Animator explains why Hi-Fi Rush is so good

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Main Animation channel: / dillongoo
Edited by @AbnormalSloth
Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:21 QA-1MIL
03:43 Rekka
05:51 Zanzo
08:02 Korsica
10:28 Mimosa
13:34 Roquefort
16:01 Kale
18:15 WINNER

[@professorGoo]

For those who don't know, Tango Gameworks was recently shut down. I hope this video sheds light on why their work on this game will live on forever and influence the medium for years to come. Best of luck to the artists who moved on from Tango and I hope they bring their passion for this art style with them!

[@lowxianjie170294]

Yeah I hate that this happened. Tang Gameworks even won a lot of Game awards and they still got shut down! We don't even get a chance to see Hi-Fi Rush 2...

[@ruijie1961]

WAIT WHAT??? This is the first I'm hearing this and I'm SO UPSET. My goodness, they pumped out this game that was so full of passion and creativity, yet they get shut down just because of corporate reshuffling? There is no justice!

[@lowxianjie170294]

@@ruijie1961 Yeah...

[@goncaloteixeira1998]

​@@ruijie1961They said it didn't sold as they hoped for. Wich is stupid, because the marketing for the game was horrible. They shadow droped the game by releasing it the same day it was anouced, on a x-box livestream, creating zero hype around it. Also making it a gamepass exclusive game didnt help at all making is sales Crash. I'm really sad about what they did to these game, and I hope with this increasing surge of people praising it, the creators go the indie route and make more games like this one.

[@ruijie1961]

@@goncaloteixeira1998 Yeah, I heard about how it was shadow dropped. But then everyone was singing its praises on youtube and twitter. I thought that as bad as the marketing was, surely the fans were boosting it like crazy... clearly I was wrong.

[@ruinmasterphantom8626]

What happened to Tango Gameworks was a CRIME. At least it's nice to know that their labor of love is getting the praise and recognition it deserves.

[@malaksafa4074]

What happened?

[@Lord_Marquaad]

​@@malaksafa4074Tango Gameworks studio got shut down by it's owner microsoft

[@Troiss-gw5tn]

@@malaksafa4074 Microsoft disbanded the studio.

[@twilight13dklt]

​​@@malaksafa4074 Microsoft happened. TLDR: Microsoft closed their studio while cutting off smaller companies, despite the rewards this game made. Then they back pedaled saying they needed the small companies(iirc) but they didn't reopen this one.

[@Dread_2137]

​@@malaksafa4074this month Microsoft closed Tango Gameworks alongside with 3 other studios, Arkane Austin, Alpha Dog Games, and Roundhouse Studios.

[@SnowLily06]

I haven't played the game, but I feel like they limited Kale's expressions to show that he is in control, and then when he gets beat, he loses control of everything, including his expressions

[@scylla1772]

Absolutely correct here. Sadly (imo) the animators' commitment to Kale's straight-laced, control freak personality caused them to overlook MANY creative opportunities. His design and animations just don't have the flair the other characters do. Roquefort has a similar motif, but is much more interesting to look at and watch.

[@Chaos_Vergil]

Not only that, but it also shows that he does what he can to put in minimal effort, and in the end, he had to give it his all to try and put Chai down.

[@itsaUSBline]

@@scylla1772 I don't think he should have flair. He's a quintessential backstabbing corporate CEO, the embodiment of the machine.

[@ADHDGUY-qm5nf]

They show it in the golden Kale statues he looks calmer but looks more and more exaggerated the more damaged

[@OurJynx]

Kale's very stuff and solid expression is definitely an extension of his character; literally keeping a "stuff upper lip", even as Chai and Co. uproot his company, ruin his plans and dismantle his family and employees who basically see him as the leader everyone wants, unaware of his crimes because he's just THAT good at keeping it all away. Once he starts losing, realising he's really got none of it under control, his faces morphs, creases and his jaw moves, even his upper lip begins to actually shift. It's really nice way to portray a character's mental state through animation choices.

[@madsaintjames]

Kales should be higher imo just bc its part of the direction.

[@Anonymous-ss1kg]

We stan Zanzo, definetly not because he's a living JoJo reference throughout the game!

[@lowxianjie170294]

You know what! His Japanese VA is someone from Jojo!!

[@nightowlowo149]

I would still stan Zanzo even without the references, he is so goofy i love him so much

[@lowxianjie170294]

@@nightowlowo149 True!

[@aguywithgames3135]

Kinda wish you covered the cutscenes between phases as some of them had those really sweet 2D shots, but this is still pretty good. R.I.P. Tango, hope y’all prosper in whatever path you guys choose to do.

