No one was ready for the explosion of light, sound, vibration and interactivity when Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s synaesthetic masterpiece hit the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 in 2001.
Rez delivered a gestalt, multi-sensory experience where its component parts gelled into something new with its own brilliant shine. Shoot a fractal-looking neon weirdie and a chain reaction ensued: it bloomed into a new, transient shape, added a distinct percussion to the throbbing soundtrack and created a unique vibration in your game controller. This sensory overload happened in the midst of a virtual reality storyline where you hacked into a self-aware computer network grappling with big, what-does-it-all-mean existential questions.
Taken all together, Rez gives you something to see, feel, do, hear and ponder at the same time. Art excites the mind and moves the soul, right? Well, then Rez is art.