Hi-Fi Rush review on PS5 – Encore!

By David Flynn

Posted on March 18, 2024

When I first saw Hi-Fi Rush last year during the Xbox Developer Showcase, I instantly fell in love. That love only grew deeper as I played it, and it quickly became one of my favorite games ever made. The music, the intricate combat, and heaps of style and charm all came together to make something truly special. Originally exclusive to Xbox and PC, my 2023 game of the year is coming to PlayStation! Now even more people can experience this title in this pitch-perfect port.

If you’re not already in the groove, Hi-Fi Rush is a rhythm action game where everything moves to the beat. As wannabe rockstar Chai, you battle robots with your scrap metal guitar using light and heavy attacks, dodges, parries, and special moves. All attacks happen on beat, but pressing in rhythm with the music will feel better and increase your score. Each encounter is judged by a ranking system, so you want to shoot for the coveted S rank on every stage. It’s a ton of fun, and I’ve played through the game at least half a dozen times since it first launched. You can read my original review right here, so from now on we’ll be talking about how the game fares on PS5.

I was immediately struck by just how good Hi-Fi Rush looks on PS5. On PC, I ran the game at 1440p above 60 fps, and this looks like it’s hitting a constant 4K 60 fps. I don’t have exact numbers, but it looks and runs beautifully. In-engine cutscenes are stunning especially, I even turned off subtitles just to marvel at them. Of course, there are fully animated and comic book style scenes as well, and those look just as crisp as ever.

Likewise, the game sounds great using my TV’s soundbar. I wish I had a full surround sound setup to utilize, because Hi-Fi Rush’s soundtrack is impeccable. This time around I went with the Streamer Mode OST, and it’s a tough call if that one or the default licensed tracks are better. For Rekka’s fight I prefer Streamer Mode, while Track 11’s Whirring by The Joy Formidable is one of my favorite songs and fits the moment perfectly. However you output your audio, it’s hard to go wrong with the suite of volume mixer options and a slider to fix any delay you might experience.

DualSense support was added to the PC version, but this is my first time actually using it for this game and it really adds to the experience. Cutscenes have subtle vibrations to go along with the action, the “Fight!” at the start of every encounter comes out of the controller’s speaker, and there’s a bit of resistance when summoning a companion who you’ve unlocked the charge attack for.

The additions to the controller actually make some aspects of the game easier. Certain sound effects will come out of the controller, like when entering a parry duel, that help isolate the sound and make it easier to hit the timing. I still have issues with enemies becoming invincible, through gaining a blue barrier, Z-Shielding, or entering their enrage parry, but I found the most annoying enemy, the Samurai bot, to be slightly less frustrating with this feature.

This port is up to date with all other versions and includes the Arcade Mode, though any extra costumes still have to be purchased separately. Seeing as the game’s only a year old, I don’t really have an issue with this and the costume packs are pretty cheap. On the other hand, Arcade Mode is well worth diving back into the game for with its Rogue-like mode and super fast BPM arena akin to Devil May Cry’s Turbo Mode. I do wish there was an alternate way to unlock the low-poly costumes, as I’m just not good enough at the rogue-like mode to earn them. Rhythm Tower was also in the base game, and similarly worth going through if you’re a fanatic for the combat like I am, however. While this port is Xbox testing the waters for whatever they want to do in the future, I’ll be here hoping for some story DLC or even a sequel.

Hi-Fi Rush review on PS5 – Encore!

See below for our list of partners and affiliates: