Child Of Eden Review for Xbox

Well producer Tetsuya Mizuguchi has been at it again and has released Child Of Eden. The game is much like a high tech remake of the Rez game from 2002. Like Rez it is really an on-rails shooter where you progress through the levels by locking onto items to purify them. There are some nice improvements to game play which make it a bit easier to play than Rez. The game was released on the Xbox and the PS3. I used the Xbox version for this review.
In Child of Eden, a girl named Lumi is the first human born in outer space. When she dies, her memories and personality are archived in the internet, which is referred to as Eden in the game. Two centuries after her death, scientists attempt to recreate her persona within the confines of Eden. The game begins as Lumi awakes in Eden. The player must go into Eden to destroy a virus attack that could derail the project. Or something like that.....

You can use the original controller or the Kinect controller while playing this game. I played this game on a projector so the Kinect was not used. I really can't say how well it works. I can report the controller works great with the game. As in Rez, you can have up to four controllers that vibrate to the on screen visuals and music.

This game is a trippy journey through a level of abstract geometry, music, and controller vibration. There are five levels, Matrix, Evolution, Beauty, Passion, and Journey. Each level is unique and has a theme. The first time I played the Evolution level I was awe struck at the ending. As you progress you unlock the worlds in order to play them. You can also unlock additional videos and art and even items that can modify the graphics as you play. If you complete the journey level a challange stage opens up, which is really another complete level, but I'm not sure it ends. You can also up the difficulty to hard at that time.
There are three types of weapons in the game. The normal lock on and release, a smart bomb called Euphoria that clears the screen for a short time, and a Tracer which will purify purple bombs that the virus will use to keep you from being successful. On purple enemies you must use the Tracer to destroy them. As the game progresses you can catch Euphoria smart bombs after some enemies are destroyed. The Tracer and the lock-on weapons are available all the time. When using the lock on weapon, if the maximum number of lock-ons is achieved, the player will get a score multiplier if released in rhythm to the music. The score multiplier can go up to 8. You know when you're in rhythm when the words "Perfect!!" appear on screen along with your multiplier. If instead you get "good", your multiplier does not change. If you do not get anything, your multiplier goes back to one.

The Good

This is a very unique game, which is all too rare these days. The only other like it is it's predecessor, Rez. The graphics are very psychedelic and the screen shots just don't do them justice. The music is mostly trance that changes in intensity as you play. If you can enable 5.1 sound do so. The sounds are incredible. Just like Rez, it combines all of the elements to create an experience when playing.

The Bad

The game is a bit short at five levels (really six if you count the challange state). You will replay these levels multiple times in order to unlock all the additional content. I didn't have an issues with this, although some players might. The title sales for $39.99 in most stores so for me the length was appropriate. There is a lot of additional content to unlock.

The Verdict

A wild ride in a very strange dimension. It excites the senses and is very unique. If your unsure if this is your cup of tea or not, give it a rent. I give it an 8 out of 10. I really had a hard time with this score. On one hand, I did not use the Kinect and this could be a completely different experience. Overall I dropped it one score because it really is a very nice remake of Rez althought it does add to the experence and moves it forward a bit.