Say no more (well, okay, you can say a *bit* more)

Can you believe Rez is just shy of 20 years old? What a legend.

Rez originally released for the Dreamcast in Japan on Nov?ember 22, 2001, and over the weekend, creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi commented about the game's 19th anniversary and what's coming next.

Yup. Today is Rez’s anniversary😎 Was released on Nov 22, 2001.

Thanks to everyone who played Rez, Child of Eden and Rez Infinite. I and @enhance_exp is moving forward to the new project - totally new adventure wit???h synesthesia.

Thanks for the cool GIF @turfmasta ðŸ‘🻠//t.co/Jby5GUcOK0

— Tetsuya Mizuguchi (@Mizuguchitter) November 22, 2020

Mizuguchi's description – that he's designing a "totally new adventure with synesthesia" – is just detailed enough to get my imag??ination whirling. He's yet to make a game that didn't wow me, and as far as ?synesthesia in gaming goes, he's pretty much the go-to creator. I'm stoked to hear (and feel!) more.

Given that Enhance just got Tetris Effect: Connected out the door on PC and Xbox platforms, and Humanity is seemingly still aiming?? for "2020," the publisher has been on my mind lately. I'm interested in everything they've touched so far, and that goes triple for any Mizuguchi-direct?ed projects.

I'm sure Lumines fans are dying for a substantial sequel, but I'm always down for a "new adventure." As for Rez, the 20th anniversar??y ?will be a special milestone. I hope they roll out the red carpet.

@Mizuguchitter [Twitter]

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He got his chance with the fantastic Tetris Effect

In case you aren't aware, Tetsuya Mizuguchi is a legend. In addition to working on cult favorites like Space Channel 5, he also lent his talents to Rez, Lumines, and Meteos: three of the most recognizable rhythm games in existence. A recent interview in the latest issue of Game Informer brings some of his motivations to light and explains how badly he wanted to work on the Tetris franchise: something he only just got to do with 2018's Tetris Effect.

 Mizuguchi explains that he first came up with the drive to contribute to Tetris in a meaningful way "15 years ago," but "nothing happened at the time." He goes on to say that he was in contact with Henk Rogers, chairman of the Tetris Company, who Mizuguchi calls "a good friend." After a "long creative discussion" they hit it off, and thanks to Mizuguchi's work on Rez and Lumines, they came to an agreement.

Now that it's finally out, he had a few things to share on VR, a feature Tetris Effect uses prominently, noting that the concept as a whole is "still a baby." He expects a shift in the next "20 or 30 years" and credits the "limitless" potential of technology. Mizuguchi says the main reason why his team got the Tetris license (an act he said "wasn't easy") is that he was able to marry the concept of old (classic non-VR Tetris) and new (VR) to provide a unique experi??ence to as many people as?? possible.

I think he accomplished that and man, knowing how long that journey took makes it that much sweeter ??of a story.

Moving to His Own Beat [Game Informer]

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So much more than falling blocks

How do you modernize an icon like Tetris? Simple: You leave the mechanics alone!

Tetris Effect is the same perfect puzzling we know and love, but so much care has gone into enhancing every other facet of the experience. It's Tetris by way of the folks responsible for games like Lumines and Rez Infinite. In short, it's beautiful. Every single level has its own finely-tuned visual theme, sound effects, and music, and? all of those elements exist solely to put ??you in your own little zen world.

I knew Tetris Effect would ?be good, but I vastly underestimated just how en??grossing it could be.

Tetris Effect (PS4, PlayStation VR)
Developer: Monstars Inc., Resonair
Publisher: Enhance
Released: November 9, 2018
MSRP: $39.99

I've always liked Tetris and its various offshoots, but I have never been anywhere near this obsessed with improving my scores. Part of that stems from the grading system, which feels tough but fair to an average-at-best player like me. Earn a C in one of the many side modes, an??d you won't want to rest until you've bumped that grade up to a B (then an A, and an S, and so on). Even if you come up short, you're still earning experience points for your profile every step of the way. While I fully recognize that it's a meaningless number attached to an avatar, damn does it feel good to see that ??XP bar fill up.

