"It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances..." - Oscar Wilde
Rez is, in a word, cool. It's very cool. It looks cool. It sounds cool. Its music is cool. It's a playable screensaver; this is a compliment. Sit back. Relax. Vibe. Let this masterfully crafted psychedelic cyberpunk demo-disc wash over you. It is a beautiful game, but beauty is skin deep. A criticism that will likely be lobbed in the direction of Rez is that its gameplay lacks depth. And this is true. Mechanically, it's a bit shallow. And I would be lying if I said I didn't want a bit more going on in the gameplay department. Maybe some kind of rhythm component.
But to say that Rez is "pretty but shallow" is wrong. Rez does not lack depth in spite of its aesthetics; its aesthetics are its depth. It is visually and sonically a delight in every way. That's not shallowness. That's what beauty is.
Rez is, in a word, cool. It's very cool. It looks cool. It sounds cool. Its music is cool. It's a playable screensaver; this is a compliment. Sit back. Relax. Vibe. Let this masterfully crafted psychedelic cyberpunk demo-disc wash over you. It is a beautiful game, but beauty is skin deep. A criticism that will likely be lobbed in the direction of Rez is that its gameplay lacks depth. And this is true. Mechanically, it's a bit shallow. And I would be lying if I said I didn't want a bit more going on in the gameplay department. Maybe some kind of rhythm component.
But to say that Rez is "pretty but shallow" is wrong. Rez does not lack depth in spite of its aesthetics; its aesthetics are its depth. It is visually and sonically a delight in every way. That's not shallowness. That's what beauty is.