The PlayStation VR launch of REZ Infinite has been incredibly well received, currently standing as the highest rated title on the PlayStation 4’s virtual reality (VR) platform via critic reviews on Metacritic. However, there’s one aspect of the videogame’s design that few have had the chance to experience: the Synethesia Suit. A new version of this full body suit is currently in development, which could possibly offer more players the opportunity to get hands-on with this unique VR experience.
The Synethesia Suit has been showcased at a number of events across the globe alongside REZ Infinite’s pre-launch outings. However, given that just one suit exists at present, the number of people that have been able to experience it has been decidedly limited. According to Tetsuya Mizuguchi, creator of the REZ franchise and REZ Infinite, a new version of the Synethesia Suit is now in development.
Responding to an article from Forbes on the original Synethesia Suit, Mizuguchi tweeted that a new version of the Synethesia Suit is currently being created specifically for REZ Infinite.
No further details are currently available on the new Synethesia Suit, including intended completion date or when we can expect to see it debut at events across the globe. However, adding a second suit to the arsenal will significantly increase the chances of gamers getting hands-on with this unique piece of VR interactivity.
REZ Infinite is available now for PlayStation VR, playable with the DualShock 4 controller or PlayStation Move. VRFocus will keep you updated with all the latest details on REZ Infinite and this new edition of the Synethesia Suit.
Part of the launch day line-up for PlayStation VR was Enhance Games’ Rez Infinite. The title is the spiritual sequel to Rez which first appeared on Sega Dreamcast. Rez Infinite features 20 Trophies to unlock and VRFocus has the full run down below.
Just like its forebear Rez Infinite is a visceral mix of lights, neon colours, sound and music, requiring players to shoot enemies in time with the music for big scores.
Full Achievement List:
The EARTH – Clear area 1 in play mode or travelling mode. – (Bronze)
The MARS – Clear area 2 in play mode or travelling mode. – (Bronze)
The URANUS – Clear area 4 in play mode or travelling mode. – (Bronze)
The VENUS – Clear area 3 in play mode or travelling mode. – (Bronze)
Artistry – Clear AreaX without taking any damage. – (Silver)
Birds in the Sky – Clear AreaX by triggering and defeating the alternate final boss. – (Silver)
Buttefly Dream – Clear AreaX by defeating the standard final boss. – (Silver)
Eden – Clear area 5 in play mode. – (Silver)
Infinity – Destroy over 300 Bit enemies in AreaX. – (Silver)
Lazer Assassin – Achieve a shot down rate of 95% in areas 1-5. – (Silver)
Singularity – Clear AreaX with your avatar at its highest possible evolution level. – (Silver)
Blue Bird – Defeat the alternate final boss of AreaX with a shotdown ratio over 95%. – (Gold)
Blue Butterfly – Defeat the standard final boss of AreaX with a shotdown ratio over 95%. – (Gold)
Firewall Buster – Achieve the high score in boss rush mode. – (Gold)
Remember Rez? Originally a Dreamcast game way back when, it’s bumped around–mostly on Sony platforms–over the years. A kind of hypnotic, surreal rails shooter-meets-rhythm game, Rez has always been a kind of cult classic. As one of the premiere launch titles for the PS VR, however, it’s about to make a proper resurgence with Rez Infinite.
If you’re new to the world of Rez, it is, as mentioned, an on-rails shooter. This means you don’t really control your character, but instead you control what the strange figure before you shoots at. Rez Infinite does expand the range of motion a little over past games, but the heart of the gameplay remains largely the same as it was 15 years ago.
There are a lot of reasons both aesthetically and technically why Rez Infiniteis a perfect fit for Sony’s new VR tech and why rail shooters in general are. Much of the problems with the majority of VR experiences comes with too much movement–fast turns in particular, especially with first person shooters.
In Rez Infinite, the speed of the game isn’t really controlled by the player, so the movement you’re exposed to is largely pre-defined. There’s no sudden turning in opposing directions as with a first-person shooter you’re fully in control of. The result is a liquid smooth, fully immersive experience. Rez Infinite feels more open than previous games though–it’s a rail shooter that gives you the illusion of freedom.
A big part of that is simply the feeling of being inside the game via the PS VR headset, which is something the regular version can’t hope to match. You can play Rez Infinite without the headset–as in, just on your TV–and it’s still great, but ends up paling in comparison to the full-on HMD-based headtrip.
At its core, Rez is all about the chill. It can get a bit hectic, but mostly it’s a kind of sight and sound excursion into cyberspace (which is basically the plot.) Everything about the presentation, from the smooth trance soundtrack to the beautifully neon wire-frame graphics, is perfect for the groove the game creates. More importantly, it’s not overly-taxing on the PS4 itself, enabling a 120 FPS (reprojected from 60) HD experience within a fully 360 degree 3D world.
Rez Infinite can be played with either the standard controller or the Move controllers. I liked the Move controller’s motion sensing, but there’s no particular negative to playing with the gamepad.