That positive reinforcement will keep you motivated, but the real draw is the satisfaction of stitching together falling puzzle pieces into a cohesive whole. Despite its lavish visuals, this is still a traditional Tetris game through and through. That said, Tetris Effect does have one trick up its sleeve: a new time-stopping Zone ability that can get you out of a jam or help you maximize your high-score potential. You can't spam it, and it's by no means a get-out-of-jail-free card. The Zone feels like a natural extension of Tetris. To make the most of it, you'll need to ??think multiple steps ahead and be ready to improvise.

The mechanic is also thematically appropriate. Tetris Effect is immersive in every sense of the word. The two dozen or so main story levels have themes ranging from tropical to urban to cosmic, and they aren't just pretty backgrounds. Every stage has custom visuals and sound effects for the puzzle pieces. As you clear lines, the scenery evolves. The music grows more complex. Your every input affects the audio and the visuals, almost as if you're creating a song through the simple act of playing Tetris. I ?can't undersell how satisfying this feels. It's electric. Tetsuya Mizuguchi fans will know precisel??y what I mean.

It goes without saying, but yes, this is all heightened in virtual reality. Tetris Effect is a must-have for PlayStation VR owners. You do lose some crispnes?s compared to playing on a TV, but the way the world wraps around you in VR and further draws you into the experience more than makes up for it.

Don't feel like you have to own a headset to get the most out of the game, though. It's well worth the $40 asking price even if you only intend to play on a normal screen. Aside from the aforementioned Journey mode, which is compelling enough to warrant revisiting multiple times over, there are numerous Effect modes. I've split my twenty hours ??of playtime evenly between the two offerings.

Effect modes include familiar reflex testers like Sprint (clear 40 lines), Marathon (clear 150 lines), and Ultra (a three-minute time trial). I'm under their constant spell. There are also mind-teasing modes centered around earning All Clears, amassing combos, and wiping individual blocks off the stage. Mystery mode will flip your screen upside down, hand ou??t duplicate blocks, and generally do its best to mess with you. It's a real winner. Several of the Effect modes tread the exact same ground as the story levels, albeit with more of a relaxed approach; apart from them, everything has long-term appeal.

The final piece of the puzzle is the Weekend Ritual, a recurring 24-hour goal for the community to strive toward. If players collectively earn enough points in the designated modes each weekend, they'll unlock special avatars. You can see other players' avatars floating around a globe (I'm rocking a UFO!), and while it sounds cheesy, this helps instill a sense of togetherness. Tetris shouldn't be lonely.

Some people will be disappointed by the lack of competitive modes, and that's fair enough, but don't let their omission bring you down too much. Tetris Effect isn't intended to be a heated head-to-head sort of game. It's more sentimental. Whether you've loved Tetris since the '80s or you've never quite meshed with its status as an all-time classic, you should be able to find something to latch onto here. Seasoned players can tweak the settings just the way they like and tone d??own the visuals. Newcomers can crank up the extravagant effe??cts and relish the whimsical atmosphere. Everyone wins.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game ?provided by the publisher.]}

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Unsurprisingly, it's stellar

Tetris Effect seems poised to cement itself as the go-to modern Tetris, and this weekend is your best bet to check it out before release. Enhance Games has put out a limited-time demo that's now live on PlayStation Network. It's just as mesmerizing as I hoped it would be knowing that Rez creator Tetsuya Mizug??uchi was on board. After finishing Marathon Mode, I felt like I had woken up from a coma.

This trial version is only playable until November 5, 2018, so even though it's a busy weekend with gargantuan games like Red Dead Redemption 2 vying for your time, try not to sleep on Tetris Effect. You'll have access to a few stages a??????????????????????????nd modes, and yes, there's PlayStation VR support.

The classic puzzle mechanics are fine-tuned, the audio and visuals draw you into the zone, and there's also long-term progression and community hooks to keep the average player invested week to week beyond chasing high scores. We've seen so many half-baked Tetris games over the decades that put in the bare-minimum effort. By comparison, Tetris Effect feels like a loving tribute to an all-time great.

I'm confident the game will be a hit with criti??cs, but I hope it also resonates with the mainstream.

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Launching November 9

When I close my eyes throughout the month of November, I'll have visions of falling blocks perfectly slotting together. Tetris Effect launches for PlaySt??ation 4 and PlayStation VR on November 9, 2018.

I was on board the moment I heard this was a Tetris game from Rez and Lumines creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi. It's going to be an audio-visual experience through and through, and you just know the gameplay will be solid. I mean, it's Tetris! Beyond that, m????y PlayStation VR could use some love.

