Rez and Trance Vibrator hands-on impressions

[11.22.01] » My God. It's full of stars.

   Wunderkind developer Tetsuya Mizuguchi's latest project, Rez, went on sale in Japan this Thursday, November 22nd. After a thorough evening's worth of playtime, we've put together screenshots from the first and second areas, along with our thoughts.

   But first, an anecdote. Earlier this week, we had a chance to play an advance copy of Rez on the streets of Akihabara. The first time was in a storefront kiosk set up outside a store; in the middle of a noisy street environment, the game seemed fun, but somewhat disappointing. The second time we played it, however, was inside a store with thoughtfully-provided headphones. The difference in the experience is indescribable. It was like playing two entirely different games, and the one with the headphones was a whole lot cooler. The final version of Rez includes a splash screen advising players, "as the audio experience is integral to this game, for maximum enjoyment, headphones or an ideal listening environment are highly recommended." Heed this warning. Heed it well!

   The gameplay of Rez is similar to a standard rail shooter, like the first two Panzer Dragoon games. Players hold down the fire button and move the cursor over enemies and projectiles to "lock on." After locking on as many as eight targets, the player releases the fire button and the missiles do their work. After racking up enough time or kills, an enemy will appear and drop a colored cube. Shooting the cube sends your avatar to the next "layer," adding new graphical and musical elements to the initially sparse level. Once all of the level's layers have been activated--there are usuually ten--the player fights a boss. The only other gameplay element to speak of is collecting polyhedrons dropped by enemies that provide a temporary "Overdrive" boost or upgrade your avatar. Upgrading your character doesn't seem to make your shots more powerful, but it does change the graphical and aural aspects of your avatar. More importantly, if your avatar is hit by an enemy while in an upgraded state, he merely "devolves" instead of dying outright. The game is a bit on the easy side, since all of your shots are "locked on" and homing, but later levels offer their share of challenges. Developer United Game Artists claims that the paths branch and change on replay, but we noticed only minimal differences.

   The heart of Rez's experience, however, is in the graphics and sound, and here the game succeeds fabulously. The intense vector graphics are always fast-paced and full of motion, and there are enough lighting and particle effects to illuminate an entire warehouse full of candy ravers. Despite the apparently simple vector style, each level has a distinct feel, color scheme, and architecture. The music is also a treat, adding tracks and mutating layer by layer. The player's movements and shots are also translated into musical cues; though not as seamless a melding of sound and vision as might have been hoped for, the effect is still striking and amazingly well implemented. It could be argued that the game is only reflecting its player's talent, and that a more musically-inclined or well-practiced player will produce a more pleasing soundscape. UGA has achieved their goal of "synesthesia," the synthesis of sound and visuals, as well as can be expected in an interactive medium. The final level, however, deserves special mention as an absolute triumph of design. Not merely a "virtual" cyberspace architecture, it takes players through a constantly evolving narrative nearly twenty minutes long. As the background, music, obstacles, and even level objectives all shift, the player will be absolutely mesmerized.

   In addition to the standard shooter mode, Rez offers a Score Attack mode and a Travelling mode. The Score Attack mode lets gamers replay completed levels to improve their time, accuracy, and item pickup percentages. The Travelling mode lets gamers replay completed levels in an invincible state, unable to incur damage. The circumstances under which a player might want to experience Rez free of damage led a friend of the GIA to nickname this mode the "Paint Huffing Mode."

   We picked up the version of Rez with the Trance Vibrator. A pager-sized object with a ten foot USB cord, the Trance Vibrator is little more than a large piece of shaking plastic. Players put it, in the words of Mizuguchi, "wherever they want." We tried a front shirt pocket, and the heavy vibrations really did help immerse us further into Rez's world. It's a gimmick peripheral, sure, but a fun and fairly effective one. The Trance Vibrator's shaking is distinct from the Dual Shock 2's vibration signal, and is mostly synchronized with the music and scripted events. This leaves the Dual Shock 2 free to indicate the player's own movements, projectiles, and received damage. A helpful analogy might be to think of the Trance Vibrator's shakings as the stage, while the Dual Shock 2's rumbling represents your avatar. Nevertheless, if you can't get your hands on a copy with the Trance Vibrator, or if the peripheral doesn't come to the U.S./Europe, don't worry. You're not missing out on much.

   Unfortunately, Rez suffers from a flaw endemic to nearly all music games and shooters; it's way too short. At only five stages long, you'll blow through most of Rez in a single evening. The only major hangup, in fact, is likely to be the bosses of the fourth and fifth stages. The last boss is particularly difficult; if you die past a certain point in the encounter, you'll still receive an ending. Even so, most players will complete the game unimpeded. The currently revealed gameplay modes add some replay value, but not a lot. What Rez lacks in hours of gameplay, however, if makes up for in audiovisual density. Breathtakingly original, and almost completely unlike any game that has before, Rez is an experience that any open-minded gamer should investigate.