Child of Eden
A musical rail shooter purging viruses from a virtual Eden.
Child of Eden, a 2011 musical rail shooter for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, was developed by Q Entertainment and published by Ubisoft. The game, a spiritual successor to 2001's Rez, aims to evoke synesthesia in players. It was conceived by Q Entertainment founder Tetsuya Mizuguchi, marking his final major project with the company.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Q Entertainment
- Publisher
- Ubisoft
- Director
- Tetsuya Mizuguchi
- Producer
- Sawako Yamamoto; James Mielke
- Designer
- Eiichiro Ishige
- Programmer
- Osamu Kodera; Takanori Uchida
- Artist
- Makoto Takanashi
- Writer
- Tetsuya Mizuguchi; Alexis Nolent
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Child of Eden is a musical rail shooter split into six levels called Archives, five forming the main campaign and a sixth unlocked as a post-game challenge. Each Archive is replayable and changes depending on the player's performance and style of play in the previous run. The player navigates from a first-person on-rails perspective, using an aiming reticle, a health meter, and a limited number of screen-clearing Euphoria Bombs. Enemies called viruses can be attacked with a lock-on missile that targets up to eight foes at once, or with a purple rapid fire. If eight enemies are locked on and the attack is launched in time with the music, a score bonus is granted. Using the lock-on attack increases the score multiplier. Purified enemies may drop health orbs or Euphoria Bombs, but using Euphoria Bombs reduces the player's rank. Difficulty levels include Easy, Normal, and Hard, with Easy removing the threat of damage. Completing levels unlocks decorations for Lumi's Garden, a customizable home screen, and feats unlock concept art, music videos, and sound and visual options. Scores can be posted to online leaderboards. Motion controls are available via Kinect on Xbox 360 and PlayStation Move on PlayStation 3, with different actions mapped to hand and arm movements or swiping and stabbing motions.
Synopsis
Set centuries after humanity left Earth, the story of Child of Eden unfolds through its sights and sounds. By 2219, the internet has become Eden, a virtual repository of all human knowledge. Scientists attempt to revive Lumi, the first human born in space, using her preserved memories stored in the Archives. A sudden viral infection threatens both Eden and Lumi, and the player must cleanse each Archive section, facing a powerful virus boss in each one. As the viruses are purged, Lumi’s memories and personality are restored, enabling her to sing and fill Eden with positive emotion.
Development
Child of Eden was developed by Q Entertainment, with the concept created by Tetsuya Mizuguchi, who had worked on Rez and Space Channel 5 at Sega. After leaving Sega in 2003, Mizuguchi co-founded Q Entertainment and produced the Lumines series. He also created the music group Genki Rockets, whose music video Heavenly Star inspired him to create a new project around the group and its fictional singer Lumi. Mizuguchi described Child of Eden as a spiritual successor to Rez, allowing him to develop ideas left out of Rez due to technical limitations. Production began in 2008. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot contacted Mizuguchi about his next project, and after Ubisoft demonstrated the Kinect peripheral, Mizuguchi incorporated motion controls. Traditional controls were retained for additional sensory elements. The working title was Eden. Originally planned as a PS3 exclusive with Move, the 360 version with Kinect was pushed for, leading to a software environment compatible with both systems. The development team consisted of 25 people, most unfamiliar with Rez. Mizuguchi acted as director and co-wrote the scenario with Alexis Nolent. The game was co-produced by Sawako Yamamoto and James Mielke, with lead designer Eiichiro Ishige. It was Mizuguchi's last major project before leaving Q Entertainment in 2013.
Reception
Critical reception was generally positive according to Metacritic. Reviewers commonly praised the visuals and music, and noted the Kinect implementation as better than many other titles. Recurring complaints focused on the short length and lack of unlockable content. The game was nominated at the 2011 Golden Joystick Awards for Best Music-based Game and at the 2012 British Academy Games Awards for Game Innovation. Edge named it a runner-up for their visual award in 2012. Famitsu praised the motion controls and visual style despite the short length. Jose Otero of 1Up.com found Kinect his preferred way to play, but faulted a lack of experimentation compared to Rez. Edge called it a masterclass in audio design and the emotive power of CG imagery. Simon Parkin of Eurogamer felt the game was best played with a controller due to vibration feedback and Kinect issues. Guy Cocker of GameSpot noted Kinect difficulties but praised music and visual design. Annette Gonzalez of Game Informer lauded the aesthetic and Kinect use despite the short length. GameTrailers described it as more of a musical experience than a traditional video game. Kristine Steimer of IGN praised the soundtrack and gameplay but faulted the short length and lack of extras. Joystiq's Griffin McElroy gave a perfect score, calling it absolutely essential despite its short length and high price. Adam Rosenberg of X-Play noted high difficulty in later levels and the need to replay levels.
More in Ubisoft Games
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced