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In Hi-Fi Rush, you are setting out as Chai, who has just had a new arm fitted and is labeled as a defect when his music player gets into the operating area. This music player becomes the power source of Chai and his arm, and you now have to battle your way through robots and drones to take down this evil corporation.
As you make your way through the game, you are going to meet new friends to help you along the way, unlocking new combos and attacks to take on enemies. Like with most games, when you are first getting started there can be a lot to remember, so read on below for some tips when getting started.
Remember To Fight To The Beat
The main part of the combat in Hi-Fi Rush is the fact you can time your attacks to the beat of the music coming from Chai's chest. By timing attacks, you increase damage and can perform combos to help you take out enemies. This is something you need to get to grips with early on in the game, as the game goes on the enemies become bigger and stronger. So you will need all the timing you can get to take them down.
In order to time the beat, there are a couple of things you can focus on. The world around you will move to the beat, so you can notice pipes and NPCs moving to the beat, so this gives you the timing you need for attacks. Also, once you have met 808, the robot cat can also see the surrounding light ebbs to the flow of the beat, and you can use this for timing.
A great way to get used to the timing and learn to do this better is by enabling the rhythm assist. This is a bar at the bottom of the screen that will show you the beat, so you can time your attacks more successfully. This is turned on with a key bind.
Keep A Lookout For Collectibles
As you make your way through each stage you will have collectibles to keep an eye out for. These collectibles will help to upgrade Chai, by increasing his health and special move bar. They will be tucked away in various places around the map, so make sure to explore as much of each level as possible.
You are also able to find graffiti paintings to display in your hideout, which are also hidden around each stage.
To increase your health and boost your special bar, you need to find four of the corresponding broken Vandelay pieces. Once you collect four of the Vandelay pieces, you will automatically upgrade the corresponding boost for Chai.
Collect Gears, Energy, And Health
While you are going through each stage, you need to collect any gears that you find. These are the in-game currency you need to purchase upgrades, attacks, and chips. You can find gears either on the floor, or you can smash open crates that contain both gears and energy.
If you find green crates then these will contain health packs, so these can be really helpful.
You are also able to find gears and energy in vending machines; you can hit these until the screen on them smashes, and each hit has a chance to drop gears and energy.
In more secluded areas of the map, you can find larger amounts of gears. If you see what looks like tubs of gears then you should try to get these, as these are larger amounts of gears. Another great way to get gears in is by finding the gold busts, these can be hit over and over until their health is depleted, and each hit will give you gears to collect.
As usual, you will also get gears, energy, and health drops when defeating enemies.
Use Your Dodge
In Hi-Fi Rush, you have a dodge ability which is very handy when fighting enemies. However, this is not the only use for it. As well as using it in combat you can use it to traverse the map, such as when you are trying to jump to platforms or rectify a missed jump. You can use the dodge while airborne so paired with your double jump it can help you cross big gaps, while also if you overshoot a jump help you dodge back to safety.
You are able to extend your dodge and use it more than once — it can be chained up to three times. This is done by timing your dodges to the beat, much like your attacks. This allows you to do up to three dodges in succession not only helping you dodge multiple incoming attacks, but also helping you move more quickly as you traverse through the stage area.
Use Your Hideout
In between each stage or when you restart the game, you will be in the hideout. This is unlocked at the end of the first level when you meet Peppermint. In the hideout, you are able to use the shop, in which you can purchase attacks, upgrade your health and special attacks, and also purchase chips. This can help to make Chai and his friends stronger, which is important when you are fighting bosses and progressing through each stage.
Plus, you are also able to check what challenges you can complete to unlock the graffiti painting on the wall and collect gears. These challenges are worth doing so, if you want to try and do anything specific, you can check what you need to do. You can talk to each character and play with 808 — this has no bearing on the game other than a bit of dialogue and a fun time, though.
Unlock New Attacks
You will have attacks that you can purchase in the shop already unlocked that Peppermint or Macaron offers you. However, you are able to unlock more attacks for purchase, this is done while in the game by collecting magazines. These are scattered around each stage and are usually tucked away like the Vandelay pieces.
Once you collect one, this unlocks the attack for purchase, so you still will have to go to the shop for it.
Try To Perfect The Parry
As you progress through the game, you will unlock new abilities such as the parry. Initially, you can only dodge attacks so using the parry can be really helpful. However, it isn't easy to get right just like getting the beat right for attacks, as you have to time it perfectly to pull it off. This makes it tough to use when you have multiple enemies on top of you, so make sure you choose the right time to pull it off.
You know when an attack is coming as you will see a purple and yellow flash pop up by the enemy's weapon — this is when to activate the parry. The parry will cause stun damage and will break the defense and stun larger enemies quicker than landing attacks. The parry will really help you especially if you find yourself losing fights often, but bear in mind you will have to wait till stage three when you are trying to locate Zanzo.
Practice In The Training Room
In the hideout you are able to talk to Peppermint. Here you will get the option for the training room. This is a really handy thing to use as it will help you with learning all the combos you have unlocked and getting used to the beat. You should definitely use this if you find yourself struggling at certain aspects of the game like the parry and any new attacks you might have unlocked.
You have full control over how many enemies you fight, their strength, if they fight back, etc. This means you can set up big fights and really practice taking on those tough enemies and exploiting their weaknesses.
Use Your Friends When Fighting
When you unlock your friends for combat, you should learn how to use them when fighting. They can really help you out in a pinch. Early on, you will unlock Peppermint, who shoots enemies, and then Macaron, who does a body slam.
These are just their initial moves which you can change and upgrade in the shop.
Your friends will cause stun damage on enemies, which is very helpful when you come up against a big group of enemies as it can be easy to become overwhelmed. By using the buddies you can stun and stop enemies from attacking, giving you time to recover and thin the group out.