The game uses both the controller and head tracking to aim. So, the controller was good for rapid movements across the screen while your head is great for fine aiming. Character movements are smooth and airy, making the action feel far more natural than some of the other games we’ve played on the PS VR.
Rez manages to hit all the right marks for a launch title. It’s visually impressive without really going overboard. The gorgeous cyberspace landscapes, heavily bent on geometric shapes and lines with tons of shiny particles, seems a natural fit for VR.
The movement of your onscreen character is limited and the framerate is rock solid. The gameplay is simple enough to use the game as a demo for curious non-gamers, but has enough challenge for fans of the series.
Final Score:8/10 – Great
Rez considers the limitations some other other launch titles have tried to skirt over and provides a VR experience that just works. It’s a simple game that relies on its minimalist style to provide a thoroughly beautiful world to just fly inside of. If there’s a downside here, it’s that past the gorgeous presentation, it’s still just a straightforward targeting game. That’s not an issue for me though, because the trip is well worth it.
Rez Infinite releases on October 13th for PlayStation VR for $29.99. Check out these official review guidelines to find out more about our process.
Jason D’Aprile is a freelance writer with work appearing in prominent publications such as Gamespot, Playboy, and many others.
There’s no denying it: shooting games are going to be the most popular and dense section in the PlayStation Store. But with all of this choice, and you wanting the best games that will be out there from day one, you have to take it from us which titles are unmissable.
Check out the list below for why exactly we have chosen the retro Rez Infinite from Enhance Games, EVE: Valkyrie from CCP Games, and World War Toons from Studio Roqovan Inc.
Rez Infinite – Enhance Games
This isn’t your usual harsh and gritty looking shoot-em-up type of title, and you can tell that from the psychedelic aesthetics, but there is so much soul attached to it as it is the long awaited sequel to the Dreamcast title Rez. This is something that you will quickly and easily be sucked into, from its intriguing look down to its playability – there’s also a pretty sweet merch line for it, too.
EVE: Gunjack – CCP Games
I know what you’re thinking – what about EVE: Valkyrie? Well, EVE: Gunjack has something spectacular about it that we most certainly didn’t want you missing out on it or overlooking it in any way, especially as it was only recently announced as a launch title. This is pretty one-tracked, but there is much skill needed in order to complete your mission. Imagine this: You take on the role of a gun turret operator on the Kubera, the largest mining vessel ever constructed, in the Outer Ring region of known space. It is up to you to protect the base from pirates and such, resulting in crazy shoot outs. Just look at it – it is beautiful.
World War Toons – Studio Roqovan Inc.
You may have noticed that Reload Studios has given itself a whole new revamp, calling itself Studio Roqovan Inc., so this means that the studio is all about big business now, and that is exactly what World War Toons reflects. You jump into a crazy cartoon world where you’re surrounded by unique characters, all in the time setting of World War II – except it is not quite the same. There are different classes that you can choose from, similar to most multiplayer FPS titles, and boy do each of them make a different impact. This is one of the best as it has been developed for a while, and by a very able team, many of which are Call of Duty veterans – so they really know what shooters are all about. Have we also mentioned it has a badass trailer?
With less than two weeks to go until the launch of Sony Interactive Entertainment’s (SIE) PlayStation VR, Enhance Games’ Rez Infinite has now become available to pre-order on the US PlayStation Store.
US gamers can pre-order Rez Infinite for $29.99 USD in preparation for the PlayStation VR launch on 13th October – a physical (region free) version will also be available for $39.99 from iam8bit.com. And for anyone that does so there’s an added bonus from Enhance Games, a Rez Garden of Eden Dynamic Theme from the final act of the original title, along with seven REZ Evolution avatars.
If you’ve not been keeping up with VRFocus’ updates on the videogame, Rez Infinite is the long awaited sequel to cult classic Rez, which launched way back in 2001. With a visceral mix of lights, neon colours, sound and music, Rez had players shooting objects which synced with the audio.
Last week Enhance Games released further details on the upcoming videogame in the form of a new trailer for an experimental level called Area X, with Enhance Games’ President and CEO Tetsuya Mizuguchi saying at the time: “Our goal was to create something that evoked the same excitement as Rez, but at the same time, something that felt unique. Something new. Something special all its own.”
A short video for the Garden of Eden Dynamic Theme can be seen below, and if any further details on Rez Infinite are released VRFocus will let you know.
Last week VRFocus reported on the reveal that eight titles would be included in the PlayStation VR demo disc that comes with every headset. Now it’s been revealed that that particular demo disc is for European customers as a new content line-up has been announced for US and Canadian customers.
This new demo selection ups the content available quite considerably, jumping from 8 to 17 videogames. The same 8 as the previously announced disc are included but now the content line-up looks like this.
The announcement on PlayStation.Blog does state: “The demo disc will also be available for download at PlayStation Store for free after PS VR launches.” So for customers in other territories there may still be a chance to get hold of the demo content, but there’s not guarantee at present.