[@nateroo1486]

I'd argue Kale's sudden expression when he was losing wasn't them "not committing" to the lack of expression, more showing that he's losing it and the facade is slipping. that's just me though

[@itsaUSBline]

That's not just you, that's anyone who actually played the game. I feel like goo here was just lacking narrative context.

[@KeroKaminaX]

I think you need to look at all the phase transition cutscenes for these bosses, the ones for Kale add a lot to the animation of his character. Especially with the final hits of the boss

[@HexiCore]

I think the Kale animations -were- a conscious choice cuz it symbolises his loss of composure as a result of getting his ass rekt

[@Lord_Marquaad]

Hi-fi rush is so memorable

[@zalla00]

Truly a pity that Microsoft closed the studio that made it. They really dropped the ball there!

[@dezdarkshard2574]

Budding gamedev here. For Mimosa's extra face wrinkles, it could also be achieved by adding an unlit diffuse texture on top of the existing one. It'll save a little on performance, since bones and blendshapes are more complicated and costly. Keep up the great work!

[@LostTerminalVideos]

It looks a little too clean to be a texture. I would guess it's more likely to just be a totally separate flat mesh with it's own rig that only gets rendered whenever it's needed for more expression

[@Dread_2137]

Zanzo is just walking jojo reference throughout the game

[@pieperson444]

and mimosa is a kill la kill reference

[@coldcranston]

9:00 HAS to be a megamind reference. This game is too damm good😭

[@nightowlowo149]

You did not just make me realize that now, WTF

[@AllExistence]

I think he had little jaw movement to demonstrate his scorn, like he doesn't display strong emotions towards his enemies, and then he was beaten and started to actually care.

[@rafaelshiroma9875]

14:24 Bro thought we wouldn't notice that laugh 😂

[@delishouspancaks7479]

You need to talk about more of this game's cutscenes they all slap.

[@Salbastro]

I think with Kale, the stiff lip and jaw in the beginning played into the very stiff, stern, cold, all business aspects of his character, "keep a stiff upper lip" kinda idea. But as the fight goes on, his appearance gets rougher, and the animations get more loose and wild to accentuate how he's losing control of everything throughout the fight

[@flyingcicata9675]

I love how thickly laid the JoJo reference is with Zanzo. Actually made me laugh for a good bit while I was playing.

[@tomefilho3902]

You can only get really good facial expressions from Kale when he is frustrated or angry. Because that when the mask of authority breaks, Kale is always trying to look as the one in control.

[@callofseiiki]

great video trully show the effort and hard work they done to make this breath taking game i am still mad and sad that this studio is no more thanks alot mir still its a great explanation of how it all came to be its so cool

[@Qeshen]

Awww. I had really been hoping to see you pick up on Peppermint's little squee-ing freakout when 808 started to fight Kale. I adored everything about that!

[@gamerkingdom1442]

The animation of Sci-FI Rush is amongst the best I’ve seen in a video game for a looong time! Top ANIME ANIMATION is so difficult to recreate in 3-D, and they nailed it. MODERN GUILTY GEAR is the only one that has done that so perfectly. Hoyoverse’s ZZZ is another example.

[@Ramseas119]

you need to do a full playthrough of this masterpiece of a game. its just too good.

[@GiantDad553]

I feel like the point of keeping Kale's jaw and facial expressions rigid in the first scene is supposed to express how in control he thinks he is, only to lose his confidence in the middle and ending of the fight. While I don't think he's quite S or even A tier, putting him in D is criminal. Chalking it up to them "not committing" is even worse.

[@itsaUSBline]

Yeah I think the animation in that one should get bonus points for how well it expresses character and narrative context.

[@potatochip9514]

You should check out Zenless Zone Zero when it comes out. Mihoyo really upgraded their 3D animation this time.

[@aguto4987]

i most love the fact that those animton sync with background music

[@ayaxmcgill635]

the difference between corsica and the other bosses is a deliberate choice because she's supposes to stand apart from the other bosses, she's the only boss to not have any cybernetic augmentations, she's the one that eventually changes teams and she's the only one that doesn't have a public role in the company, being the head of security, all that is what influences into her being far less dramatic than the other bosses

[@royal1348]

really cool vids! I'm really curious if you've seen the Xenosaga Kos-mos vs T-elos fight in the ancient temple tomb, it had a really cool fight cutscene

[@XietheZebra]

I absolutely loved this game. killer OST and amazing animation.

[@omegaPSI2006]

Kale being stiff at first is 100% a conscious decision. Because hes very controlled and confident. As the fight continues Chai makes him lose his cool and his facade is broken, so his animation reflects this. I love it, really drove home how bad he was losing.

