Child of Eden Review
Towards the end of the Dreamcast’s life, SEGA released a game designed to blend shooting with music. This was Rez, a critically acclaimed third person on-rails shooter set within a computer network.
Now I didn’t think much of Rez, I thought it was a restrictive overrated and very gimmicky shooter. Considering the excellent Panzer Dragoon series was in this genre, I couldn’t overlook how much more basic it was. What I mean is that while they are both on rails you could look around in full 360 in Panzer; Rez restricted you to the area ahead of you. A big step back.
A game should compete with others in its genre, especially one released several years before. Rez did not and focused on gimmicks such as wireframe graphics and making pretty noises whenever you hit something. An Average shooter hiding behind gimmicky features that did nothing for its gameplay.
Now, ten years later we get a sequel or more of a spiritual successor in the form of Child of Eden. Now to be honest this game didn’t interest me, I didn’t even realise it was a shooter. But I heard good things about it and when I saw it for under £20 (shopto.net if you’re interested) I decided to go for it. I am very happy I did because in short Child of Eden is the game Rez wanted to be.
Gone are the wireframe graphics and instead we get beautiful, colourful levels that are very trippy. The developers must have been smoking some pretty strong stuff to come up with what they did. The overall effect is a stylish, unique and simply gorgeous visual experience which very few games can offer.
But it’s more that just amazing visuals. Gameplay wise is a huge improvement. This may seem like a strange comment but moving from third person to first makes it feel less restrictive than Rez. It feels more like a lightgun game, and comparing this to them you do have more freedom in where you can look. What I mean is the edges expand giving a bigger screen.
Unlike Lightgun games this is not about quick reflexes, well not at first, or hitting secret small targets in the background. It is what Rez wanted it to be, a blend of shooting and music, perfectly summarised through the perfect octo-lock system.
Unlike Rez, Child of Eden actually uses the music, the beat of it that is, to create a good gameplay mechanic. After locking onto 8 targets if you release in perfect timing to the beat of the music you will perform a perfect octo-lock. These increase your score multiplier and are the key to the higher ranks.
This Bemani element actually gives the “Synesthesia” element a purpose, unlike Rez where it was just hit something, make pretty music (which is still in Child of Eden).
Also added to Child of Eden is a second “tracer” weapon, a free shooting but less accurate weapon that doesn’t lock on. This is more of a defensive weapon used to shoot down projectiles before they hit you. So you generally use your lock on to shoot down enemies, while the tracer protects you from projectiles. Balancing the two is the key to getting through the later stages, particularly in the unlockable hard mode.
Music was one of Rez’s strong points and Child of Eden continues this through the “series”. The soundtrack is infectious and you’ll be playing it back in your head long after you stop playing.
Plot wise it’s pretty much the same. There’s a girl personality trapped behind a security network and you have to shoot down the firewalls that are keeping her imprisoned. You really don’t need anymore so isn’t really an issue.
Overall the game has a very arcade feel to it. Like most arcade games there isn’t many levels, each of the five levels are meant to be replayed until you master them. There’s a good set of Achievements that will prolong Child of Eden’s life, ranging from the simple to the very tough.
A when I say tough I mean it. Getting the highest rank isn’t easy and requires almost perfect play. That means not only shooting down everything, but in do so achieving perfect octo-locks constantly. The window for these is very tight and I find myself counting to the beats to hit them. Even after shooting everything down, collecting every support item and achieving a fair number of perfect octo-locks the best I’ve managed so far is only four stars (out of five, I hope).
If you enjoy mastering a game to perfection Child of Eden offers a lot for you, but others may just find it frustrating (especially since it lacks a restart level option).
Like I said earlier Child of Eden is the game Rez wanted to be. Perfectly combining shooting and music in a unique way and presented in a beautifully trippy way. Easy to get into, difficult to master but with plenty of replay value, Child of Eden is a fantastic game. More than worth the £20 it is right now.
8/10
Now I didn’t think much of Rez, I thought it was a restrictive overrated and very gimmicky shooter. Considering the excellent Panzer Dragoon series was in this genre, I couldn’t overlook how much more basic it was. What I mean is that while they are both on rails you could look around in full 360 in Panzer; Rez restricted you to the area ahead of you. A big step back.
A game should compete with others in its genre, especially one released several years before. Rez did not and focused on gimmicks such as wireframe graphics and making pretty noises whenever you hit something. An Average shooter hiding behind gimmicky features that did nothing for its gameplay.
Now, ten years later we get a sequel or more of a spiritual successor in the form of Child of Eden. Now to be honest this game didn’t interest me, I didn’t even realise it was a shooter. But I heard good things about it and when I saw it for under £20 (shopto.net if you’re interested) I decided to go for it. I am very happy I did because in short Child of Eden is the game Rez wanted to be.
Gone are the wireframe graphics and instead we get beautiful, colourful levels that are very trippy. The developers must have been smoking some pretty strong stuff to come up with what they did. The overall effect is a stylish, unique and simply gorgeous visual experience which very few games can offer.
But it’s more that just amazing visuals. Gameplay wise is a huge improvement. This may seem like a strange comment but moving from third person to first makes it feel less restrictive than Rez. It feels more like a lightgun game, and comparing this to them you do have more freedom in where you can look. What I mean is the edges expand giving a bigger screen.
Unlike Lightgun games this is not about quick reflexes, well not at first, or hitting secret small targets in the background. It is what Rez wanted it to be, a blend of shooting and music, perfectly summarised through the perfect octo-lock system.
Unlike Rez, Child of Eden actually uses the music, the beat of it that is, to create a good gameplay mechanic. After locking onto 8 targets if you release in perfect timing to the beat of the music you will perform a perfect octo-lock. These increase your score multiplier and are the key to the higher ranks.
This Bemani element actually gives the “Synesthesia” element a purpose, unlike Rez where it was just hit something, make pretty music (which is still in Child of Eden).
Also added to Child of Eden is a second “tracer” weapon, a free shooting but less accurate weapon that doesn’t lock on. This is more of a defensive weapon used to shoot down projectiles before they hit you. So you generally use your lock on to shoot down enemies, while the tracer protects you from projectiles. Balancing the two is the key to getting through the later stages, particularly in the unlockable hard mode.
Music was one of Rez’s strong points and Child of Eden continues this through the “series”. The soundtrack is infectious and you’ll be playing it back in your head long after you stop playing.
Plot wise it’s pretty much the same. There’s a girl personality trapped behind a security network and you have to shoot down the firewalls that are keeping her imprisoned. You really don’t need anymore so isn’t really an issue.
Overall the game has a very arcade feel to it. Like most arcade games there isn’t many levels, each of the five levels are meant to be replayed until you master them. There’s a good set of Achievements that will prolong Child of Eden’s life, ranging from the simple to the very tough.
A when I say tough I mean it. Getting the highest rank isn’t easy and requires almost perfect play. That means not only shooting down everything, but in do so achieving perfect octo-locks constantly. The window for these is very tight and I find myself counting to the beats to hit them. Even after shooting everything down, collecting every support item and achieving a fair number of perfect octo-locks the best I’ve managed so far is only four stars (out of five, I hope).
If you enjoy mastering a game to perfection Child of Eden offers a lot for you, but others may just find it frustrating (especially since it lacks a restart level option).
Like I said earlier Child of Eden is the game Rez wanted to be. Perfectly combining shooting and music in a unique way and presented in a beautifully trippy way. Easy to get into, difficult to master but with plenty of replay value, Child of Eden is a fantastic game. More than worth the £20 it is right now.
8/10
posted by Master hunter at 1:27 pm
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