabling Macaron for the fight,Tango Gameworks found that recording entirely new pieces of dialoguethat address this disconnect would work better forHi-Fi Rush’s tone. It’s tongue-in-cheek, funny, and still lets players experience the game’s combat to its fullest extent.
There are many more moments like this to be found throughout the game, but having completely new pieces of dialogue play outduring a rerun ofHi-Fi Rush’s main campaignis one of the reasons why players should go through it more than once. Unlocking and upgrading all of Chai’s abilities and finding every secret in the game is nice, but it is unique moments like these that elevate the game from a one-and-done title to one that will be remembered for years to come.
Hi-Fi Rushis available for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
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