Rez was released about 10 years ago, and has gone on to become a cult classic among gamers. It was released on the Xbox Live Arcade three years ago, and, in our review, we said it was near perfection. WhileChild of Eden may not share that game's name, it's the sequel to Rez, created by the same people and featuring the same style. This is the next game we've been hoping for since playing the first.
The game is on rails, and you move a cursor around the screen to lock on to multiple enemies before firing. By releasing your shot in time to the music and locking onto more bad guys at once, you can increase your score. Child of Eden adds another wrinkle to the game with a machine gun attack that does less damage than your lock-on shots, but allows constant firing and can destroy enemy projectiles.
Yes, this is a simple game, but it's also brilliantly executed.
What's so thrilling about Child of Eden is that you're interacting with the environment through something that acts like a gun, but your bullets actually add something to the scenery. Objects spin and move, flowers blossom, colors become brighter. You're not destroying things with your "weapon," you're freeing them, making them better. You're adding beauty and organization to the world instead of taking it away. This is something that's rare in video games, and it's a welcome surprise.
Two ways to control the game
You can move the on-screen cursor using the Kinect sensor, and you shoot by making a sharp motion with your hand. To use the machine gun, you simply switch between your right and left hands. I've been asking a number of friends about which version of the controls they prefer, and I can't find any kind of consensus: some people enjoy the feeling of making the sweeping gestures with their hands, acting like they're throwing the attacks as they shoot. Others prefer the more accurate controls of the gamepad.
I've used them both, and I don't think there's a bad choice. Using your hands is definitely more reactive, and as the music pulses with your shots and attacks it leads to a feeling of conducting the game as much as playing it. I found myself bouncing on my heels to the music, keeping time by almost dancing along to the game. You begin to move more than the game requires, and you can lose yourself in the experience if you're not careful.
The only issues I ran into were the game's inability to track my movements perfectly and times where it was hard to get the sensor to detect when I wanted to fire. The vast majority of the time everything worked great, but the few instances where the hardware fumbled were annoying, especially in a game where death means you restart at the beginning of each level.
Child of Eden
For now, I'm using the controller instead of motion controls for that extra bit of precision, but this is purely a matter of taste.
The game has moved from the third-person view of Rez to a purely first-person view. Now that you can't see your character, something is lost. I had enjoyed the ability to change how my avatar looked as I leveled up in the original game.
Still, now the game has a story, complete with cut-scenes and boss battles, and the aesthetics and music changes between levels. You honestly never know what you'll see next, and the places the game takes you are amazing; both your ears and eyes will be treated well by the game, and it consistently ups the "wow" factor as you play through the five included levels.
Which is the last problem: the game is short. There are few different effects to unlock and some items that can be added to the main menu, but you'll be able to play through each level in only a few hours. You'll want to go back to battle for a higher score and experience everything more than once, however.
Which is why I'm giving this a "Buy" rating. I don't think we should judge paintings by how much wall they cover, and I do think this is a game that's worth the $50 asking price. If you decide to rent, I can understand the decision, but this is a game worth supporting and playing through multiple times. Even after you've seen all of its surprises, you'll want to spend some time waving your arms and flying through each level when you feel beaten down by life. This is a game that can bring you back.
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