Rez Infinite and Tetris Effect creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi has confirmed that he has a next-gen game in the works. Mizuguchi is continuing to center his creations around the concept of synesthesia—that’s one sense stimulating another unrelated sense, like being able to “see” sounds or “hear” color—and says that Rez Infinite’s lauded “Area X” level acts as a prologue of sorts for his upcoming title.
“Area X in Rez Infinite was developed as a ‘prologue’ to the next game, and we hope to use that concept in the next generation of games. With the concept and XR technology, we’d like to increase the overall resolution and create a more detailed game.”
Mizuguchi is particularly excited about the possibilities presented by the PS5’s Tempest 3D audio engine and the haptics in the DualSense controller. “We are very good at weaving music and sound into visual and tactile experiences in our game designs, so that we can take an interesting game and turn it into an even more impressive game,” he said. “I’d like to raise the level of excitement to a higher level by increasing the granularity of what comes next after Rez Infinite or after Tetris Effect.
It seems that virtual reality continues to be a focus for Mizuguchi too, which is curious considering the PS5 doesn’t currently have a native VR solution. “In order to achieve this, the evolution of VR technology is very important, and resolution is also important. In other words, there are various levels of granularity, aren’t there? I’d like to see that improve.”
“Of course, the next generation of consoles came out at the end of last year, so we would like to develop the next games for the new generation, and we have actually started working on projects.” If Sony does have a PSVR successor for PS5 in the works, as many rumors suggest, launching the new headset alongside a brand new Mizuguchi title would be a huge win for the platform.
Mizuguchi further spoke about the “resolution of sound” as something worth exploring on next-gen consoles and how that can change the very experience. “When you think about the pattern of sounds coming from various directions in a space, and harmonizing them to form a piece of music, it becomes a different dimension from simple stereo sound. Everything becomes spatialized. Everything becomes 3D, and the increase in granularity and resolution shakes or changes the experience itself.”
With the assortment of possibilities presented by next-gen consoles—the PS5 in particular—Mizuguchi is excited by what the total integrated experience can offer players in terms of feelings that other games can’t provide.
“When haptics (tactile technology) is added to the mix, the total integrated experience of visuals, sound, and tactile sensations is not just multiplied, but multiplied by a factor of several. When that happens, things start to happen that in the past would not have felt like this in a game. We believe that we can make it happen, and we’re climbing the stairs one by one.”
Our reviews of past Enhance games have praised the unique presentations of visuals and sound, and the use of new technologies to deliver them to players in ways other games simply don’t. If Area X is even just a peek at what Mizuguchi is working on next, it seems that PS5 players are in for a quite a treat.
