Going into 2023, many were wondering what Xbox had in the chamber following a series of high-profile delays. While Starfield still doesn't have a release date, the recent Xbox & Bethesda Developer_Direct assuaged fears that the console's upcoming year would be barren. Upcoming titles like Minecraft Legends, Redfall, and the next Forza Motorsport all got updates, and The Elder Scrolls Online followed up with its own stream discussing major developments. However, what drew the most attention was Hi-Fi Rush, a shadow-dropped title from Tango Gameworks.

Hi-Fi Rush is a rhythm-action game in the style of Devil May Cry and Jet Set Radio, with elements of Guitar Hero thrown in. Nothing else resembles the game in Xbox's first-party catalog, and it has taken the bold move of dropping Xbox One support. Few would have expected Tango Gameworks to be developing something like this, as its only other console titles are Ghostwire: Tokyo and The Evil Within series. Hi-Fi Rush doesn't look like a typical Tango Gameworks product, but the drive to create something like it has been with the studio all along.

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Tango Gameworks Has Struggled to Escape Its Resident Evil Legacy

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When one thinks of Tango Gameworks, they typically think of its survival-horror or other horror-themed games. This reputation was inherited by founder Shinji Mikami, a veteran Capcom employee who directed the genre-defining Resident Evil 1 and Resident Evil 4. A number of old Capcom and PlatinumGames staffers followed him to Tango Gameworks, but their output hasn't reflected the breadth of those companies' games. Despite Tango Gameworks being Mikami's attempt to work on a wider variety of games, he couldn't divorce his name from the horror genre.

A sci-fi open-world adventure game called Noah didn't get very far, so Tango Gameworks was acquired by ZeniMax Media for additional funding. As the story goes, the studio began work on a project known as Zwei involving two chained people hunting a vampire, which eventually became the more Resident Evil 4-like The Evil Within. Once that released, Mikami stepped down as a director to make way for younger talent.

Hi-Fi Rush Could Mark a New Era for Tango Gameworks

Hi Fi Rush

However, Hi-Fi Rush proves that the studio is still capable of making stand-out games that call back to its roots beyond Capcom's horror classics. The one piece of information available regarding Hi-Fi Rush prior to launch was a March 2022 Famitsu interview where Mikami revealed that The Evil Within 2's director John Johanas was making something he considered to be "the opposite of horror." It turns out he was right, and Johanas' own comments on Hi-Fi Rush reveal this was a dream project he pitched as soon as The Evil Within 2 was finished.

Mikami's vision of Tango Gameworks is finally being fulfilled, and it wasn't done alone. The lead designer of Hi-Fi Rush, Masaaki Yamada, exemplifies this best as another Capcom veteran who was the director of Viewtiful Joe 2 and Red Hot Rumble. On top of that, he was the lead planner behind Resident Evil 2, Devil May Cry, and Okami, as well as the lead game designer behind Bayonetta and Vanquish. Some may be surprised to hear that Tango Gameworks still has that kind of talent around after so many years spent on horror games, but Capcom's 3D action teams have always had range. Having released Hi-Fi Rush to a now-niche genre, all eyes are on Tango Gameworks to see what else it can do outside the horror genre.

Hi-Fi Rush is available now on PC and Xbox Series X/S.

MORE: Hi-Fi Rush is a Fresh Start for Tango Gameworks After Ghostwire: Tokyo's Lukewarm Reception