[@harryh4h720]

I think for kale at the start it's like a calm composed look he thinks he's in control but after being beat up a bit a struggling the faced drops he's more concerned and another thing I'm pretty sure he's the face of his company so the rigid smile may be like a pr smile

[@ChimeraLotietheBunny]

I always love this game and the art with it for the studio too wish it lasted longer and this being reacted amazingly

[@shelbybayer200]

I'm learning so much about animation here man.

[@nero_x6456]

Please do wuthering waves animations next, I love your videos dude

[@Megazekrom1571]

Hi-Fi Rush is such an amazing game even with small details, I would say that some positions could change if you see the animations after each phase of the boss fights

[@slimeycorp]

Why did he skip the end of Rekka’s defeat cinematic? He just didn’t react to her blowing up.

[@nickter745thebold8]

I really want to learn how to do animation like you because I feel like I have no other way to bring the story I want to write to life.

[@ifrit420]

Great video! I was also wondering of you will check out the FGO Arcade animations as well?

[@zakuronakashima]

Wanna start this off by saying thank you for covering this game, and thank you for doing all these breakdowns. They shed a lot of light on the animation processes. Glad I found you after RWBY. I am planning to get your engine for blender sometime this year hopefully and try to start animations. With that said.... Korsica is best girl. The buildup she gets in the game is great and all the little tidbits she gets in her level are just... Great. XD I'm mostly a sucker for her accent though I think. I hope her VA gets more roles cuz she did a great great great job imo. Also, I think that Kale's initial scene is stiff because of who he is, the "final boss"+big bad at the end. It says a lot about his character, being so rigid, stiff even, and in control. When he starts losing, he starts losing control and becomes more animated as a result. Thank you again for sharing your work with us, as well as these breakdowns for animations. I would like to see you breakdown an episode or two of Dead Fantasy (yes, THAT one) as well as Haloid. I wanna see what you can glean from that choreography.

[@mansamusakervil9130]

You should review the current Wuthering waves ultimates! They’re pretty awesome.

[@Felhesznelenev]

I remember I bought Hi Fi Rush and played it. Boy, It was one of the best choices in my life!

[@arthurrus2329]

The first time we see zanzo in the game the background and pose trun into jojo menacing meme

[@AustralianGrizzly]

@17min on. Now I have a good feeling that you are reacting to these scenes as a third party observer, meaning you didn't experiance the story or the other cutscenes with these characters except for their "Boss Battle" scenes. This means you might have missed some nuances that help define these characters and each of their design choices. I feel that the creative decision made here was that until the final moments, Kale is liturally not taking anything seriously. The way he moves, talks and even fights. He really isn't giving anything in the actions because this is all beneath him. Not worth his time even. But as you start beating him, he gets more and more emotional, frustrated, annoyed. Desperate. This is when he stops being a Corpo Stiff and becomes 'human'. Even then at the final part before his death scene, he drops back into the Corpo Stiff and his face becomes flat once again.

[@D4rk_Lum1nous]

For Kale they might have chosen more restricted jaw movements in the beginning to making him seem more collected and maybe little effortless (?) like he doesn't really need to push himself until he is pressed and needs to

[@shelbybayer200]

I'm so happy you took a look at this. You've earned my Subscribe there. Can you please take a look at the Animations of Models from HyperDimension Neptunia or maybe what you can say about how the Anime does the art ? Maybe the Transformation sequences in the games or the EXE Drive and Formation attacks

[@kylienne6342]

I need this same video but on Wuthering Waves, but when they’re will be more characters bro

[@thenewsatinbobcat5575]

Kales lack of jaw movement at the start, I think, was to define how confident and prideful he is, not exaggerating any of his movements, something someone confident or prideful would do, not exagerate their movements as there's no reason to, they're in control. Afterward, he's placed on the back foot, loss of control in the situation, causing him to be more sporadic in his facial movements and emotionally.

