A true masterpiece of a game. The charm, the fun, the comedy, and the sheer quality of this game never lets up for me.

Going into this I expected to find a pretty generic and cookie cutter hack and slash game with gimmicky rhythm mechanics, but immediately after seeing the premise for the game of Chai having an iPod fused into his chest. I was hooked. Everything after was just so much fun. FUN in a video game. Crazy. I haven't had this much FUN in a video game in a while now, so I am extremely happy to find one that fills me with so much joy when I play it. It is just so satisfying while also being genuinely challenging, a real hard line to walk, but one that is executed very well here. Story wise it's very simple, but for me that doesn't matter because of the strengths of the characters and their interactions. After finishing the game their is also so much more to see as you hone in on specific play styles and improve your combat capabilities.

Overall, Hi-Fi Rush is not only my GOTY for 2023, but a game I will use as a future base line to how I evaluate games in the future. It has so much going for it, but most of all it feels like a truly passionate project that the people who created it, truly wanted to make. I find this game very inspiring and gives me some valued hope for the future of gaming.

Plus the soundtrack RIPS!