Tetris Effect is touting 30-some stages that change their sound and appearance as you play, multipl?e modes including Marathon, and a new mechanic. You'll be able to enter the Zone to?? stop time and either save yourself from disaster or use your zen moment to pull off a huge score-raising maneuver.

We've seen a ton of so-so Tetris games in the past decade, but I'm feeling hopeful. This should be a great way to close out the rest of the year after big-name releases like Red Dead Redemption 2.

Enhance [Twitter]

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What you doin' in the club on a Thursday?

Rez asks a lot of you before you get past th??e title screen. It begins with a litany of warnings about sensitivity to lights, even without using the optional PlayStation VR accessory, and recommends headphones to bo?ot.

Unlike most? other games though, it actually means it.

Rez Infinite (PS4 [reviewed with PSVR])
Developer: Enhance Games
Publisher: Sony
Released: October 13, 2016
MSRP: $29.99

If you haven't played Rez before, you absolutely should. If you have, welcome back, as Infinite is basically a ??remaster of the first with some new?? bells and [VR] whistles.

A lock-on mechanic and bombs -- that's all you'll get in this on-rails rhythm shoot-'em-up that still hasn't been matched today. The basic gist of this ongoing and esoteric Frank Miller Ronin-esque storyline is that man creates AI, AI becomes self-aware, and identifies its creators as its enemy before shutting down. But instead of James Spader, ?you have a giant digital woman named Eden. The narrative is tenuous and basically non-existent until the lengthy last mission, at which point it throws everything at you at once.

No, you're playing this for the experience, which is not only unique, but challenging as well on higher difficulties. The strategy lies in when to lock-on, and for how long. Since you can't dodge offense is king, and especially important for bosses, as you need to block stray bullets and focus on a weak point to force a phase change during some of the more hectic parts. Alternatively, you can opt t?o pr??y away more "skin" so to speak to locate another weak point. There's only several of them, but the bosses are a rush and worth replaying multiple times.

The journey to get to them isn't so shabby either. Rez's core principle lies in creating music with your firepower, which somehow comes togeth??er in a way that most development teams couldn't fathom. Chaining together attacks is even easier if you can feel the beat, and the soundtrack is still worth rushing out and buying immediately (esp??ecially the drum-heavy stage four theme "Rock is Sponge"). It's not just electronica heavy -- there's some hip-hop and rock themes, which goes nicely with the idea of evolving your character to power-up.

So everything is still good, right, but what about VR? Well, it's not something I'd say Infinite really needs, but it does enhance your various states of euphoria by nature of the sensory deprivation delivery method. With the ability to focus with a helmet on, all outside stimuli and distractions are gone, and odds are you're using headphones by virtue of h?aving the thing on your head. It feels like afterthought, though. In an entire playthrough, I only needed to lean my head back or turn around twice to tag an enemy above or behind me. Granted, these are a few of the most intense sessions I had because of how different fights are with room-scale VR. For those who are curious, you can swap between VR and TV mode at any time outside of a level.

The only real new addition for Infinite besides the alternate viewpoint is "Arena X," which is unlocked after beating the game or failing at it for an hour. No joke, it's basically a 20-minute demo of what a new, built-from-the-ground-up Rez would look like in VR, but it's amazing. Forged by the idea of "seeing sounds," series creator Mizuguchi and his team crafted something really special, and after showing it to my wife, who had never tried Rez before, she noted that it was unlike anything she's ever played. Part of the allure is that this time it's not quite on-rails??, as each area is a small open arena of sorts, and there's a new boost button at ??your disposal to move around. It's a great conversation starter, and for the dedicated few, there's your standard score attack, boss rush, and extra ancillary modes to grind away at.

I don't know how this series keeps holding on, but I'm glad it does. Initially debuting on a Sega platform, it jumped ship to Microsoft, and now, Sony. I don't really care who gets it next, I just want more Rez.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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I'll take buttons, but I'll take another Lumines too

Lumines: Puzzle & Music isn't exactly a follow-up everyone wanted.

Originally created by ?the Tetsuya Mizuguchi for the PSP, the series has garnered a hardcore fanbase for th??e past 12 years -- an audience that really isn't all that interested in playing a mobile rendition of the game. But mobile ports have been big in Japan for the series for many years, the latest of which has made it over to the west by way of Android and iOS.

