Hi-Fi Rush has got some incredible boss fights. The first boss alone is amazing! Yet compared to all the ones that came later, even that one is small potatoes! Picking just one of these guys for a BBB (remind me not to use that abbreviation ever again) is a Herculean task!
At least, it was. Then I remembered that Korsica exists. After that, it was easy.
Being an action game, Hi-Fi Rush can get pretty intense. You’re constantly attacking, dodging, and parrying as enemies assault you on all sides. On top of all that, you need to be aware of the rhythm at all times; you can button mash, but it’s far more rewarding to keep to the beat.
Bosses in games like this one are always the most blood-pumping part. They move fast, hit hard, and are more durable than the average tank. Rekka, Mimosa, and every other boss in the game fits this description perfectly.
All except for Korsica. She’s less about the ‘action’ side of the game and more about the ‘rhythm.’
A little setup for those of you who haven’t played the game (stop reading this article and go play it if you can): your basic goal in the game is to collect the six passwords necessary to stop the main bad guy’s evil AI plan. To do this, you need to collect USB drives from each boss.
All except for Korsica. Unlike the others, she keeps her password memorized. Also unlike the others, Korsica isn’t an insane lunatic. She doesn’t even know about the evil AI plan. As such, your objective as the player isn’t to destroy Korsica, but to convince her to join your side.
By which I mean you need to survive her relentless assault. You may not want to kill her, but she sure as hell wants to kill you!
The fight is the simplest in the game. Korsica will come at you with a series of attacks set to odd rhythms. You need to time your parries perfectly to stay alive. Do this for long enough and you’ll exhaust her. Victory by pacifism is your objective.
It’s not just parrying, either. Partway through the fight, Korsica will start launching wind attacks at you. Seeing as you can’t exactly parry the air, all you can do is dodge. After this mechanic is thrown into the mix, things start to get real fun; stringing dodges and parries together is simple, but still more challenging than it seems.
You’ll really start to feel it in phase two. Phase one is paced fairly slowly; you’ve got plenty of time to breath between clashes, not to mention there’s tons of dialogue to enjoy. Once Korsica gets her second wind (get it?), the fight picks up the tempo. The final clashes all have sporadic patterns and come at a deadly fast pace. If you weren’t on your top parry game before, you’d better be now!
“Is that it?” I hear you asking. “You parry and dodge? How is that the best boss in the game? That sounds like it sucks!”
Remember: this is a rhythm game. This passive parry battle is the perfect way to challenge the player’s ability to keep tempo. Not to mention that it’s a nice change of pace from the game’s usual combat. Variety is the spice of life and all that.
Secondly, Korsica herself. All the other bosses come at you with stuff like massive lasers, organized choir battle bots, and giant wolf forms (this is a weird game), stuff like that. What does Korsica have? Some sticks and wind powers. Cool, but not really the kind of thing you can make a traditional boss out of.
Then there’s the music. An important piece to a fight like this. Luckily, the track that plays for this fight, titled ‘Negotiation,’ is one of the coolest in the game! It starts with a quiet intensity, like one would feel locking eyes with a predator. Then once the second phase hits, it kicks it into high gear; once the strings jump in, things get crazy! It perfectly amplifies the tension of the battle; this isn’t an all-out slugfest, it’s a proper duel and the music reflects that brilliantly!
I love everything about this fight. It’s definitely the highlight of the entire game, at least for me. It’s such a fun and intense change of pace. It may not be as flashy or dramatic as some of the other bosses, but in terms of raw entertainment, it can’t be beat!
Oh, and when you do defeat her, be sure to catch her, yeah? Although it’s kinda funnier if you don’t.
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