Review tylerisrandom 4/5 · Mar 6, 2022
High-rez
I'm a huge fan of Rez, but I went into Child of Eden with tempered expectations. I assumed based on how infrequently I hear it mentioned and its bargain basement pricing that it had been a swing and a miss for Mizuguchi-san.
What a pleasant surprise: Child of Eden looks and plays like a sequel to Rez! The music's …
I'm a huge fan of Rez, but I went into Child of Eden with tempered expectations. I assumed based on how infrequently I hear it mentioned and its bargain basement pricing that it had been a swing and a miss for Mizuguchi-san.
What a pleasant surprise: Child of Eden looks and plays like a sequel to Rez! The music's beautiful, the levels are trippy and neon, and it's the same sort of on-rails, non-violent rhythmic shooter. I enjoyed each of its five courses quite a lot: In some ways, they feel like the connective tissue between the original Rez and Rez Infinite's "Area X," at least in terms of visual fidelity.
I don't think Child of Eden surpasses it predecessor, though, and that's mostly because it's a product of its time. The FMV sequences feel a bit cheesy today, the total play time is artificially extended by requiring a certain number of "stars" to unlock all the levels, and its menus and marketing heavily emphasize the optional motion controls (which I did not try, as I don't own PlayStation Move or Kinect).
If you're a fan of Rez and you don't mind replaying levels a few times, you should definitely give Child of Eden a try. I'm embarrassed to have slept on this one for so long.
