Can You Pet The Cat In Hi-Fi Rush?

During their January Developer Direct, Xbox and Bethesda released additional information on five games slated for release in 2023. One of which was not only revealed for the first time during the showcase, but it released the very same day straight to Xbox Game Pass: "Hi-Fi Rush." Created by Tango Gameworks, the studio responsible for "The Evil Within" series and "Ghostwire Tokyo," "Hi-Fi Rush" seems to be the studio's black sheep project as there's not an ounce of horror anywhere in the title. There is, however, an adorable, robotic cat named 808. 

Rather than adventuring through nightmarish streets filled with monsters or ghosts, "Hi-Fi Rush" sees players doing their best to battle their way out of a bright, colorful, stylish, and evil megacorporation known as Vandelay. As the aspiring rockstar Chai, players must hack and smack to the beat of the game's music that is constantly causing the entire game world to pulse rhythmically to the beat. Of course, when one isn't busy thwacking robotic goons, there's some downtime that can be enjoyed with Chai's kitty companion. 

After the game's first stage, which ends in a climactic boss fight against evil corporation Vandelay's head of QA, Chai is taken to a hideout that functions as the go-to spot for learning and equipping new moves, super attacks, and, luckily for animal lovers, hanging out with the robo-kitty 808. When interacting with the couch in the center of the hideout, players can choose to head to the next stage, hear some of Chai's inner thoughts on the game's events, or "Play With 808." 

Selecting that final option will play some unique dialogue and a brief animation of Chai petting 808. Even better, there's an actual achievement for interacting with 808 in this way. It's only worth Five Gamerscore, but unlocking it will have the aptly named achievement pop up to say, "You can pet the cat!" 

When not getting some scratches in the hideout, 808 accompanies Chai on his exploits against Vandelay in an alternate, ball-like form. While the world of "Hi-Fi Rush" quite literally bounces in time with the game's music, 808 functions as a constant indicator of the beat for players to sync their button presses to. A neat additional touch, however, is that there are three different options players can choose from to make 808's rhythmic pulses visible enough to their liking. So adjust your Xbox settings, grab a drink, and get ready to pet a robotic cat in "Hi-Fi Rush."