#korsica’s arms are difficult

[mallowbuddy]

roxanne keeps her on her toes

bonus:

[saturns-cryptid]

crashes down through the ceiling tiles

- "hibiki" comes from the name of chai's favorite action-rhythm game where you play as a rebel taking down a corrupt corporation :^) his belt chain thing was a preorder bonus

- both peppermint and macaron are vegetarian

- peppermint and chai became roommates after the events of the game

- chai's right arm injury is monoparesis caused by a stroke he had sometime in high school, treatment was ineffective at helping him regain his motor skills so he sought out project armstrong

- it's implied the game took place over a day or two at most, but i like to stretch it to four because it just seems way too short to me. i could see chai doing some of the fights while sleep deprived, but not all of them

day 1: most of the early day is just chai getting through all the armstrong onboarding stuff, QA-1MIL and rekka are fought in the afternoon. him and peppermint have to lay low for the rest of the day because she knows kale will be looking for her with security drones now

day 2: chai sneaks into R&D in the early morning, is captured by the afternoon, and it's night by the time him and korsica are taken to the hideout

day 3: him and korsica are recovering for pretty much the whole day so it isn't until the evening that they go after mimosa

day 4: chai sneaks through production late night/early morning (this is outlined ingame so this part isn't really a headcanon) and it takes the whole day to get to roquefort and then kale

HAII i enjoy this assortment of headcanons nods nods but i especially enjoy the last one!! i never really did register how long the story is in the game now that i think about it... but i'll get to that!

(1) DUDE i have seen plenty of people argue for a different headcanon that hibiki is either the name of a band or the name of a fashion brand but i have not heard of this angle!! do you think this also explains his shoes or 808's collar though... bc if it does, i totally think at one point post game, chai and peppermint find out they like the same game and it actually ends up being something that brings them closer

(2) but also do you think it counts as cannibalism if peppermint has peppermint candy/tea and macaron has a macaron though LOL

(3) WHY NOT EVERYONE COWARD... /j lh ... but actually though i totally think it would hit home for chai to solidify that sense of belonging somewhere because i think he's been a drifter / loner for most of his life. FOUND FAMILY FOR THE WIN

(4) you are so big of brain, asker!! i LOVE seeing people's takes on how chai's disability came to be. i will be shelving this one away in my brain nods nods

(5) OKAY i ended up scrubbing through the game cutscenes while i was on break at work and like. DUDE i had no idea the story progressed so quickly LMAO. it really does seem like... it all took place somewhere between 24-36 hours?? Peppermint really worked Chai to the bone as the field man dude holy shit LMFAOOO bro probably crashed and slept like 15 hours after all that. i will be adopting this, BUT... how long do you think it would take if you also include the second arc / the secret SPECTRA doors + the underground lab? i personally think it would take an extra week since they're. really difficult sobs

[kyndaris]

Adrenaline Rush

After slogging through Diablo IV, all the while listening to video essays about terrible authors (thank you ReadswithRachel), there were still a mountain of games that I needed to tackle in order to bring some semblance of order to my ever-growing backlog. But rather than play through yet another hundred-hour adventure, I opted for something far shorter. Enter: Hi-Fi Rush.

While I have very mixed feelings about Microsoft's acquisition of Bethesda and now, it seems, Activision Blizzard, there is no denying that Hi-Fi Rush is a masterpiece of a game that serves as a breath of fresh air for anyone tired of the dull doldrums that come from staring at dirt or uninspired graphic design.

In fact, there is definitely something to be said for choosing a colourful, high contrast and bombastic art style to go with one's game. It certainly livens up the screen and makes everything pop. Something that could not be said of the recent triple-A games that I recently played through.

Beyond that, it just brings a smile to my face to see a game that doesn't take itself too seriously when it comes to world-building. And it's all the better for it.

Too many games these days have gone the realistic grimdark route and it has honestly sapped some of the fun out of what would have been interesting worlds. As a random aside, you can still be grimdark and still have a colourful world filled with a mixture of fun and funny characters.

But back to the game at hand!

Releasing at the start of the year with no fanfare to describe of, Hi-Fi Rush was a sleeper hit for many gamers although it has tracked well with critics. So, when it was on sale on Steam, I went ahead and bought it. And instead of sitting there for years and years, the delay between purchase and me playing it was only a few months, give or take!

What struck me immediately was the art. I loved seeing the bold lines that defined the characters and the environment. Instead of the dreary atmosphere that came from Diablo IV or Forspoken, I was met with a highly saturated world that wasn't afraid of splashing around a little colour.

True, it might not be a colour scheme or graphic choice for every game but it certainly stood out from the stuffy triple-A crowd.

The second thing that I fell in love with were the host of allies, from Peppermint to Macaron, CNMN and finally Korsica. Though the game was fairly short and the time that I spent with them didn't extend to hundreds of hours, I enjoyed what few conversations that Chai had with them and the immediate dynamic that naturally sprung up between them through in-game banter.

This was a game that didn't waste one's time with endless backstory. It was a burst of game that could be replayed if one wanted and did not overstay its welcome.

Combat, too, took on an interesting twist with attacks landing on beat. This provided some extra challenge to combat but never made pulling off combos difficult as I slashed and slammed my way through the Vandelay Technologies offices to bring down the man - or in this particular case, greedy CEO Kale Vandelay.

It also made sense from a narrative perspective with Chai having his music player being inserted into his chest when his broken arm was initially replaced with a robot arm at the start of the game.

And perhaps that's what makes Hi-Fi Rush such a great game. Almost all of the aspects of the game are interconnected - be it the gameplay, the narrative or even the logs that players can pick up. The fact that the game isn't afraid to also poke fun and get a little meta, which only adds to the game's charm.

