Hi-Fi RUSH was inspired by Shaun of the Dead and Futurama
March 16, 2023Hi-Fi RUSH hit last month in a splash of retro-futuristic nostalgia and ‘90s sound, delivering a surprisingly colorful, tightly designed rhythm-action game from a studio previously known mostly for its dark, jarring horror titles.
How it came to life inside Tango Gameworks says much about studio founder Shinji Mikami’s openness to ideas that intrigue him and the hard work of the two-person team that took an idea born of perhaps one too many Shaun of the Dead viewings and turned it into a captivating prototype.
In a wide-ranging interview, John Johanas, Hi-Fi RUSH Game Director, Kosuke Tanaka, Hi-Fi RUSH Lead Graphics Programmer, and Yuji Nakamura, Hi-Fi RUSH Lead Programmer, talk to us about using Unreal Engine for that pivotal early prototyping, and how Futurama helped them lock in the game’s style–which focuses on delivering animation that is colorful, sharp, and clean.
The two also explain how an early build’s success at Bethesda earned the title more internal support, and the impact they think the game may have on the studio long term.
To read the rest of this story, which first ran on March 16, 2023, visit the Unreal Engine website.
