The release date for Ubisoft’s Child of Eden may have been pushed back to September for PlayStation 3, but this is a title that really promises to be worth the wait. XBOX 360 fans were treated to the earlier release. Stunning visuals and techno music combine with an interesting plot, along with the option to control the action in any way you want (this game is compatible with both Move and your classic controller), to create the ultimate feel-good game of the year.
Child of Eden, although technically a standalone game, is the obvious spiritual successor to the 2001 on-rails shooter title for Dreamcast, and later PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360, Rez. The similar gameplay and look and feel is by no means a bad thing however, and though creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi may have shied away from entitling this new game Rez 2, the obvious heritage is certainly not something we mind.
Storyline
In Child of Eden you will find yourself thrust into the midst of a battle to protect Project Lumi, a project that is preparing to create the human personality Lumi in the midst of Eden, the archive of all knowledge. As the process nears completion Eden finds itself infected with a virus that threatens to destroy the entire project. A virus that you must destroy by making your way through the different areas of Eden, and cleansing the corruption that you find therein.
Gameplay
This new title is marketed as a ‘multi-sensory shooter’. This effectively means that the action is wrapped up in a layer of entrancing, kaleidoscopic visuals and interweaved music. The almost perfect collision of sound and visuals makes for a very vivid experience, one that may have you reminiscing of a nightclub rather than typical gaming. This effect is further heightened in a scoring system that will have you earning more points if your attacks are actually in time with the tunes.
As we’ve already mentioned, you’ll be able to play this title using either a classic controller or PlayStation Move. Ubisoft has obviously envisioned this game as having the perfect blend of motion and music as an arsenal to battle your foes, with the Xbox Kinect being heralded as the perfect means to be transported into the psychedelic world. Don’t let that put you off though, as Move controls should be just as smooth, and even playing with a classic controller offers intense feedback in the form of vibrations to give you a great experience.
Graphics
It doesn’t matter what sort of classic game design you appreciate, the intricate artwork teeming with multi-coloured and multi-faceted arrays of beautiful lights will take your breath away. This game is stunning to behold, with level designs that seem almost a cross between the work of Leonardo Da Vinci and a classic futuristic feel.
Of course these graphics would certainly not be so effective were they not joined so perfectly with the techno music that will be blaring out of your speakers. The music is significantly softer than the hard-house rhythms featured in Rez, but they so perfectly reflect the scenes before you to create an unforgettable experience.
Conclusion
Besides its ‘predecessor’, Rez, there is no other game that is anything like the experience you will find in Child of Eden. The beautiful, if trippy, imagery, the perfectly entwined music, the incredibly smooth control; all combines to make a must have title that will leave you with a smile on your face each time you pick up the controller.