For those of you who haven't played Lumines before, it's basically its own take on Tetris, but ??with some rhythm mixed in and its own sense of flair. You're basically going to drop different colored blocks down into a giant playing area, and try to make 2x2 same-colored squares out of them, getting appropriate bonuses for chains and combos. The musical element comes in by way of a bar that slowly moves across the screen, which clears out crafted squares a??nd then heads back to the start all over again. Unlockable avatars with unique abilities help shake up the metagame as well.

People love them because they're not only challenging and open-ended at higher difficulty levels, but they also just look and sound great, with impressive electronic-based music and different "skins" that basically amount to dynamic themes that change as you score more points. Having orange and white squares change into blue and teal pearls isn't the most exciting thing to the uninitiated, but to a Lumines player, it's a rela??xing way to break up the hectic sequences of matching.

After playing it for the past few weeks, I can heartily recommend it, even on a mobile device. It takes some getting used to, moving your fingers about to flick blocks and set them into place, but practice makes perfect. Lumines is the kind of game where precision is key, but the grids really help you figure out whe?re you are, and although I was ??initially inclined to boot up my Vita version, I started playing it on my iPhone full time.

You can grab it here on iOS and here on Android for $2.99. There's a free-to-play version coming at some point as well, but it's worth the few bucks you can spend on it now. Play it with your favorite pair of headphones before Apple tri?es t??o snatch those from you too.

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A fitting title for the visionary designer

It's been many years since I've played Lumines on account of having a PlayStation Portable that is somehow both lost and broken, not to mention the fact that I've always been more of a Rez guy, but there's plenty good reason to talk about the musically-gifted puzzler right now -- a new version, Lumines: Puzzle & Music, recently released around the world for iOS and Android.

Now, it may not be your platform of choice for this type of precision-based score-chaser. I get that. But the way I see it, there's at least a silver lining. In this "new era," as designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi calls it, Lumines: Puzzle & Music is availa??ble for mobile devices in 169 countries. There's potential to draw in a far wider audience than the series ever could during the PSP and PlayStation Vita days. "It's a very happy situation for us," he told me this past weekend at PAX West in Seattle.

All you traditionalists out there can think of it this way: the more people who play and support Puzzle & Music, even if mobile gaming isn't to your tastes, the better our chances for another Lumines on different systems. This is one of those game series that will never stop e??volving, we both agreed.

During our chat, I wondered with a mischievous smile if my personal favorite puzzler from Mizuguchi-san (and Smash Bros.' Masahiro Sakurai), Meteos, might also continue to evolve. The question prompted him to pull out his trusty Lumines-branded tin to offer me a mint. If that wasn't code enough ??for "No comment," he politely waited a few ??seconds before saying it in no uncertain terms.

That doesn't mean we can't speculate, though.

Two things. First, Mizuguchi-san is working as a producer on Lumines: Puzzle & Music alongside developer Mobcast, which he calls "a new and young team." So young, in fact, that according to our translator, "they were pr?obably in junior high or high school when the PSP came out."

That energized mix of new blood with veteran designer has proven mutually beneficial, and as for the possibility of another collaboration with the team down the road, I got a short but sweet "Yeah." Second, and more importantly, Mobcast now owns the property rights to Meteos.

I'll take another mint, please!

Going back to Lumines, during his breaks, Mizuguchi-san has kept a watchful eye on the game's shifting sales-chart position, including in countries he hasn't heard of before. Addicting stuff to track, I'd imagine. Relative to the loud and drawn-out marketing pushes we would typically associate with a known IP, Puzzle & Music released under the radar -- first in New Zealand, Australia, and Japan, before hitting the wider world -- so to many of us, it sort of just appeared suddenl??y last week.

I asked him what the early feedback has been like during launch, especially from long-time players. They're calling him "time thief," he said. We all got a good laugh out of that. Mobcast is li??able to steal even more time as it puts out updates and extra packs for the game toward the end of the year.

As a final aside, while brushing up on the history of Lumines for my interview, I learned that Lumines: Electronic Symphony for PlayStation Vita was originally pitched as a "Daft Punk: Lumines," but it didn't pan out that way. In a deeply horrifying twist, I neglected to ask for further details about what that concept could have been like and whether the abandoned idea might still come to fruition. If there's any good left in this world, it better! We need a Daft Punk-infused Lumines game.