[@fawad9407]

PLEASE rank all Wuthering Waves ultimate animations. it's very popular right now

[@SaberShadow002]

@professorGoo so having played the game and (spoilers for those who haven't and want to) every major boss has an inspiration that you maybe dont really see in the short cutscenes, and are weirdly kinada Japanesey at times, Rekka is spot on as wrestling inspired, Zanzo is completely otaku and Anime inspired (hence all of his JOJO poses and movements wich are more in the boss fight) Korsica is a bit magical girl inspired but her fight isnt even a fight, it is supposed to be a blocking QTE cutscene Negotiation, Mimosa is A performer/Idol, Rogueport is the greedy higher management, and Kale is a Disaffected CEO that cares nothing for the companies people, and is the villainous "I am you, But so much better" archetype, and with him (Spoilers again) so much is done in-between the "phases" of the fight as he keeps getting beaten back by Chai and his friends, he shows more and more wear, tare and frustration, where yes he starts out very static and robotic, but gets more and more animated as he keeps getting knocked down, so I think you are not wrong, the added context could help a bit

[@sladyred2245]

I believe that the amount of movement differs for different characters. For example, Kale and Korsica are more serious compared to Zanzo who's Zaney (almost sounds like a pun), Mamosa and Rekka who's flashy, and Roquefort who's extra with his transformations. I do agree that they could've done more with Kale but I also understand why he doesn't stand out as much as the others.

[@soulyard7542]

7:20 in this exact moment he looked like he was from the game, or at least the art style.

[@soulyard7542]

maybe during the entire video

[@UnhelpfulEngineer]

Another cool thing, even the cutscenes are synced to the music.

[@joshuayea8138]

OH MY GOD

[@Fineartguy]

I'm sad you didn't look at all of mimosa's transitions alot of the transitions in the boss fights are awesome

[@SuperSertyuio]

Next on the list: Aether Gazer ultimate combos! You'll love those!

[@Psrj-ad]

This game will forever be UNDER-RATED. It deserves worlds more attention that it got!

[@devilsparkos3365]

hi love your comment of animation of all games can you do wuthering waves pls ?

[@garethcf1016]

Dont know much about mixing 2d and 3d, but u gotta check out the HI3rd animated shorts, especially the later ones. The last few in particular look really smooth and natural to my untrained eye so it would be really interesting tk hear ur opinion

[@naioobi4549]

Hope to see Theurgy from Persona 3 Reload or Showtime attacks from Persona 5 Royal and Strikers!

[@MarioTainaka]

Finally someone's talking about this. With Kale it was definitely a creative decision because Kale is always calm and in control but near the end the mask starts to slip. If you play the game at 120FPS or unlimited the camera and model animation fluidity kinda breaks

[@asolasgmx8241]

Roquefort was easily my favorite for how sick his expressions and transformations were. And I'm not surprised to see Kale get such a low rating, his boss fight was great but it legit felt like there wasn't much else to remember besides that.

[@memes_the_dna_of_the_soul5487]

Well besides the- _"Which Sections Sir?"_ _"ALL OF THEM!"_

[@LTDLetsPlays]

Do you cover 2D animations as well? If so I would like you to rank Limbus company animations EGO awakening and corrosion

[@xcosy_lemonx]

YOU SHOULD DO WUTHERING WAVES ULTS! IT CAME OUT RECENTLY!

[@Rainbowskittles]

Can you rate wuthering waves ultimate? Its really good!

[@AidenTang-xl6wq]

You should rank Wuthering wave burst animations

[@xyre2512]

You should try reacting to Wuthering Waves animations, same game developer as PGR, they look so cool

[@lorenzlazaga5197]

I'm waiting for a review of Sukuna vs Mahoraga

[@raisylvaine8398]

I feel like maybe not including the phase transitions between the fights maybe made this a bit weird but it’s an understandable choice.

[@nighttyger3397]

I think your complaints about Korsica and Kale’s animations are both pretty easily explained through the context of those characters in the story. Korsica doesn’t have a whole lot of extras that help give the other bosses lots of their fun animations - things like Zanzo’s hair - and she also doesn’t have the fun, unhinged personalities that shine through so well in those animations, but as you may have noticed watching Kale’s cutscenes, Korsica joins the party after her fight! Both design and personality-wise, she’s distinctly separated from the rest of the rogue’s gallery - and that extends to her relationship to them as well (or more accurately, the lack of it). During her level, you hear her complain about not being kept in the loop, and can find memos that show this is very purposeful on the part of the others. She doesn’t even know Chai and co. are causing chaos until they break into her sector, and she’s supposed to be the head of security! Everything about her character is designed in such a way that she is more aligned with the protags than the villains - personality, design, and yes, I would say her animations as well. None of this is to say that her spot on the list should be higher, I definitely agree that her opener is much weaker than most of the others, I just feel that her “plainness” is intentional. As for Kale, he’s that villain archetype who likes to present himself as constantly unbothered and in control. The lack of facial movement is just another part of that facade (and, as the player would have already seen several times at that point, it is *definitely* a facade, lol!) He gets more expressive as the fight wears on and he realizes his control of the situation is slipping, mirrored in how he stops being able to control his own emotions and expressions. He starts the fight pretty cool and collected - see him treating the party with flippancy and annoyance, viewing 808 (the cat) as completely below him - but by the end of the fight his emotional, vocal, and animation tone has completely shifted, he’s pulling full maniacal villain laughs and the like :D

