Rez HD

Rez HD

Younger players will know Rez creator Tetsuya Mizuguhci from his more recent games. Lumines and Every Extend Extra have introduced a new generation to the delights of abstract music-themed videogaming. However, few older players would argue that the man is most famous for a quirky on-rails shooter that was originally released for the Dreamcast in 2002.

Rez is a hypnotic shoot ‘em up, combining beautiful, Tron-like graphics with a thumping, trance-like soundtrack. It’s one of gaming’s most treasured classics, sitting alongside Ico as the most frequently cited title in the ongoing ‘games-as-art’ debate and now, for Xbox Live Arcade it’s all been redrawn in HD widescreen and released for a paltry £6.

The concept is deceptively simple. You control an esoteric flying man/woman/object traveling along a fixed path through space. Wireframe enemies pop onto the screen and you must use your target to lock-on to destroy them before they either disappear or shoot you. The more enemies you target in one go, the higher the points scored.

Some enemies drop blue pellets. If you collect enough of these your character will evolve into a new form. However get hit by a rocket or enemy and you’ll instantly devolve. Red pellets allow you to deploy a screen wiping smart bomb and, as far as the rules go, that’s pretty much your lot.

The game is spread across five sprawling levels, each with a boss at the end, and there’s a simple story to drive you along about rebooting a sentient AI. If that all sounds a little obvious and, perhaps, uninteresting, then it’s important to realize that this is a videogame videogame. There’s no need for a complex narrative, impressive water effects or AK-47s. Gamers who expect the very best examples of the medium to look and feel like gritty wargames or expansive RPGs will miss the point. Rez HD is a glorious collaboration of art, graphic design and music, all of which combine to deliver a complex and involved experience that feels like pure, unadulterated videogame.

Every action you take in Rez, from a simple lock-on to an explosive smart bomb, has its own sound effect that slots perfectly into the soundtrack. In this way it all feels as much like a rhythm/action game as a straightforward shoot ‘em up – although beware that finishing it will require your utmost dedication and concentration. The final level is one of the greatest – each boss from the previous four stages reappearing in a cacophony of explosion and particle effects.

For the price, Rez HD is a classic in the truest sense of the word and certainly one of gaming’s most heady and glorious experiences to date. It's a stellar addition the XBLA catalogue too. Highly, hugely recommended.

5 out of 5