Episode 91: Rez

Retro Spectives

Rez, first released in 2001 for the Dreamcast and PS2, is many things. It's a rail shooter, heralded as one of the greats of a now mostly dead genre. It's a visual assault on the senses, with its pulsating neon wireframes and insanely animated boss fights. It's an audio hallucinatory trip, with musical beats emanating from every killed enemy, and every shot fired rapping like a snare drum. It is, in short, an experience unlike any other.

But for all its uniqueness, is Rez a game worth your time to play today? Or does it only survive in our memories on novelty alone?

On this episode, we discuss:

• In what ways does Rez deliver its audio-visual experience? Is there something special about its fusion of audio and animation, or is it just another bland rendition of cyberspace?
• How good is the music of Rez, and how much control do you as the player have over the music? Is the player in sync with the melody, or does the game not give enough tools to the player to immerse themselves wholly in the soundtrack?
• What is the gameplay actually like in Rez? Is it fun to actually shoot down the enemies on screen? Or does its simplicity undermine the experience by becoming tedious?

We answer these questions and many more on the 91st episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!

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Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K

Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another

Rez OST: Various Artists

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Wassily Kandinsky’s Wikipedia Page

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Is the VR version of Rez worth playing through? What Rail shooter should we play next? Is track 3 really the worst of the bunch? Come let us know what you think on our community discord server!