[@nighttyger3397]

I suppose the tl;dr is please watch/play the whole game! These animation decisions are *intentional*, and You’re missing a lot of that intention - and sooooo much of the insanely good animation this game has to offer! - by only watching these few boss cutscenes. Even the mid-fight phase shift bits are great fun, and just playing the game, everything is so… crisp! This is a game with music at its very core, and all the animations play to the music, even mid-combat, and are just fun on top of that! And they pulled off some of the most CLEAN 3D-2D shifts I have ever seen in what feels like every other cutscene! So *please*, if you haven’t already, check this game out!

[@Mickapinkice]

React to eather gazer's burst and wuthering waves also

[@nightowlowo149]

1. TANGO WHAT??? AFTER HI FI RUSH?! 2. I love this detailed explanation on animation so much even if i am severely not going to benefit from this info whatsoever. Its just so interesting 3. I love HiFi Rush so much and it deserved better. It already is good because it made it to the game awards, but I still believe it deserves wayy more recognition

[@Encorefan22]

Rank the Wuthering waves ults

[@ZeroTornado]

The Wolfman was definitely getting SS tier

[@BorntoOrnn]

Kale being so inexpressive during the beginning of the fight but so loose at the end could literally be him not feeling that threatened initially, confident that he can and will deal with the problem, so he keeps the cool and calm facade. Then, after he got his ass beat, he is full desperate mode, doesn't care how he looks to others, he just wants to take care of Chai right there and then.

[@sarralabidi6955]

do wuthering waves!!

[@atari316]

next wuthering wave !!

[@Kason089]

Hey they have a second phase

[@scuffanime]

Professor Goo, can u react Yinlin's demo from Wuthering Waves?

[@ProAtBeingHuman]

FINALLY HI FI RUSH GETTING MORE RECOGNITION ❤❤❤❤

[@samuelogundeko190]

You should look at the new ultraman movie 3D animation

[@ayaxmcgill635]

bro sanzo isn't like that just for giggles, if you watch the other cutscenes from his level you'll see he's a walking jojo reference XD

[@taral5856]

Zanzo number one jojo fan in his universe

[@ccafeee]

Dude, could you analyze the showtimes of Persona 5 Royal!! Seriously, I would love to see that.

[@liviekumori]

I'm gonna miss Tango works so damn much

[@kevinbourke1847]

16:46 he look like Jack of borderlands

[@DarkSnake78990]

If you like "3D in 2D" then you should definitely check out Guilty Gear Strive!

[@BandanaYEEE]

next time will it be Guilty Gear Strive or Xrd?

[@retrox2776]

Rekkas my favourite boss Roquefort is my favourite boss fight

[@haukefrose3368]

can you da a rank list for fgo arcade? plz ._.

[@jacktaylor3636]

Having played this game to death, Kale has such a rigid and stiff face at the start of the boss fight because he wants to give off a feeling of him being perfect only for it to all fall away as you push him to his limits and his true stupidity finally comes through as he's falling apart.

[@kaedyn2951]

That’s fair on Kale, but if I had to guess from playing the game he is meant to be this unwavering head of the company who is very good at hiding his emotions and intentions, where he only breaks from that in certain moments

[@Aboood-Fun]

The final boss fight have phase 2

[@noreencadavedo2742]

Hmm i feel like they did the stiff upper lip on purpose as part of kale's arrogant character maybe, same for how his jaw not moving might be to show he doesnt rly feel like doing too much effort when talking down to the other chars? Im just a pleb tho so idk XD

[@noreencadavedo2742]

And then him suddenly being more expressive and fluid when losing is cuz of him losing his composure

[@DARKNESS-ng1gw]

It would be amazing if you react to the noble phantasm animations of Fate/ Grand Order Arcade !!

[@normilah79]

Rating for wuwa animation

[@JamesFR2007]

still waiting for the hi3rd reaction.

[@snappieboi5026]

He already did it

[@JamesFR2007]

@@snappieboi5026 cg animation not just ultimates

[@FooxOfSpades]

The thumbnail definetly changed I swear I'm not misremembering things

[@vicelance1234]

Do FGO Noble Phantasms please

[@s0_real]

DO WUTHERING WAVES ALL ULTS REACTION (the creators made pgr the previous game u reacted to)

[@feyernightblade2050]

Can you please react to Bayonetta combat cinematics/animations?