Big fans of the Rez, the musical rail shooter that was released on the Sega Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 will be a big fan of Rez: Infinite. Remastered and made specifically for virtual reality (VR), it was ultimately what Tetsuya Mizuguchi, the creator of the videogame and CEO of Enhance Games, dreamed of when he imagined it in his head. Rez: Infinite received a score of 89 on Metacritic for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation VR, with the newly released version on PC for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift scoring 91. VRFocus spoke to Mizuguchi about the success of Rez: Infinite and what the future holds for VR.
Rez: Infinite is a shooter, with the objective of saving the world by shooting viruses in cyberspace. The game is a surreal synergy between audio and imagery, completely on-rails as you watch your avatar flying through cyber particles in black space. The title supports HTC Vive motion controllers, Oculus Touch, Oculus Remote and a normal PC gamepad. With the help of these controllers you shoot at enemies as they come towards you and as you take them down, they make a beautiful choreographed sound with the music surrounding around you. Mizuguchi describes it as visually seeing the music. Mizuguchi is very keen on the concept of Synethesia, with Enhance Games developing a Synethesia Suit, with a new version in development.
According to Mizuguchi the order of the videogames is 1) Rez, 2) Child of Eden, whilst 3) is an upcoming videogame, which is hinted at in Area X of Rez: Infinite. Mitzuguchi believes that the mixing of interactivity of VR, sound and visuals is creating a new form of storytelling in gaming but in the entertainment industry as well. He explains that with every new technology, a new idea or influence arises. The introduction of Microsoft Kinect title Child of Eden, the spiritual sequel to Rez whilst VR led to the making of Rez: Infinite. Mizuguchi is now waiting for newer technology to bring out the next big videogame, but says he needs time, money and a great time to put together.
He believes that in 10 years we will have head-mounted displays (HMD) with 8K for each eye, and this will be the moment where seeing through a HMD would almost be identical to real-life. He thinks VR is just the beginning, it will merge with augmented reality and mixed reality as well as newer technologies to create a new medium. Mizuguchi is extremely excited when thinking about the future. He believes that videogame developers who are looking to make future videogames or experiences should look at mixing sound with haptics and sound to create the next generation of storytelling to create new experiences.
To find out more watch our very active interview below.