Collection essentials #492: Rez (PS2)

Here’s a rather unique game from Sega that’s going to be a challenge to describe, and one you’ll have to try for yourself to really understand. Rez is a game described as a “music rail shooter”. 

Rez is light on story, and a lot of it is simply found in the instruction manual. Basically, you’re trying to hack into a malfunctioning AI system called Eden in order to fix it. Gameplay takes place in cyberspace, which has all kinds of trippy visuals, giving this game an element of its distinct style.

This is an on-rails shooter comparable to Sega’s own Panzer Dragoon, where you control a crosshair on the screen (rather than the actual present player character) which you move around to try and shoot down enemies and their bullets before they can hit you. Gameplay is fairly straightforward, as you try to survive waves of enemies and then destroy the data node at the end of each one, eventually fighting a boss at the end of each area. In order to post a good high score, a player must shoot down as many of the enemies as possible before they leave the screen, and they must also try for high combos with each shot (up to 8) to get more points. You can hold down the shot button as long as you want to try and lock onto up to eight enemies or objects, but this carries the risk of one of the targets leaving the screen or coming in too close for an attack. 

You really can’t talk at length about Rez without talking about the audio, as that’s what really makes the game. Rez features an original electronic soundtrack that is designed to synergize with gameplay. A level’s music usually starts out relatively quiet and subdued, and it gradually amps up, changing a little every time the player destroys a node and moves on to the next section of the level. But what’s most notable is the game’s sound effects. Every little sound effect in the game is some kind of instrumentation that “goes with” the background music. Rez isn’t a rhythm game that requires timed inputs to the beat of a song, but instead, you as the player feel like you’re contributing to the background music with the act of playing the game. You may even find yourself tapping the “lock-on” button rhythmically when no enemies are on the screen simply because it sounds cool with the music. It all makes for a really cool and unique experience! You’ll definitely want a decent sound system or headphones to get the most out of this game.

Rez was another game that I think I found about (or at least learned more about thanks to) on the TV channel G4 in 2005. It certainly seemed intriguing and I wanted to give it a try, but I soon learned that doing so would be tricky. Rez was originally conceived as a Dreamcast game, but the Dreamcast version only came out in Japan and Europe. Because the Dreamcast was dying an early death, Sega also made it for the PlayStation 2, which did get released in all territories…but the initial North American print was extremely small, making it very hard to find. Eventually I got my hands on one, and played the heck out of it!

I wouldn’t call Rez one of my absolute favorite games. The gameplay is adequate, but not exceptional. There are some modes and unlockables, but not a ton of content on the whole. Still, it’s an undeniably very artistic and cool piece of work that’s worth experiencing. And thankfully, it’s quite accessible in modern times. The PS2 version eventually got a reprint so it’s nice and affordable now. It’s been remade in HD a couple times as “Rez HD” and “Rez Infinite”, available on some modern platforms. If you’ve never played Rez and are intrigued by what you hear, go and give it a shot! This original PS2 release is a clear choice as a unique essential in my collection.