"Don't Think, Feel"

The most creative game of all time?

Every once in a while, something comes along that is so different and revolutionary that it changes the way that people think forever.  It may be looked over by some because it is so ahead of its time, but those who approach it with an open mind will be rewarded with an experience that is unlike any other.  For the video game industry, that something is Rez.

“If you could play through Rez only once, I’d have to wonder where your soul went,” says David Smith, a professional video game journalist at IGN (a video game news website). 

Rez is about as abnormal as any video game has ever been in the 30 year history of the industry. The game took over 3 years to make, yet it can be completed in just under an hour.  The controls consist of nothing more than moving the control stick and pressing the A button.  The game has virtually no story or back-story whatsoever.

So, what exactly is Rez?

Tetsuya Mizuguchi, head of the video game developing firm Q Entertainment and member of the Japanese techno group Genki Rockets, created Rez as, “an experiment with synaesthesia.”  Synaesthesia, for those who don’t know, is a euphoric state in which all of the body’s senses work together as one.  Since video games cannot affect taste and smell, Mizuguchi focused on connecting the player’s senses of sight, sound, and touch.

While that may sound strange, Mizuguchi managed to incorporate that concept into the entire game.

“The most difficult thing that I have ever had to do while [working] at IGN was to try and explain Rez’s gameplay to readers without making both myself and it sound completely stupid,” says David Smith.  Well, it’s time to attempt the impossible.

Each of the five levels in Rez is built around a music track mixed by a professional techno artist.  Levels begin by showing a plain black screen with nothing on it except for your character.  A very slow and basic techno beat plays in the background, and the player’s controller vibrates along with the bass of the music. 

The player’s goal is simple: shoot everything that moves, but what follows is what makes the game interesting.  Every time something is shot on the screen, it erupts into a colorful explosion and adds an effect to the music track playing in the background, such as a cymbal or a drum roll.  As the player advances through the level, the music picks up its pace, the in-game visuals increase in complexity, the more enemies there are on screen to shoot at, and the more exciting the game becomes for the player.  All throughout the level, everything on screen moves in tandem with the music, the controller vibrates with the bass from the beat, and the soundtrack builds up to a climactic sequence in which the music, the visuals, and the difficulty is turned up to the highest level of intensity.  The senses of sound, sight, and touch act together as one.

Synaesthesia achieved.

Mizuguchi had very high expectations for his synaesthetic shooter.  “With Rez, I wanted to create something more than a game; I wanted to create an experience.”  Looking back on it, Mizuguchi feels that he and his team accomplished that goal pretty well.

“The first time you see all of it in action, it’s kind of breathtaking,” says Newman junior Braden Weaver.  Junior Gary Brenner feels the same way.  “As a fan of both techno music and video games, Rez was like the perfect combination for me.”  He continued, “I think that if I had to pick any game to support the argument of video games as an art form, I would probably pick Rez.”

So, if Rez was so mind-blowingly awesome then why isn’t it considered a video gaming classic today?

“There are several reasons as to why Rez is not widely acclaimed as the classic that it should be,” explains Nate Ahearn, also a video game writer and reviewer from IGN.  “For starters, it was initially released on the Sega Dreamcast in 2002, which was dangerously close to the end of the Dreamcast’s life cycle.”  Ahearn believes that the game performed poorly upon its release because at that time “everyone was picking up their shiny new Playstation 2’s.”

“Secondly, Rez’s uniqueness turned out to be a major disadvantage during the game’s marketing stages.”  Ahearn explains that since it was so much of a departure from anything that anyone had ever seen before, it did not appeal to the mainstream market.  “When given the choice between something unknown and unique and another generic FPS (first-person-shooter) that is almost identical to all the other games of its kind, the mainstream market will sadly choose the FPS every time.”

“Lastly and very simply, not everybody likes techno music and flashing lights.”  Ahearn believes that by creating a game built specifically around one type of music, Q Entertainment severely limited their possible customers.  “As artistic and amazing as I think Rez is, it’s just not everyone’s cup of tea.”

Mizuguchi recently announced his latest title, Child of Eden, which will be “a spiritual successor to Rez.”  “I’m counting down the days until [Child of Eden] comes out,” says Braden Weaver, anxious to get his hands on Q Entertainment’s newest title.  Gary Brenner is also excited about the sequel to Mizuguchi’s cult classic.  “I can’t wait to see what they can do with 8 years of new technology to work with.  I think is going to be something special.”

Mizuguchi declined to comment on the development of his newest game, only saying that “The fans of Rez will be happy, I promise.”

David Smith provides some advice for gamers everywhere: “If you own an Xbox 360 then you should do yourself a favor and download Rez for only 10 dollars from the Xbox Live Arcade.  There is no guarantee that you will like it, but it will be unlike anything you have ever played or experienced before.  So buy the game, relax, turn the lights down and the volume up, and enjoy your trip to Synaesthesia.”

                         

Rez gameplay video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAncDNDsv7s&feature=related