[Mechanical R]

Drum and Bass rail shooter gets a healthy Rezurrection…

To prevent a supercomputer from collapsing within itself you, an unnamed hacker take on the system Eden to make your way through the programs to save it and take out any firewalls and virus’s on your way.

The game has received a major enhancement in graphics and really makes having a HD TV to flaunt its full potential an enjoyment to experience. The graphics really add to the feel the game creates with its visual style and connections with the music.

To those unfamiliar with Rez’s style of gameplay here’s a quick intro to it. The game style is a simple rail shooter progressing through levels of enemies with a boss at the end. Each level is split into 10 sections where you must eliminate all enemies and shoot at an item to progress to the next section. Now, here is where we take your usual expectations and jumble it up a bit.

The games main focus is around the music featured in it. These tracks are drum and bass/trance tracks which start off rather simple but as you progress to the next levels the sounds become more complex and interesting. Along with this, the sounds of shooting and eliminating enemies is also timed with the music, the destruction of an enemy results in sounds like drum beats and other trance sounds ultimately building up on the song.

Your avatar and background also pulsate to the beat of the music along with the vibration of the pad in time as well. This though in words may not sound like much of an effect but whilst in play can really give a feel of involvement in the game even in a sub conscious kind of level. The songs are all different for each level and are really well made as well as good to listen to, even on a casual level.

The game has 4 official levels with extra levels and game types to unlock. Those who really enjoy the game and play it a lot get rewarded with extra features that the game doesn’t boast about. If a lot of people knew more about these extras people would know to play it for longer.

It’s good to see the games making a comeback and ultimately a brilliant visual feast for your HD TV to lap up. Even those without a HD TV will enjoy its visual style. And even if you’re a d’n’b/trance fan you’ll probably like this game more than you’d think. However with bringing it to the Xbox Live Arcade something like a multiplayer or online would have been nice.

Rating: 7.5

Published by: Q Entertainment
Developed by: HexaDrive / Q Entertainment
Genre: Shooter
Number of Players: 1
Features: 16:9 Support, 720p Support, Dolby Digital 5.1

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