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Video Game: Rez

Ooooo... trippy.

Rez is a Rail Shooter by Sega that's set in a futuristic computer supernetwork called the K-project where much of the data flow is controlled by an AI named Eden. Eden has become overwhelmed with the amount of knowledge gathered on the network, causing her to doubt her existence and enter a shutdown sequence, which will mess things up big time since society as a whole depends too much on technology. The gamer plays a hacker, logging into the K-project system to reboot Eden while destroying any viruses or firewalls that happen to inhibit progress, and analyzing other sub-areas of the network to gain access to Eden's location.

The game's music and sound react to the player's actions in a way that allows you to partially compose the BGM as you play. A very trippy game that did not get the commercial success it deserved.

Rez was released on both the Sega Dreamcast and the PlayStation 2 in November 2001 in Japan, and in early 2002 in Europe and North America (though North America did not get the Dreamcast release). Due to its weak sales, it soon became a rare gem. However, thanks to the release of Rez HD on Xbox Live Arcade in 2008, anyone with a Xbox 360 and access to Xbox Live can now not only enjoy the game for 10 dollars (at least in the U.S.), but with even more stunning high-definition visuals and discrete 5.1 channel audio as well.

It has received a sequel, Child of Eden, utilizing Microsoft's new Kinect interface. The trailer also indicates a PS3 release, probably utilizing Playstation 3's new Move interface. It is about eliminating viruses in order to secure the first AI "birth", Lumi, the AI duplication of the first space-born human girl.

These games contain examples of:

After Boss Recovery: Not with the stage 1-4 bosses, but after defeating each of the Personal Firewalls guarding the last boss, you get health and overdrives (if you can snatch them up fast enough).
A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Kind of. It's not really Eden going evil so much as her having a massive breakdown.
All There in the Manual: The story for both Rez and Child of Eden is in both manuals and supplemental material, including the origin of the latter's titular character.
Ancient Egypt / Pyramid Power: The design motif for Area 1.
Ancient Greece: The design motif for Area 2.
And I Must Scream: Implied by the system if you lose to the boss:
The system is trying to shut down, trapping you inside! Defend yourself until [Earth/Mars/Venus/Uranus].GIGA/TERA is destroyed or self-destructs!
Arabian Nights Days: The design motif for Area 3.
Beehive Barrier: Venus's shell.
Bishonen Line: Followed by the player, unusually; each level-up makes the humanoid player avatar slightly less abstract- except the penultimate form is a glowing sphere, and the ultimate form? A 2001-style space fetus.
Bonus Dungeon: The Lost Area.
Boss Rush: An unlockable mode. In addition, the last boss features abbreviated versions of the first 4 bosses before you fight the real thing.
Brown Note: The game's mission statement.
Content Warnings: Both Rez and Child of Eden warn players susceptible to seizures that they might to exercise caution playing.
Cores and Turrets Boss: Earth, the Area 1 boss. Venus, the Area 3 boss has a massive wall of turrets as its outermost protective layer.
Cyberspace
Cyberpunk Is Techno: Both artistically and musically.
Deadly Walls: The second phase of Mars, the Area 2 boss.
Extreme Graphical Representation
Fan Nickname: The Lost Area is occasionally referred to as "Area 0" (it doesn't even have a boss battle). The giant cylindrical ship you meet about halfway through the Area 5 stage sometimes gets the name "S.S.^noteor USS or HMS Sigmund Freud.''
Guest Fighter: The Morolian from Space Channel 5.
Hollywood Hacking: Not as absurd as Hackers, but close.
Jidai Geki: The design motif for Area 4.
Joke Character: The Morolian. It's essentially like being on the Zeroth Form (making you a One Hit Point Wonder) and you can't go up a form (meaning you always stay that way). It's basically there as a Self-Imposed Challenge and, of course, as a Shout Out to Space Channel 5.
Lighter and Softer: Child of Eden.
Macross Missile Massacre: A common tactic of many bosses and occasionally a few enemies. Can be one of the most dangerous parts of a fight because unlike in many games, there's no way to dodge attacks, so you have to shoot down every missile. If you get overwhelmed you can go from 5th form to game over in a few seconds.
- YMMV . Projectiles as part of a missile/bullet spam that can actually damage you are differently colored, so experienced and/or astute players can shoot those down and ignore the rest.
Marathon Boss: The bosses of Area 2 and Area 5.
Master Computer: Eden.
Mind Screw: Pretty much the entire game, but especially the Trance Mission mode, whose BGM is complete cacophony.
Multiple Endings: A Its A Wonderful Failure for losing to the Area 5 boss, a partial ending for defeating it, a Gainax Ending for defeating it and staying in your final form, and a Golden Ending for defeating it while in your final form and get a 100% clear in the whole game.
Nintendo Hard: Surprisingly averted, for a game that shares a lot of tropes with ShootEmUps. You die in one hit, have no mid-stage checkpoints and have to shoot down waves of enemies, but the game isn't especially hard, since you lock onto enemies instead of having to manually shoot them.
- However, getting the good ending is extremely Nintendo Hard as it requires you to complete the fifth level and defeat the final boss while in the final form i.e. you must not take a single hit throughout the entire level and boss fight.
  - There's also a best ending which not only requires you to finish in final form, but take out every single enemy in the final stage. It should be noted that the relative length of the final stage, plus the fact that certain targets on the final boss drop Progress Nodes, mean it's very possible (but much harder) to fulfill the criteria after taking a hit or two.
One Hit Point Wonder: Each form can only take one hit before you go down to the next one. If you get hit when you're playing as the zeroth form, it's game over. You start at first form and can rank up by collecting pick-ups from enemies.
- There's also an unlockable Morolian skin. When using it, you're a true One Hit Point Wonder since you can't upgrade your form.
Power Perversion Potential: In Japan, the game shipped with what was called The Trance Vibrator. Designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi says it has "no sexual meaning"...right. The Xbox Live Arcade remake offers vibration for three more controllers in lieu of Trance Vibrator support.
Rhythm Game: Sort of. You hear beating musics in place of sounds when you do aim and fire.
Scenery Porn
Scoring Points: Score Attack mode. Optimal scoring strategies revolve around getting as many x8 lockons as you can. Unfortunately, so is dragging on boss battles.
Secret Level: Lost Area in Rez, Hope in Child of Eden.
Sequential Boss: Venus has three parts—a massive wall of laser turrets, seemingly endless streams of manic flying fish, and the core itself.
- Eden, the boss of Area 5 treads the line between this and a Boss Rush.
Shoot The Bullet: Because the game is a rail shooter and you usually have no way to move your character, shooting down bullets, missiles, and whatever else is aimed at you is the only way you can defend yourself.
Smart Bomb: The overdrives. in Rez, Euphoria in Child of Eden.
The World Is Just Awesome: The final stage, when you're floating above the world, and after going through the evolution cycle set up throughout the rest of the stage.
Updated Rerelease: The PS2 rerelease, as well as Rez HD on XBLA.
Variable Mix: By far one of the most prominent examples outside of a Rhythm Game.
Wake Up Call Boss: Mars.TERA is far stronger than its own .GIGA counterpart, let alone Earth from Area 1. It throws barrier walls at the player twice as often (including mixing in walls that are twice as powerful), and its tentacle-guns fire much more often and rapidly.
What Do You Mean, It's Not Symbolic?: The AI's name is Eden. Area 5 is a tour of the evolution of life from single-celled organisms, to sea life, to the migration to land, and ultimately, either leaving Earth to colonize other planets or the Ascent To A Higher Plane Of Existence (depending on your interpretation).