To get the game out, the second disc was largely composed of the characters sitting on a chair against a black background talking you through the exciting developments you would have seen if they had the money to show them. For the uninitiated, Xenogears was an insanely ambitious mid-90s Square JRPG on the original PlayStation that ran out of budget and time mid-way through development. There’s even time for a Seinfeld gag, with the evil corporation named ‘Vandelay Industries’.Īll of the above made my heart sing, though it wasn’t until Hi-Fi Rush decided to barrel full bore into a Xenogears tribute that I fell completely in love with the game. One minute the game will be dropping a line from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, the next it’ll be doing an extended riff on Twin Peaks, or pulling poses from 90s-era Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. Director John Johanas doesn’t seem shy about showing his age, with most of the game’s soundtrack lifted from the late ’90s and 2000s, along with a blizzard of cultural references aimed squarely at ’90s kids. If those games don’t mean much to you, congratulations on being born this side of the year 2000.

Those less rhythmically inclined can be assisted by an on-screen metronome, though if you repeatedly attack off the beat, you’ll simply do less damage and get worse ratings rather than fail outright (plus, you’ll look much less cool). By the final levels, Chai has become a whirling dervish of rhythm violence, dismantling enemies so stylishly it puts Bayonetta to shame (sorry Bay, but it’s true). All enemies attack on the beat, letting you anticipate their moves and bat them away with ease. Stand still for a moment and Chai taps his converse and snaps his fingers - gotta go fast.Įven though early battles are relatively simple, the combat quickly becomes more intense, adding in support characters, a bunch of upgrades and new moves, and a ludicrously satisfying parry mechanic.

This manifests as something out of Steamboat Willie: hedges bounce along in rhythm with you, platforms move around to a fixed rhythm, and there are screens everywhere showing the metronomic beat you have to groove to. Success lies in fighting to the beat and syncing your attacks to the music, with everything else in the world moving to the same tune. With hits from Nine Inch Nails, The Prodigy, and The Black Keys, along with plenty of great original tunes, you must engage in battle with ever-spikier and meaner robot adversaries.

Hi-fi rush jojo reference