Tango Gameworks has had a lot of eyes on it since it became part of Microsoft as a part of the company's $7.5 billion acquisition of ZeniMax. This is mainly due to it being the first Japanese studio to be owned by Microsoft, a territory where Microsoft has continuously failed to make a splash even with big exclusives like Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey. While this was a major stepping stone for the company's future in appealing to fans of Japanese video games, Tango Gameworks has had a troubled history.
While its The Evil Within series has received success throughout the years, it failed to become a true mainstream horror giant like creator Shinji Mikami's previous franchise, Resident Evil. Last year, the studio released Ghostwire: Tokyo to mixed reception, casting doubt over the future of Tango Gameworks' potential. Thankfully, the recently announced and released Hi-Fi Rush seems to have shifted gears for the studio, and it could be the beginning of a fresh start for Tango Gameworks under Microsoft.
The Lukewarm Reception of Ghostwire: Tokyo
Ghostwire: Tokyo was first announced in a now iconic E3 2019 presentation from Bethesda where the game's then director Ikumi Nakamura appeared onstage to introduce the game. Her charming personality and mannerisms made for what is one of the most iconic E3 moments of all time, and quickly drew attention toward the game. Fans were then left puzzled when it was announced three months later that Ikumi Nakamura had left Tango Gameworks and that Ghostwire: Tokyo would instead be directed by Kenji Kimura.
Given that Ghostwire: Tokyo was intended to be Nakamura's debut directorial project, much of the vision behind the game left with her when she departed Tango Gameworks. It's for this reason that many believe that the final game feels lacking in focus and derived from other industry conventions, such as the well-known "Ubisoft open-world formula." The game released on PS5 in March 2022 to mixed reception, with many criticizing the repetitive content and mission structure, but praising the originality in its combat, despite it feeling somewhat underdeveloped.
While reviews for Ghostwire: Tokyo weren't scathing, they were a crack in Tango Gameworks' otherwise prestige armor, with the previous Evil Within games receiving critical acclaim for returning to Shinji Mikami's roots in survival horror game design after years away from the Resident Evil series. With Tango confirming that its next project would not be a third Evil Within game, many were concerned that the studio's next project could be another underwhelming attempt to create a new horror IP to replace it, as it tried with Ghostwire: Tokyo. This, fortunately, was not the case.
Hi-Fi Rush Is A New Beginning For Tango Gameworks
During the Xbox Developer Direct, less than a year after Ghostwire: Tokyo's release, Tango Gameworks made the surprise announcement of Hi-Fi Rush, a new title from The Evil Within 2 director John Johanas. Better yet, the studio announced that the game would release immediately after the show. Unlike The Evil Within and Ghostwire: Tokyo, Hi-Fi Rush is a rhythm action game with an anime inspired cel-shaded art style. The game's combat has been compared to games like Devil May Cry, while incorporating rhythm elements from games like Metal Hellsinger.
Despite Mikami teasing the studio's next project as being a departure from its horror heritage last year, nobody was expecting something as brimming with style and charisma as Hi-Fi Rush, especially not from the director of The Evil Within 2. The game is a bold step from Tango Gameworks to establish itself as a powerhouse of multiple genres in the Japanese video game industry like Mikami's previous studio, Platinum Games, is known as today. The game is also far more accessible than any of the studio's previous titles given its shedding of the horror traits of the studio's past games, but also since it's the first Tango Gameworks title to launch on Xbox Game Pass for PC and console.
Though Hi-Fi Rush is not a horror title, it likely does not mean that Tango is done with the genre. The opportunities that services like Xbox Game Pass afford smaller games like Hi-Fi Rush and Obsidian Entertainment's Pentiment means that Tango Gameworks can still create smaller titles within the Evil Within and Ghostwire: Tokyo franchises even if they are put on hold while Tango works on a Hi-Fi Rush sequel or other new IP. Either way, Hi-Fi Rush is an exciting fresh start from Tango Gameworks under Microsoft and could further establish it as one of the best studios operating in Japan today.
Hi-Fi Rush is available now on PC and Xbox Series X/S. It is also available as part of Xbox Game Pass.