Child of Eden is the spiritual successor to cult PS2 shoot-em-up classic, Rez. Using Kinect, the game combines visuals, music and movement together into a coherent rhythmic sensory experience. The title wowed audiences when it was first revealed at last year's E3, and has long been anticipated as one of the strongest core-game prospects for Kinect. We spoke to Q Entertainment founder and Rez creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi about the boundless source of his inspiration, and found out about his tentative plans to develop a social-networking title in the future.
Who's your favourite musical artist at the moment?
That is special. Because I'm trying to make the project - I'm trying to make a music project myself so - I'm always trying to make it better and better... It's very weird all the time, even with games; before I decided I would be a game designer - before that - I played games many, many, many, times... many games. But after that, I almost stopped playing other people's games; and the music is the same.
Because you're so busy with your own projects...
I don't know why, but I have no inspirations - fresh inspirations - from other people's games. So always... this is my job... I have to think about the idea - very fresh. So the inspirations exist outside the game, outside of the music. I don't know, so... but this is my, maybe... karma, or something. [laughs]
I know in the past you've talked about this idea of synaesthesia, and experiencing colours and sounds together. Does motion control - plus sound, plus visuals - add a new dimension to the experience? Is that important for you?
Yeah, this is very important; it's like a conducting experience. So, if you move, and you can play the music, with visuals... yeah, this is a very nice experience. And also in the future - not so far future - if you have 3D glasses, you can maybe touch the flow, and making the 3D visuals and the music combined... melting... chemistry... so... yeah, this is very nice. But this is not so far in the future; we are standing now at the entrance, almost.
I know you've spoken in the past about Society of Mind, and that that's been an inspiration for you...
Why do you know that? [laughs]
Just been doing my research.... is the world of Eden in some sense a mind? The archives...
Right. Right. Right.
Oh, okay, it is?
Right.
Okay, great.
Right. [laughs]
So you're going through and you're purifying this mind, and making it a healthier place I suppose... Are there any Biblical themes in there?
How do you mean?
Well obviously it's called Eden... Is that an influence at all there... or... not really?
So, no special Bible [influence], but Eden is like just an image for everybody. Worlds like Eden exist in any type of religion, not only... you know... Christianity. I think in many many - it's like in Islam too - that kind of a concept exists. And maybe - I guess - it's gonna be the root of all eras, so.. unknown era - so maybe this is a metaphor for human being - whole human being. So what is our form, or what is our place. The moods. And Child of Eden, this is a future story; Eden is like the future internet, maybe two hundred years later, and the archive is getting hi-def, hi-rez - maybe 3D - whatever, so almost like realistic. And then, the people are getting spread into space; maybe some people are born in outer space, and die. And everybody's thinking about; where from?.. and Eden is like a huge, huge archive for every human being in space... so this is the concept.
Lumi is the first human being to be born in outer space; so, you know, we are making an outer space station, and people already are based in the station, and maybe soon, somebody will have a baby..? So maybe.. what is a nationality?... and I think there is no nationality... and a new point of view: no border from here. Our mind, consciousness will change soon; so the new point of view, will make the new consciousness. We just knew - you know, 46-7 years ago - we are living in just one little climate, but its a very fresh fresh experience for the human being. And I try to combine those kind of elements into Child of Eden's story. So in the future, future scientists are trying to integrate Lumi's archive - because she was the first human being, and every idea was archived - future scientists are trying to reproduce her consciousness in Eden. Then, viruses are coming, and so Lumi wakes up in Eden, and the viruses are coming... yeah this is kinda a metaphor. This is a future story but, yeah, it's also very...
In terms of the themes of the le
vels - are you trying to capture one specific theme or emotion with each level, or is each level more like a journey? What are you hoping for the player to feel?
Journey?
Journey [One level in the game is called 'Journey'].
So Journey is the journey [laughs]. So I think the most important archive for me... so we can't show Journey yet, because we want the people to play this archive in a very fresh fresh way. so I want to have the reaction of the people after they play the Journey archive - what did you feel? And this is very important. This is the very core, heart, of Child of Eden. So after Journey you can play the other Hope archive... so... this is very good; if you love Rez, this is very good. And we also made many items and secret hidden... something.
So, following on from Child of Eden, obviously now you've got the sound, you've got the visuals, you've got Move, maybe you've got 3D as well... What do you want to do next after this?
I'm really excited about like a smartphone phenomenon, like a SMS phenomenon, like Facebook and Twitter, and people playing a free game; a free game on smartphone, you know, worldwide. So, I feel something... so this is not the - not like this - but this is also, the interactive game experience. So different wants, of the human being; different basic instincts of the human being, you know, we want to connect. And so, connecting... I don't know, something. And... I have no... clear image yet, but I will do something... not only a music based experience, but I have no answer yet. [laughs]
Is there was any chance of another Meteos game, maybe on 3DS?
Yeah... I have no plan... but hmmm... Let me think... [laughs].
TVG would like to thank Mitzuguchi-san for taking the time to speak with us about Child of Eden, which is due out on Xbox 360 and PS3 (Kinect and Move compatible) on June 17th.