Without a doubt, 2023 was a great year for the gaming industry in terms of high-quality releases. Xbox studios did not lag behind and delivered interesting proposals in the last few months. However, there is one title that stood out for its charisma and excellent combat system.

It is clear that Starfield, the ambitious RPG from Bethesda, was the most significant release of the year for Xbox. Unfortunately, it failed to captivate all players equally and even received mixed ratings from the community. At the moment, it has "mostly negative" reviews on Steam.

Interestingly, a title that debuted surprisingly became the best Xbox exclusive of 2023. We are talking about HI-FI RUSH, the jewel from Tango Gameworks.

HI-FI RUSH was one of the best surprises of 2023

At the beginning of 2023, rumors suggested that the announcement of Tango Gameworks' new project was imminent. On January 25th, during the Developer_Direct, the reports were confirmed, and the studio officially introduced HI-FI RUSH, a rhythmic combat title that stood out immediately for its vibrant colors and charismatic characters.

The surprise was that this project was released after the live stream, so Xbox Game Pass subscribers could play it at no additional cost on the day of the announcement. The unexpected release allowed it to be a success in the community.

The hack and slash action title received very positive reviews from players and the press, currently holding an average score of 87 on Metacritic. This way, it became the best Xbox exclusive of 2023.

For context, Forza Motorsport has a score of 84, while Starfield does the same with 83 points. On the other hand, Redfall, the controversial multiplayer title from Arkane Austin, is one of the worst games of the year with a Metacritic score of 56.

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HI-FI RUSH is one of the best games of 2023

Now, was HI-FI RUSH a commercial success? Jeff Grubb, a recognized journalist and insider, indicated that the game failed to meet financial expectations, despite its positive reception; however, Aaron Greenberg, Xbox's Vice President of Marketing, denied that report and assured that they are very happy with the project's performance.

HI-FI RUSH received 5 nominations at The Game Awards 2023 and won in the Best Audio Design category.

But tell us, did you like this title? Did you give it a chance? Let us know in the comments.

HI-FI RUSH is available for PC and Xbox Series X|S.