I’ve loved Rez from the moment I first played it a few years ago. I had no idea the game existed during its initial life as a PS2 and Dreamcast release; coverage of more obscure and experimental games was less prominent and less interesting to me as a kid. But when the game came back around on the Xbox 360, I downloaded the game on the recommendation of an episode of the seminal 1UP Show (R.I.P) and was completely blown away. Everything about it seemed like the coolest thing ever made. The crispness of the game’s inimitable art style. The utterly brilliant soundtrack. The relationship between the music and my abilities as a player that made me feel like the conductor of some grand future electro-orchestra. The way the game builds to a glorious crescendo in Area 5. I discovered this game in high school. Most of the games I had played up to that point could fall into three categories: sports games, big-budget action spectacles, and anything Super Mario-related. I had no idea games could do this sort of thing. Rez has held a special place in my gaming life ever since.
When Rez Infinite was announced, I was happy to see it, but I was also felt kind of cynical about it. Having Rez on my main console of choice would be nice, but the number of remasters that have been released this generation have left me feeling glum about the whole enterprise. Buying a game you already own is hard to get excited about. But that’s not to say that standard, unchanged Rez isn’t super dope. Rez is still extremely dope. Fifteen years after its initial release, It still retains its singular quality. The totality of its atmosphere, combined with the game’s impossible-to-imitate style, make Rez very easy, and enjoyable, to fall for. If you’ve never played it, clear out a hour or so and see it for yourself. If you don’t like it, I have reason to believe that your soul was stolen from you while you slept by a creature of the night. I’m sorry to be the one to tell you.
Standard Rez is still as wonderful as I remembered, but this is not why we’re here. The reason I’m writing this, and the reason Rez Infinite is the best version of Rez yet, is Area X. Before I get into it, I'm going to give you an out from reading this (I know, how selfless of me.). I went into Area X without knowing anything about it except for the basic fact that it existed. The element of surprise is incredibly powerful. Area X is probably best experienced going in cold. If you stop reading right here, I get it. If you keep on reading this, thank you, you’re very sweet, here’s a picture of a very shiny horse:
Area X offers a different skillset to the game that has preceded it. Your character is no longer on rails. You have the power to move freely through the space by pushing forward in any direction, stopping your momentum completely, or retreat backwards. The additional level of control completely changes how the game operates. Suddenly, the enemy encounters become much more improvisational and hectic. But this change doesn’t affect the way that eliminating targets can make you feel like some sort of cyber DJ making music on the fly. That crucial element is still there. There’s also a marker on your reticule that points you in the direction of enemies so you never feel lost. It also features a minimalistic take on the game’s iconic art style. The vast blackness of the void that serves as the level’s setting is only broken up by buildings or objects made from hundreds of little, shimmering dots. Your opponents seem to be made of similar stuff, given the way they explode into more little, shimmering dots once you shoot them. The way all of these attributes compliment each other took my breath away the first time I played it. Area X is the only new addition to the Rez package. But what a level it is.
It’s also happens to be the best argument for buying a PlayStation VR headset. I’ve watched a decent amount of videos where virtual reality games are played, and most of the games I’ve seen have done next to nothing to discourage my apathy towards the current state of VR. But the idea of gliding through Area X in VR is very appealing to me. I’ve long hoped for a true sequel to Rez (Child of Eden didn’t quite do it for me for whatever reason). So too has Tetsuya Mizuguchi, the game’s creator. It seems like he got some good ideas for how to push the game forward. Let’s hope he gets to act on them.