When I first saw Child of Eden in the shops, I wondered what it was about. After studying the back of the box, I was still unsure what it was. Even after a few minutes of play-time, I was still non-the-wiser.
Child of Eden is a trippy psychedelic shooter, the sort of game that would only be created by Indie developers. Yet, somehow, this game has made it to a physical release.
The game takes place in the future, humans have ventured into space, and the internet has evolved into an archive of human history, renamed to Eden. A scientist discovers the story of Lumi, a young girl with the dream of visiting Earth, and recreates her essence as Project Lumi. A virus infects the project, and it's up to you to eradicate the virus.
You can hold A button to lock on to multiple targets, use X to shoot normally, and use B for a special attack. Right trigger fires the 'tracer' which is the only projectile that can shoot down enemy fire. Movement is on-rails but you can move your targeting reticule for a limited distance outside the main viewpoint. Throughout the game, you shoot all sorts of weird and wonderful things, some resembling creatures, while others are abstract.
With the lock-on laser, you can target up to eight targets and destroy them all at once. If you time the release with the beat of the music, then you are rewarded with a score multiplier. This is the only thing that tries to stop the game feeling mindless. The majority of the time you are toggling the stick over the screen and releasing for easy kills. At the start of the game, there isn't even many projectiles that are sent towards you, but the frequency increases over the course of the game.
The problem I found with the game is that there are only five levels, so the game's design seems to suffer for it. I'd rather play the five levels through, then replay them to beat my scores. Instead, I found I was only achieving 2 stars on each level, but to unlock the next level, you need many more stars, forcing you to replay the same levels a few times.
Additionally, if you lose all your health, you have to replay the level from the start. Usually, the start of the levels are really easy and casual, and it's only later when it starts being difficult. This means you are forced to replay easy sections. This is even more frustrating when you do complete it and you have to replay the same level since you didn't get enough stars. Furthermore, there's usually something completely different introduced in a level which is almost guaranteed to catch you by surprise and take your health. For example, the first few levels you are shooting purple enemy projectiles. The fourth level decides to throw some different colours your way, so you will find yourself replaying the level just to work out what is actually attacking you.
When you think about it though, the levels aren't actually difficult, it's more like you get hit by several cheap shots to force you to replay the level. It ends up feeling more like a chore rather than being fun.
There's lots of bright colours, flashing lights, moving and rotating objects, so it's no wonder it comes with a epilepsy warning. It takes its toll on you after 15 minutes or so which means it's a game that you can pick-up-and-play, rather than ploughing through it in one session.
Graphically, the developers have put great effort into this game. It's hard to describe how amazing this looks aesthetically; it really is one of the most beautiful games I've seen. Coupled with the music and how surreal the game it; it does create a marvellous experience.
If they had made the game more challenging, but less restrictive, I think I would have enjoyed the game much more. In terms of graphics and audio, it is top notch, but the game-play elements hinder the game. I wouldn't mind the game being short if it felt like achieving a high score was fun and challenging, but the game's structure puts you off repeated plays. I really wanted to enjoy Child Of Eden, but it really misses the mark.