Rez Infinite

Rez Infinite is a modern reworking of the cult music-action shooter Rez from the early 2000s, in which the player flies through an abstract, wireframe digital space and shoots geometric enemies in time with electronic music, with every hit and sound becoming part of a track the game generates in real time. In the PSVR version this concept gains a new dimension, because the spatial perception of the wireframe world and the feeling of flying through abstract tunnels feel far more intense thanks to the headset than on a regular screen. The avatar character controlled by the player gradually transforms and expands along with the progress of the track, which visually symbolizes the connection between human consciousness and the digital space the player moves through.

Infinite additionally adds a brand-new, exclusive stage called Area X, created specifically for virtual reality, which further develops the original game's synthetic, minimalist aesthetic into a fully three-dimensional space. The visual style combines simple geometric shapes with intense color effects that react to the music, and it is precisely this synesthetic combination of sound, light, and movement that is the main reason the game is still cited today as one of the platform's strongest sensory experiences. The game also includes a special mode in which the Move controller in the player's hand vibrates in time with the bassline, so the sensation of the music literally passes through touch as well.

At release, Rez Infinite was received as proof that old, seemingly abstract game concepts can find entirely new justification in VR. Critics repeatedly praised how naturally the music-action mechanic connected with the headset's spatial perception, and the title became one of the reference points for discussions of how virtual reality can elevate a game's artistic side beyond a mere technical attraction.

Why play: For the way the music-action mechanic connects with the headset's spatial perception, it stands as proof of how VR can elevate a game's artistic side beyond a mere technical attraction.