First off, i don't really plan to write exactly a "review", i just want to try to point out what is so fascinating about REZ...if you do not already know.
"What is it about REZ HD?"
Although i wasn't asked that question by the people i showed that game after i purchased it through XBLA, it was quite obvious that that question was in the mind of my friends and my sister since it just did not "click" when they seen/played it.
Of course, the first word that springs to mind to someone who loves REZ is "synasthesia" (if they heard the word...and if it is spelled correctly). Synasthesia is a concept where sounds, sights and physical contact comes together to create a complete sensory experience.
So far, so good, but even with that said, it is hard to describe what exactly is so great about it.
Yes, somehow everything you do or don't in the Game creates a sound that fits into the pumping background music. Thats cool. But still, at least not for me, that is not what creates the great experience that REZ is. And neither does the Gameplay itself. I am alright with the simplicity of "tagging" up to eight objects to "shoot" them while hovering over a straight, linear path, ocassionally using the "overdrive" joker to quickly eliminate everything on screen. But is it still "just that", and somehow the game itself is pretty uneven, since it is usually pretty easy to play through a level, but on occassion the game just throws an entire screen worth of deadly projectiles at you, creating a seemingly unsurmountable difficulty spike given the generally very easy difficulty of the game.
So what is it about REZ that makes the Game so great?
For me, it is the climatic nature of the game, and the way it is designed.
Each of the five Areas of the Game is like a gigantic buildup. It starts simple. No background, dull background beats, just you and the enemies that pop up, dying quickly out of existence with simplistic sound jingles.
But as you progress, you unlock in a rather spectacular looking way new levels, or better said, "layers". As you traverse to another level, the level architecture grows and transforms seamlessly, getting ever more complex, just like the music does gain more and more layers itself. Add to that that the Game throws more and more varied enemies at you, and the Game intensifies with every Level, enormously building up to the impressive Bossfights at the end of each area.
The Bossfights are worth mentioning too, since they are kind of the climax of the area, not only gameplay-wise. The Music is fully built up, and the constant rapid fire turns the music into a gigantic (if a bit messy) aureal piece, while delivering stylish looking fights onscreen.
And then there is Area 5.
Pretty much everything the game is about can be summed up by this final level: The "Buildup" of the Levels and Music is here used to tell a small story, maybe even some sort of strange poem, about something universally understandable (i won't spoil it) that uses the cryptic wireframe graphics to a good purpose, and the music, a harder and slightly slower track than the others just fits the game perfectly (more so than the other tracks).
Add to that the final stretch with multiple Bossfights in a row, including the big, final battle and you could say that, not unlike Portal, the game truely shines when it is reaching its finale.
After i hopefully pointed out what i wanted to, some additional points about the game:
- It's short, but surprisingly less so than you might think at first place.
The Main Story Mode unlocks a Score Mode, wich is not only the Story Mode with a point counter, but the Game itself is slightly altered to deliver more enemies and slightly more challenge. Also, there is "Beyond", a bunch of additional modes that include a "Lost Area"...kinda like a deleted scene from the Main Game, a Score Mode for the entire game (as opposed to single Areas) and other things...
- ...like the "Trance Mission"...my main gripe with the Game. What the Hell is this mode about? If Rez is like some kind of dream, Trance Mission is the Nightmare. I don't have any idea what the purpose of this mode is, but the crude visuals and the messed up music walk along the small line between annoying and slightly disturbung.
- The Archievements are not that interesting, but given that it is mostly a port from the original Game from a time where obsessive extra gaming amount would be actually rewarded with more than a pop-up-textbox, you can unlock some modes and general goodies by spending a bit more time with the Game.
- The Trance Vibrator feature has probably lost its purpose by not supporting the actual Trance Vibrator. Granted, i never played the PS2 Version with this thing, but the additional, "Standalone" Vibration is obviously not made for Controllers.
- In Rez, the optional Bloom makes the Game actually look better....except in the last 2 Areas, where the effect turns out a bit messy. Still, i'd recommend starting the Game with the activated Bloom option.
- "Fear is the mind killer" is not as good as "The cake is a lie", but it'll do
"What is it about REZ HD?"
Although i wasn't asked that question by the people i showed that game after i purchased it through XBLA, it was quite obvious that that question was in the mind of my friends and my sister since it just did not "click" when they seen/played it.
Of course, the first word that springs to mind to someone who loves REZ is "synasthesia" (if they heard the word...and if it is spelled correctly). Synasthesia is a concept where sounds, sights and physical contact comes together to create a complete sensory experience.
So far, so good, but even with that said, it is hard to describe what exactly is so great about it.
Yes, somehow everything you do or don't in the Game creates a sound that fits into the pumping background music. Thats cool. But still, at least not for me, that is not what creates the great experience that REZ is. And neither does the Gameplay itself. I am alright with the simplicity of "tagging" up to eight objects to "shoot" them while hovering over a straight, linear path, ocassionally using the "overdrive" joker to quickly eliminate everything on screen. But is it still "just that", and somehow the game itself is pretty uneven, since it is usually pretty easy to play through a level, but on occassion the game just throws an entire screen worth of deadly projectiles at you, creating a seemingly unsurmountable difficulty spike given the generally very easy difficulty of the game.
So what is it about REZ that makes the Game so great?
For me, it is the climatic nature of the game, and the way it is designed.
Each of the five Areas of the Game is like a gigantic buildup. It starts simple. No background, dull background beats, just you and the enemies that pop up, dying quickly out of existence with simplistic sound jingles.
But as you progress, you unlock in a rather spectacular looking way new levels, or better said, "layers". As you traverse to another level, the level architecture grows and transforms seamlessly, getting ever more complex, just like the music does gain more and more layers itself. Add to that that the Game throws more and more varied enemies at you, and the Game intensifies with every Level, enormously building up to the impressive Bossfights at the end of each area.
The Bossfights are worth mentioning too, since they are kind of the climax of the area, not only gameplay-wise. The Music is fully built up, and the constant rapid fire turns the music into a gigantic (if a bit messy) aureal piece, while delivering stylish looking fights onscreen.
And then there is Area 5.
Pretty much everything the game is about can be summed up by this final level: The "Buildup" of the Levels and Music is here used to tell a small story, maybe even some sort of strange poem, about something universally understandable (i won't spoil it) that uses the cryptic wireframe graphics to a good purpose, and the music, a harder and slightly slower track than the others just fits the game perfectly (more so than the other tracks).
Add to that the final stretch with multiple Bossfights in a row, including the big, final battle and you could say that, not unlike Portal, the game truely shines when it is reaching its finale.
After i hopefully pointed out what i wanted to, some additional points about the game:
- It's short, but surprisingly less so than you might think at first place.
The Main Story Mode unlocks a Score Mode, wich is not only the Story Mode with a point counter, but the Game itself is slightly altered to deliver more enemies and slightly more challenge. Also, there is "Beyond", a bunch of additional modes that include a "Lost Area"...kinda like a deleted scene from the Main Game, a Score Mode for the entire game (as opposed to single Areas) and other things...
- ...like the "Trance Mission"...my main gripe with the Game. What the Hell is this mode about? If Rez is like some kind of dream, Trance Mission is the Nightmare. I don't have any idea what the purpose of this mode is, but the crude visuals and the messed up music walk along the small line between annoying and slightly disturbung.
- The Archievements are not that interesting, but given that it is mostly a port from the original Game from a time where obsessive extra gaming amount would be actually rewarded with more than a pop-up-textbox, you can unlock some modes and general goodies by spending a bit more time with the Game.
- The Trance Vibrator feature has probably lost its purpose by not supporting the actual Trance Vibrator. Granted, i never played the PS2 Version with this thing, but the additional, "Standalone" Vibration is obviously not made for Controllers.
- In Rez, the optional Bloom makes the Game actually look better....except in the last 2 Areas, where the effect turns out a bit messy. Still, i'd recommend starting the Game with the activated Bloom option.
- "Fear is the mind killer" is not as good as "The cake is a lie", but it'll do