While the villains were a little one-note, playing into stereotypes, there were also hidden depths to their characters that were often revealed in their boss battles. And what spectacles they were! Especially against Roquefort! That was truly wonderful - especially the homage to Scrooge McDuck's money bin.

Honestly, there were so many iconic moments, it's hard for me to nail down which one was my favourite.

If I had to say what my main gripe with the game was though, I'd say it had to be the lack of healing options during battle except for special abilities. It was also disappointing to see how little Chai recovered when he picked up the small health energy that was scattered around the environment.

Still, it did make the boss battles nailbiting knowing that I could only heal Chai only once I'd managed to fill up the energy bar to use my healing special ability.

As for gameplay that wasn't combat related, while it annoyed me that I couldn't explore every inch without first unlocking another character first, I enjoyed the challenges although I did find the platforming a little finicky on occasion.

Overall, though, Hi-Fi Rush was an excellent palate cleanser after the less than impressive Diablo IV. And while I would have liked to spend more time in the world of Hi-Fi Rush to understand the backstory for a few more of the characters, I enjoyed my time with it - from the zany plans to the humorous gags that are maintained through the entire game like the Vandelay robots rebelling by ensuring all the coffee machines only serving decaf.

Here's hoping that developers learn to break up their usual doom and gloom with something that brings back the joy of gaming. It almost feels like we're returning to the early 2000s when all games needed to have dark broody tortured protagonists except they're also now extending it to the game design and game world. Which, in all honestly, I'm not enjoying.

After all, you can still make gut-punching emotional games and still have a beautiful world to admire!

True, don't go the route of Thor: Love and Thunder but it doesn't need to be another cookie-cutter stale grey world.

[kopawz]

its wip Wednesday baby... here eat this bit before they start watching movies in chapter uhhhh 6? yeah 6.

He hopped onto the couch, and slipped himself back under the quilt. When Chai craned his neck, he could barely peer into the edge of the kitchen to catch a glimpse of the patched up Chai-and-808 shaped holes they had left in the kitchen’s wall– along with the rest of the damage.

He muses aloud, half-impressed, half-alarmed, “Man, I’m surprised I even slept as hard as I did, after crashing through the wall like that.”

He heard heavy footsteps walking closer, and felt the shifting, subtle weight of a large hand being firmly placed on the back of the couch, "Well, I assume you wouldn't have gotten very good sleep in general, with the whole–” He paused, briefly, “Dream situation and all, little guy."

Chai glanced up, to see Macaron looking down at him with a mix of familiarity and concern. Mac's big, pleading eyes are difficult to lie to.

Okay, Chai guesses we're just… jumping right into it, then.

Chai sucked air in through his teeth, apprehensiveness cracked his voice, "Yeaaah, uh? Sorry for not telling you guys. It just," He shrugged, reaching to rest his hands behind his head, "Didn't seem like a big issue."

"Well, we're gonna talk about it later, and just… sort out some stuff to help you out with it, like with Roxanne!" He smiled softly.

“Uh, yeah,” Peppermint glanced over from setting up a movie player with the television, "You've just been dealing with Kale’s stupid afterimage this whole time like mom?–" She shot him a hurt look, "And you didn't think to, I don't know, *tell* anyone?"

Chai felt a bit small under her intense look, “It just–” He looked elsewhere to not have to process how uncomfortable it makes him feel, "Seemed *fine* to me– We know why the power outages are happening now, don’t we?"

“Yeah, but power outages are something that we can just bang monkywrenches at until the problem’s repaired–” Peppermint gestured at him, “This? This Is something *else,* Chai.”

Chai rolled inwards, facing the back cushions of the couch, troubled by the idea that it would require hard work to fix, “Something else? Man, look– I just didn't see the point in taking Kale seriously."

He tried a small laugh– “I mean, have you *MET* him? I'm not letting that guy get to me."

Korsica hummed, crossing her arms, "Maybe, I know if anybody could run Kale up a wall, it would be you– But still. Having some piece of shit in your head, going after you for months on end?"

She eyed him on the couch, not fully believing his usually cool demeanor that he always lounges with, "That really does sound like it would do a number on anybody– Even on you, Chai."

"I don't see why it would, though?" He looked over with a confused facade at Korsica on the kitchen counter, and offered another carefree shrug, "Besides, I never remember much about them once they're over, anyway."

“I see,” CNMN piped up, without looking away from his pan, he casually asked, "That reminds me, Mister Chai! How did you enjoy the macchiato from your trip to the cafe?"

Chai yawned, shuffling in his position on the cushions, "It was pretty good– but I didn’t get that macchy-ato thing. I *did* got an affogato, though,”

He puffed out a mildly annoyed sigh, “The drinks were always *stupid* expensive the more stuff you put in them, so I always just stuck to the basics.”

“But other than that? It’s *pre–tty* worth it." He tiredly smiled over at CNMN, "Why d'you ask?"

CNMN drew on a quirked brow, and turned slowly to where Chai was sitting.

Chai stares in confusion for a few seconds, before realizing his blunder with a forceful facepalm into his glasses– "...Crap."

"Mister Chai,”

CNMN emphasized his disappointment with thick, marked brows, “I believe you are *very* capable of remembering these dreams! So I have to ask that once we begin counseling later,"

"Please be honest with yourself and others." He turned back to the pan, reaching to flip an omelette onto a plate,

"After our movie, we can discuss methods of managing this manifestation of Spectra to make future nights easier," He walked over to clank the plate omelette with a ketchup smiley beside Chai on the TV table.

He shot out a cheerful thumbs up, "...Along with any *other* topics you may want to discuss during counseling!"