Abstract polygons will be flying over your head as you shoot your way through psychedelic tunnels this fall. Rez Infinite, the remastered version of the cult rail-shooter Rez, which originally debuted back in 2001 for Dreamcast and PlayStation 2, will be released this year on October 13, the same date as PlayStation VR.
Rez Infinite was first introduced at PlayStation Experience in December 2015, together with a slew of other games coming to the headset. Development is in progress at Q Entertainment, the studio behind titles like puzzle games Lumines and Every Extend Extra. Under the supervision of director Tetsuya Mizuguchi, the studio has become well-known for games that combine gameplay with music to create a sense of synesthesia.
In Lumines you combined squares of two different colors to form one-colored squares. Every action taken by the player produced a sound of some kind, and events like disappearing squares and special effects also synchronized with the music in the game. Features like these were first introduced with Rez — nothing like it had been seen before its release, and it’s often referred to as the first time people thought of a game as a piece of art. Discussions on gaming and art still use it as an example today.
Upgraded graphics and support for PlayStation VR are two of the major features with this remaster (an earlier remaster was released to the Xbox 360 in 2008, which also featured improved visuals). This latest version is being called “the ultimate version of Sega’s classic psychedelic rail-shooter adventure Rez, fully remastered and evolved, including VR support and additional new content, all by members of the original development team.” Further details regarding added features haven’t been announced, but fans around the world are looking forward to the release. Two decades worth of generations have passed, so the fact that the game is still being remastered speaks for its value as a historical landmark in the industry.
Rez Infinite will launch on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation VR on October 13, 2016.
