I had always heard of Rez, but never really understood what it was. Screenshots could never quite get the idea across. It just looked like weird graphics and a simple gameplay mechanic. All I knew was that everyone loved the game like it was their own child. People talked about it with the unanimous admiration few games receive, especially years after their release. Finally, this game is getting another chance to shine, this time on XBLA. I went in with high anticipations, but not quite knowing what to expect. And honestly, I don’t think anything could prepare you for the experience that is Rez HD.

At it’s core, it is an on rails shooter, a genre that hasn’t seen much action recently. It seems like it would be pretty boring to not be able to control the movement of your character, but you don’t miss it at all. Fairly skeptical of whether or not I’d enjoy the game, I tried the demo first. Even at the beginning, when I had no idea what I was really supposed to do, I was totally engaged. I wasn’t sure why, but I had to keep playing. Upon completing the demo, I immediately slapped down my 800 MS points to get the full version and continued my journey into the world of Rez.

The game ramps up the difficulty perfectly. Considering there isn’t really anything else like it, the first level starts out nice and easy. You get accustomed to what you’re supposed to do and look for. By the second level, you’re looking for more action and it is delivered to you. This pattern continues right up to the fifth and final level which ends in an epic, mind altering, borderline pretentious boss battle. I’m not really sure what all the text means during this level, but it feels enlightening.

This post has taken me forever to finish. Just talking about the game or watching a video makes me want to play it. I don’t really know what is drawing me back to it constantly. There are only 5 levels but I can’t seem to get enough of them. Usually games that base replay value on beating your high score don’t grab me. Rez, however, has kept me trying to grab the high score on every level. This may or may not have something to do with getting the achievements for the game, but either way, I’m still playing. I can’t recommend this game enough. It’s like no other game around. With music games finally coming into their own, Rez HD fits in perfectly.

Rez HD gets:

54 beats per minute

(I don’t like giving number scores. Enjoy the nonsense scores.)