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Following the lukewarm reception to its newest horror sport Ghostwire: Tokyo, few may need anticipated the subsequent sport from the Shinji Mikami led-Tango Gameworks to be a brightly coloured, rhythm-based character-action sport. Hello-Fi Rush noticed a shock launch early in 2023, arguably kicking off the stellar yr of surprising brilliance with its tightly designed fight, extremely likable forged of rebels, and standout boss fights. Every one in all Hello-Fi Rush’s quite a few boss fights is memorable for one cause or one other (the size and complexity of the ultimate combat in opposition to Kale is as awe-inspiring as the primary fast-paced duel with antagonist-turned-ally Korsica), however none come near evaluating with what could be probably the most adrenaline-fuelled three-phase combat of the yr: Roquefort.
Like a lot of Hello-Fi Rush, Roquefort is not memorable due to his outright problem. The character-action introduced in Tango Gameworks’ newest pairs rhythm-based sensibilities with the stream of conventional character-action, geared up with an attractive scoring system that judges your aptitude at balancing each. Sensible touches round every stage constantly remind you of the beat you could preserve when inputting presses for combos, whereas enemy assaults (principally) adhere to the identical beat, solely breaking out in half-steps when attempting to journey you up. Roquefort is the fruits of all the things you have learnt about this mix of genres to that time, appearing because the penultimate boss that’s meant to gatekeep your progress from the sport’s eventual most-challenging foe, each figuratively and actually.
Given the imposing stature of the bosses earlier than him, Roquefort is an outlier in that he would not come throughout as menacing or bodily imposing, a truth protagonist Chai tries to leverage earlier than the combat with some misplaced trash speak. It isn’t lengthy earlier than Roquefort’s nickname, a wolf in sheep’s clothes, bears out in probably the most literal sense. The quick, plump accountant transforms into an enormous mechanical wolf, adorned in chrome and brimming with sharp, pointy ends to do harm with. This alone is an thrilling revelation that tees up a grueling three-phase combat, and the temper is straight away set with an improvised model of Wolfgang Mozart’s fifth Symphony produced by Wolfgang Gartner, and additional edited to tightly adhere to the tempo of the combat.
The combat performs out in Roquefort’s opulent and gold-laden workplace, finally shifting to a vault overflowing with a comical quantity of gold cash, with the music blaring within the background as his hulking wolf kind strikes with a surprisingly class based on the soothing and typically erratic beat. This makes his actions surprisingly troublesome to trace, with the beat shifting in stunning methods till you nail down its looping sample. Studying this rhythm makes you respect how a lot care was clearly given to sync up with the beat in a way much more trustworthy than the bosses beforehand. As a direct consequence, this combat feels extra like a dance than another. It isn’t lengthy earlier than your inputs are being instantly extra by musical intuition than reflexes, letting you whole a zen-like stream regardless of the extremely chaotic duel you are engaged in. As Roquefort begins revealing increasingly more of his repertoire, this satisfying back-and-forth forces you to keenly adapt, additional engrossing you within the enveloping music to get the higher hand. It is a gradual escalation that does not cease till the ultimate blow is struck, doubtless leaving you with an aching foot from tapping and an elevated coronary heart fee that punctuates the adrenaline excessive skilled all through.
To say that I’ve had Hello-Fi Rush’s licensed soundtrack on repeat for a lot of the yr could be an understatement, however it could be an excellent higher one to confess that I have never listened to Wolfgang Garter’s unbelievable monitor extra instances than another on the tracklist. Every time, I am transported again to the fun of this unbelievable combat in opposition to Roquefort and reminded of the immense rush a meticulously designed encounter like this will invoke, subsequently leaving a robust impression that is sluggish to fade. Hello-Fi Rush may not be as properly remembered after a yr of stellar releases, but it surely’s a sport with moments like these which might be robust reminders {that a} good old school boss combat is not a dying development in an trade laden with extra grounded approaches to setpieces. Typically simply bringing it again to fundamentals, and taking care to nail all of the little particulars, may end up in one of the crucial memorable moments of the yr.
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