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Rez in VR is a 'much higher experience'

If there's one game that'll push me into buying a PlayStation VR this October, it is Rez Infinite. Tetsuya Mizuguchi's musical on-rails shooter holds that much power over me. It's incomparable.

While I haven't yet seen first hand how Rez handles the transition to virtual reality, if literally nothing else, this new version will enable us to play the game again on PlayStation 4 (reminder: PSVR isn't required). And more than being just a straight remaster, Rez Infinite has mysterious new content.

To date, Enhance Games has said little if anything about the game's new zone, "Area X,?" but we have a concept art mock-up, shown above, and a couple seconds of footage, shown at the end of this trailer.

The anticipation is killing me! Over the weekend at PAX West in Seattle, I did my best to get more details about Area X out of Mizuguchi-san. Lately, he's been splitting his time between Rez Infinite and Lumines: Puzzle & Music, which just released worldwide for mobile devices. The latter game was the main focus of the interview appointment, but he was able to sha??re a few?? surprising remarks.

"I cried many times," he said of Rez Infinite's new area, leaving the rest to our imagination. "This is kind of a new experiment [combining Rez with VR]. It's a much higher experience."

Mizuguchi-san said that it has been "very fulfilling" working on Rez with t?he new technology, which seems to me to be an ideal fit for a game so focused on creating a connection between music and player. The immersion of VR is only going to strengthen that bond.

"I have a pretty good amount of confidence that this is the right thing for Rez," he said. "I need your reaction. I need your feedback! Especially from people who know Rez as it is."

That'll have to wait, though. There's just over a month left to go before Rez Infinite hits PS4. As for Xbox One and PC players, I don't have any news to report there, but I did bring up Rez HD, wh??ich saw an Xbox 360 release back in 2008. Will it become backward compatible on Xbox One? "He has been approached by Microsoft," I was told through a translator, "[but] we don't have a final answer or anything."

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Worldwide release to follow in September

Lumines: Puzzle & Music launched this week in Oceania and Japan.

The "mobile recreation" of the hit 2004 PSP classic is currently available via the iOS App Store and Google Play for&nbs??p;$4.49 in both Australia and New Zealand, while the asking price is ¥360 in Japan. 

A worldwide release (priced at $2.??99 US) is exp??ected sometime in September. 

This is the first new Lumines project since Japanese publisher Mobcast acquired the rights to Lumines and Meteos from Q Entertainment last year and revealed plans to development new games with the series' creator, former Q Entertainment boss Tatsuya Mizuguchi (Rez, Space Channel 5, Child of Eden), and his new San Diego?, California-based studio? Enhance Games.

A second Lumines title, the free-to-play Lumines VS, will launch on mobile later this year.

Lumines: Puzzle & Music [iTunes AU, iTunes NZ, iTunes JP, Google Play]

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Lumines: Puzzle & Music and Lumines VS

I know it's not new that both upcoming Lumines games would be sma?rtphone? games, but I'd forgotten, so I'm sad all over.

As Kyle noted a couple months back, "Mobast acquired the rights to Lumines and Meteos from Q Entertainment last year and announced a partnership with former Q boss Tatsuya Mizuguchi (Rez, Space Channel 5) and his new California-based studio Enhance Games" to make more Lumines. It's kind of like the whole "give up your child, then adopt them" bit from Hail, Caesar!.

Coming Q2 2016 in English and Japanese is Lumines: Puzzle & Music, which is a paid app. It will be followed by the free-to-play Lumines VS in Q4 2016.

1) Lumines' paid mobile version will be called Lumines: Puzzle & Music. Release in ENG/JP in Q3. First screens: pic.twitter.com/aoByaSRo28

— Dr. Serkan Toto (@serkantoto) May 12, 2016

2) Lumines VS, the F2P app, to follow in Q4. Source: developer Mobcast's IR deck from today. First screens from VS: pic.twitter.com/GQjCsgkAqZ

— Dr. Serkan Toto (@serkantoto) May 12, 2016

Better go charge my Vita for that Electronic Symphony hit.

The post Aw crap, both new Lumines are for phones appeared first on Destructoid.

For iOS and Android devices in Q2

If you're a fan of Testuya Mizuguchi's work (Rez, Lumines, Space Channel 5, Child of Eden) and enjoy smartphone games, well buddy, let me tell?? you, 2016 is looking?? like one hell of a year.

