In this age of shooters, where games are hell bent on death and destruction, is there room for a change of pace? Can we return to a peaceful and tranquil place of vibrant colors and soothing music? Can Child of Eden carve out its own niche in this current violent landscape? Read our review to find out.
Child of Eden is a rhythm action game, with a shooter element mixed in, created by Tetsuya Mizuguchi, best known for Rez, developed by Q Entertainment and published by Ubisoft. The game was originally designed for the Kinect for the Xbox 360 but is now available for the PlayStation 3 with Move compatibility. It can be played using the Move controller or with the standard Dualshock 3 controller.
In the distant future, the first person born on the International Space Station is Lumi. As she grows up, she longs to feel and experience the glories of Planet Earth. She expresses these thoughts and feelings through music and song, and sends these messages onto the people of Earth. Upon her death, her body is preserved and all of her memories are recorded and archived as data. Many years later, all known data is added into the internet-like archives and the archives become known as Eden. Scientists attempt to recreate the persona of Lumi within these confines. It is up to you, the player, to remove any and all viruses. Save Eden and you’ll save Lumi.
Gameplay is pretty straightforward. Use your c0ntroller to aim your reticle to lock-on and destroy “viruses” that appear on the screen. You will travel down a somewhat linear path, so the objects are always easy to locate. Using an Octo-lock laser, you can take out up to eight objects at once. Your reticule will glow when eight objects are locked. There’s also a Tracer which is a rapid fire weapon that is needed to take out enemy fire and all purple colored objects.
Gameplay is enhanced by music that is affected by your actions. The music is a mix of soothing tones with some techno beats mixed in. Your actions in the game creates beats that mix into the surrounding sound and creates a more in-depth experience. Both visual and aural elements are used to create a unique experience to try to generate an emotional response in the player. The story and fate of Lumi becomes central to this aspect as you try your best to protect this young, innocent child from an onslaught of viruses.
The graphics for the game are top notch. It is a very beautiful game, with unique objects floating and flying around the screen. The variety of objects from level to level does attempt to keep the repetitiveness down.The viruses in the game have unique looks to them and some are very detailed. Mix in the beautiful ambiance music, and you have a very appealing game.
There are only five different levels, but there are three different difficulties. Hard difficulty is locked until you complete all of the levels. Purifying each level and collecting all of the unlockables does give the game some replayabilty. The levels are called Matrix, Evolution, Beauty, Passion, and Journey. Once completed, they are replayable. This gives you the chance to completely clear them and improve on your overall score. Even with some replayability, the game isn’t going to be time consuming.
Child of Eden is a unique experience for the PS3 that goes a long way towards creating a game that can generate empathy within its players. Not only did we want to save Lumi, but we also wanted to purify her world 100%. We aren’t sure why this wasn’t a downloadable title for a lower price, but it is still a great experience.
If you are looking for a relaxing way to use your Move Controller, look no further.
Nicely done Mr. Mizuguchi. Nicely done.
