‘The player drives the music’: how Hi-Fi Rush reinvented the rockstar game

A dizzying new game lets players live out their alt-rock dreams. Its creators explain how its pioneering design had to be note-perfect

Has anyone ever told you that you lack rhythm? Have you ever belched out a flat note at karaoke and seen the room visibly deflate in front of you? Ever picked up a guitar to show off to your crush, only to fluff the fingering and mangle that lovely, romantic chord? Were you once at least somewhat musically accomplished, but now realising that you are not the young, cool alt-rocker you used to be, but a middle-aged 6 Music dad with lactose intolerance and a mortgage to worry about?

Sometimes, you need to just pretend you're a leather-jacketed rebel with a cocky smirk and knees that don't pop every time you hunker down. And there's no better place for that than a video game. Guitar Hero brought the rockstar fantasy to millions. The Artful Escape casts you as the son of a folk musician trying to make your own way playing operatic sci-fi prog rock. And then there's this year's Hi-Fi Rush, which puts all of its hyperactive-labrador energy into making sure you feel like a bona fide rockstar.