In addition to a pair of new Lumines games coming out later this year, publisher GameSamba has announced plans to bring Mizuguchi's trippy mobile puzzle RPG 18 to North America by "Q2"

Go ahead and complain about mobile games in the comments, but I'm in the market for something new to play in line at the post office, and that art is pressing all the right buttons. A game that can evoke Persona, Catherine, and The Cat Returns all at once is clearly doing something right.

The post Rez, Lumines dev’s puzzle RPG 18 coming west appeared first on Destructoid.

On iOS and Android platforms

Two Lumines games are coming to mobile platforms later this yea??r, Mobcast just announced.

One, a paid app tentatively titled Lumines 2016, is expected to launch sometime this summer, while the other, Lumines VS, i?s planned for a winter release with a free-to-play s?cheme.

Mobast acquired the rights to Lumines and Meteos from Q Entertainment last year, and announced a partnership with former Q boss Tatsuya Mizuguchi (Rez, Space Channel 5, Child of Eden) and his new California-based studio Enhance Games to make a new Lumines (or two!) for smartphones.

This isn't Lumines' first foray into the mobile space. Q released Lumines: Touch Fusion for iPhone in 2009. Unfortunately, it was kind of a?? mess, and has since been removed from the App Store.

If you're looking for a better version of the puzzle game to play, Lumines: Electronic Symphony, is available PlayStation Vita, and there's always the PSP originals and Lumines: Supernova (PS3).

In addition to the mobile titles, Enhance Games is developing Rez Infinite for PlayStation VR.

_{水口哲也氏と共同開発 スマートフォン・タブレット版「ルミネス2016(仮)」 今夏より全世界配信開始 [Mobcast]}

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Daft Punk light show from Mizuguchi

See that nuts, Daft Punk style light up suit in the grainy stream footage screenshots? That's Rez's Tetsuya Mizuguchi playing Rez Infinite, which just announced for PS4 and PlayStation VR. I will be sick everywhere and it?? will be great.

(I've only gotten nauseous once in VR, but I can't remember trying anything as fast and trippy as Rez.)

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'The journey will begin anew'

On the rare occasion I use my Xbox 360, I'm amazed the thing still works. It's laughably slow to boot up, full of games as it is, and having gone through several broken systems last generation, there's a lingering fear that this could be it: the last time I?? see the dashboard pop up.

I hope that day never arrives, if for no other reason than my stupidly big Xbox Live Arcade library. So much junk, but also so many gems, Rez HD among them. Recent talk of designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi's mobile puzzle RPG 18 pushed me into revisiting his infl?uential on-rails music game.

I didn't discover Rez until after Sega had existed the console business, but even as a latecomer I was quick to fall in love with its hypnotic style and songs. The abstract visuals hold up well, and in high definition on Xbox 360, they have become timeless. Similarly, it's hard to imagine the electronic soundtrack ever losing its appeal. The way the two intertwine is magical. Say "Fear is the mind killer" to a Rez fan, and they'll be transported to its fifth and final area, a stark, un??familiar, low-key place that slowly springs to life and culminates in a gauntle?t of memorable boss fights.

Rez is a remarkable, refined game that can and should be completed in a single sitting (al??though your hand may hurt once the credits roll). It's not something I would want to risk burning out on, but as an every-so-often game with few contemporaries, it's just sublime?. 2016 is gonna be great.

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Synaesthesia

Rez and Lumines? creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi took a step back in 2012 to relax, and fully ??left Q Entertainment last year. He has been working on social games in Japan since then, but it sounds like he's gearing up to create something of his own again.

Mizuguchi told Edge that he's preparing his own creation now.

"I’m helping with some social games in Japan; I can’t say anything about it just yet. But I’m just helping," Mizuguchi told Edge. "So I want to start a new projec?t [of my own] maybe this year or next year."

He say??s that this new project will not be created in a traditional studio. Instead, he'll connect with others on a freelance basis, similar to how you'd make a film ?or music. Mizuguchi is also not opposed to mobile games and free-to-play models. 

While he didn't have m?uch to reveal on this new proje??ct, maybe his reference to his BitSummit talk on synaesthesia was a bit of a hint.

"I started that kind of concept in games with Rez, and this is a long journey, across Rez and Lumines and Child Of Eden, and maybe Space Channel 5 too. That part of my DNA will never die, so this is kind of a life’s work for me. So I’m thinking about what is next, and what&rsquo??;s the fu??ture experience."

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