Hi-Fi Rush brings rhythm-based gameplay and a rock star attitude, and it’s on PC Game Pass today

Yesterday, a leak surfaced online claiming that developer Tango Gameworks had a new game called Hi-Fi Rush in the works. @BillbilKun, the Twitter user who posted the leak, suggested that players could see an official reveal of this game during today’s Xbox and Bethesda Developer Direct. This prediction turned out completely accurate, as today’s Developer Direct showed a flashy debut gameplay trailer as well as an in-depth look at Hi-Fi Rush in action. The upbeat, over-the-top style of this game stands in direct contrast to the exclusively horror-themed titles that Tango Gameworks made before this, which the trailer even cheekily acknowledges. Even more surprisingly, players can experience Hi-Fi Rush as soon as today on PC Game Pass, Steam, the Microsoft Store, and the Epic Games Store.

Hi-Fi Rush is out on PC Game Pass today

Before this reveal, rumors suggested that Hi-Fi Rush would take shape as either a sci-fi shooter or a rhythm-centric brawler. As it turns out, Hi-Fi Rush functions squarely as the latter, with player character Chai timing his extravagant attacks to the beat of the background music.

Although the game automatically syncs Chai’s attacks to the soundtrack as they come out, it actively rewards players who deliberately time their inputs in rhythm with Beat Hit combo finishers. Enemy attacks and stage obstacles also match the rhythm, so even though you don’t necessarily need to pay attention to the music, doing so will help you greatly.

Hi-Fi Rush boasts many more features on top of this, including teammate attacks for greater combo opportunities and climactic bosses with their own musical flair. The game even includes an “alternate audio mode” featuring original tracks instead of the default licensed ones to cater to streamers. Needless to say, the fact that players can get a hold of Hi-Fi Rush on PC Game Pass and other platforms on the day of its announcement is kind of wild. You could even say it’s music to our ears.