I always felt guilty because I never played the original Rez. And I felt guiltier when I played Rez HD three years ago and didn’t like it. Fortunately, I’ve realized what it might be missing: motion controls.
I’ve recently had the opportunity to play an archive (read: level) of Child of Eden, the sequel to Rez. Thanks to the Kinect and some headphones, I think I’ve found one of the better videogame experiences there is to have at PAX East 2011. Child of Eden will be Kinect’s first shooter, and Ubisoft is looking to set the bar high with it.
Child of Eden is an on-rails, rhythm-based shooter. Just like it’s predecessor, this adventure takes place in a futuristic version of the internet called Eden. Eden has been overrun with viruses, and these viruses need to be purified.
With the Kinect, you use your right hand to highlight and lock-on to targets. Like in Rez, you can target up to eight enemies simultaneously, and pushing your right hand forward attacks them all. This worked well with the Kinect, as I was able to wave my hand and highlight multiple lines of targets easily.
Switching to your left hand allows you to use rapid-fire. It’s not as powerful, but there are certain projectiles that you can only block using rapid-fire. Another upside to going lefty is that each successful hit triggers drumming sounds that highlight the music — one of Eden’s big draws. The third input activates a smart bomb. You can clear out a full screen of viruses by lifting both your hands and bringing them down together.
The Kinect controls were responsive. It’s important to note that the cursor didn’t exactly move to where I pointed my arm. But after a few moments, I knew where I had to move my hand in order to get the cursor to where I wanted it. The Kinect did a good job of tracking my hand; the cursor was an extension of my body, projected onto the screen. It moved correctly with respect to the motion of my hand.
In terms of visual design, Q Entertainment seems to have taken a different approach with Child of Eden. The archive I played was (appropriately) named Beauty. This region of Eden was reminiscent of Mirror’s Edge’s Pure Time Trials. Beauty was brightly lit, full of color, and various shapes. Although the music sounded like something you’d hear at an Express or an upscale, trendy sushi restaurant, it complimented the archive well. I was lucky enough to be given a wireless headset to help with the noisy show floor, and I found that the audio and video set a very soothing, relaxing mood.
Child of Eden will be released on June 14th for Xbox 360, and each archive will be about ten minutes long. Unfortunately, Ubisoft wasn’t able to provide me with the number of archives that will be included in the game.
Above all, I think Child of Eden could be a big step forward for Kinect owners in terms of getting “core” experiences into their living rooms. Could it also provide that motion control experience that “core” gamers want to have in their homes? I don’t think Eden will be Kinect’s peripheral-seller, but this title will make Kinect owners feel supported. More importantly, it will keep Kinect relevant over the summer.
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