Rez Infinite review for PC

Rez is my Doom. What I mean is that this is a game which I will always buy when it releases on a new platform. Back in the day I was one of those suckers who paid a high price for this game on Dreamcast after it became a breakout hit. The game’s creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi really made something special back in the day and once the gaming world found out, we paid through the nose to experience it! Ever since then, I have bought a copy from the PS2 onward.

Well, that is until Rez Infinite. It was marketed as a big deal for PSVR and I had Rez HD on the Xbox 360 which lead to me dragging my feet on this version. Once it was announced for Steam, I knew the wait had paid off! Finally, one of gaming-s best on-rails shooters has made its way to the most ubiquitous gaming platform.

It goes without saying that the PC version of many games is now considered to be the definitive version as models can go in years later and still make adjustments. That is only part of the reason, since the other half of the equation is how PC gaming allows for more powerful hardware that is always able to be upgraded in different capacities.

This is why my poor version of Rez HD is locked in at the resolution, framerate, and features that the Xbox 360 provided. But you don’t need me to tell you about the difference of PC gaming and its benefits over consoles.

I played through Rez Infinite immediately and everything is just as amazing as I remember. It’s been a few years since I played Rez HD and this hits the spot. Now that the graphics can be pushed to higher levels of antialiasing and texture filtering, the game’s vector visuals truly shine. Everything is crisp and colorful, just like you remember it.

On the other side of the coin, I now have the option to render Rez in a lower graphical setting that more closely resembles the aliased lines on Dreamcast and PS2. Some may think this is stupid, but hey it’s possible and I kind of like this look once in a while. It’s really nostalgic!

You can even adjust the vibration on your controller, as well as adding extra ones for a more immersive experience. This trance vibration feature has been an experimental feature since the vibrator accessory on PlayStation 2 (or the extreme, one-of-a-kind synesthesia suit Mizuguchi showed off for the PlayStation version). If you have extra controllers lying around, I suggest hooking them up and placing them nearby for an idea of how they feel during the game.

Touching briefly on the audio, the developers went all-out and remastered the mix which sounds great. The audio here is referred to as 3D audio which lends itself to an immersive experience and should bring the game’s VR mode to another level.

As for Rez Infinite’s release on Steam, you’re able to take advantage of the VR capabilities that were introduced on the PlayStation 4. This time it’s the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive that are supported. I don’t have any VR equipment and wasn’t able to try this mode, but I haven’t heard any complaints from those who have. I did see Rez on PSVR at a convention once, and if it’s anything like the PS4 version then those with a headset are in for a real treat.

There’s not much left to say about Rez Infinite. It’s the classic on-rails shooter with style, and all the extras from each iteration since the original. It’s also about half the cost of its release back in the day, and I would have gladly paid $50 to have this in my Steam library. As I mentioned, this is a game which I will always be collecting as it releases on each platform. Now that the game is available on Steam it feels like the culmination of what Rez will achieve. This version will always be with you as long as you have a computer, and I find that incredibly satisfying.