Hi-Fi Rush was one of the biggest 'surprise sudden releases' in recent memory, and thankfully, the general reception seems to match that initial positive energy. Almost everyone out there is giving Hi-Fi Rush a ton of (well-deserved) praise. In this game, a wannabe Rockstar by the name of Chai ends up rhythmically fighting against a bunch of corporate overlords to reveal their grand scheme. To do this, Chai uses his magnetic robotic arm (meant for cleaning trash, normally) to beat down everyone in his path with a guitar made from random nearby scrap. In the game, players will be unleashing all types of combos that utilize light attacks, heavy attacks, ally summons, and more.
But, one of the more bombastic options they'll have at their disposal are Special Attacks, the 'supers' or 'ultimates' of this game where Chai unleashes a big visual spectacle type of attack in front of him (as long as his Reverb Bar is full). But, how exactly does Chai go about equipping these Special Attacks in Hi-Fi Rush, how does he unlock more, and what's the difference between them?
How To Equip Special Attacks
Once players reach Peppermint's Shop for the first time, then they'll be able to purchase and switch out new Special Attacks. Basically, head to the 'Special Attacks' tab of the Shop, and then press 'Left Trigger' on Xbox or 'Shift' on PC to switch to the Equip menu. Once there, players should see all the Special Attacks they've bought (or the lack thereof if they've yet to buy any).
Simply choose one and it'll hover over the currently equipped Special Attack slot, showing them that it'll replace whatever is currently equipped. Additionally, each Special Attack requires a different amount of Chai's Reverb Bar (which he can gain more of in-game) to activate, so keep that in mind as well.
Differences Between Special Attacks
But, why would players even want to swap between different Special Attacks? If they're just meant to do damage to enemies immediately in front of Chai, wouldn't there be almost no difference between them besides raw damage?
Normally, yes, but Hi-Fi Rush is incredibly creative and there are different Special Attacks that serve different purposes (noted in the description of the Special Attack's 'Action Type'). For example, there are specific Special Attacks that excel at:
- Clearing weak enemies in front of Chai.
- Knocking enemies into the air for air combos.
- Creating a hologram clone of Chai to distract enemies.
- Conjuring a wall that blocks attacks for Chai.
- Going around the field doing constant damage and 'picking up' any enemies Chai runs into.
And that's just naming a few of the many functions. As Chai progresses through his adventure and encounters more allies, he'll unlock more and more Special Attacks.
Other General Commonly Missed Information About Special Attacks
Now, on the surface, Hi-Fi Rush might seem like an incredibly simplistic game, but it honestly has a comparable amount of depth to it as some of the character action all-time greats (such as Devil May Cry or Bayonetta). Because of this misconception, however, players are missing out on some crucial information about Special Attacks, such as:
- There are Special Attack Upgrade Slot items in the Shop that gives players another 'slot' to hold Special Attacks, allowing them to switch between them on the fly depending on the function needed.
- Special Attacks also describe what they do exactly in their attack descriptions, as well as the typical situation they're designed to be used in.
- If players aren't happy with the Special Attack they've purchased, all they have to do is hold A on Xbox or E/Enter on PC while hovering over the Special Attack in the Shop, and they'll sell it right back to Peppermint (for a lower price than they bought it for, so this isn't something players should do all too often)
And that's about it, so get out there and use Chai to dice and shred enemies with the power of well-timed musical combat and some killer songs.
Hi-Fi Rush is available for PC and Xbox Series X/S and is on Xbox Game Pass.