How to easily defeat QA-1MIL the first boss in Hi-Fi Rush

Hi-Fi Rush is among the most surprising reveals during the Xbox and Bethesda Developer_Direct. Developed by the very talented Tango Gameworks, the studio behind games like The Evil Within, its sequel, and Ghostwire: Tokyo, Hi-Fi Rush is a far cry from the studio’s forte, i.e., survival-horror games. It is a rhythm-based character-action game akin to games like Devil May Cry but with a musical spin.

Like any other character-action game, Hi-Fi Rush features challenging enemy encounters, fun platforming sections, and spectacular boss battles. At the game's first level, the protagonist, Chai, will go up against hordes of robots hellbent on seeing him locked up.

Among the many mechanical adversaries Chai will have to face in the first level, and none is more challenging than the level's boss - QA-1MIL. The gigantic robot uses mostly melee attacks, throwing hooks and jabs at Chai, which will keep you on your toes for the duration of the fight. While the boss can be very intimidating, he can be easily defeated once you know the strategy against it.

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Strategy to easily defeat QA-1MIL in HI-Fi Rush

The first few encounters in Hi-Fi Rush's first level are meant to teach you the basics of the game's combat, the use of which is essential in defeating QA-1MIL.

Once you reach the final section of the level, they will come face-to-face with the gigantic robot boss, who will primarily attack Chai with melee attacks, which can be very damaging if they connect.

While the boss can be pretty challenging, you can easily defeat QA-1MIL by following these steps:

• QA-1MIL will use its massive fists to attack Chai, and if you are on-point with their dodges, it can easily bait the robot into attacking them and dodging out of the way, only for its fists to get stuck in the arena, opening the boss up for a few light attack combos.
• You will also need to ensure not to miss out on the "Beat Hits" and ensure these very damaging combo finishers land before the boss starts attacking again.
• At random times during the fight, you will be prompted to partake in a quick-time event (QTE) akin to traditional rhythm games, which, if completed successfully, will make QA-1MIL's head a weak point, allowing you to deal additional damage to the boss.
• Once QA-1MIL's health reaches the halfway point, he will become enraged and use a powerful blaster that can deal a lot of damage.
• To avoid the blaster's attack, all you need to do is a double jump at the right time before the blaster connects, or a Rhythm Dodge in the opposite direction also works against the blaster.
• Once enough damage is dealt to QA-1MIL, Chai will receive a special attack that he uses to finish off the robot.

QA-1MIL is a perfect introduction to the challenging yet insanely rewarding boss fights in Hi-Fi Rush. While intimidating at first, with enough patience and perseverance, players can easily take down the first boss of the game with relative ease. Hi-Fi Rush is available on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC (via Steam and Epic Games Store) and Game Pass for consoles and PC.