Child of Eden

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Recently I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a recent build of Q Entertainment's Kinect shooter, Child of Eden. My short time with the game involved pointing and shooting at a colorful assortment of beautiful but deadly enemies.

The game takes place in the mind of an AI girl named Lumi, who has been infected by a virus. Players travel into different sections of her mind to eradicate the corruption; the area I saw was beauty. The level begins above a serene body of water with peaceful-looking flowers and frilly, pastel-colored creatures. The entire experience is reminiscent of a gorgeous-looking screensaver that you point at and shoot. Eventually you travel down a dark tunnel leading to a boss fight with a gigantic pink flower blossom.

Gameplay consists of pointing at the screen to shoot. The default attack is a rapid-fire stream of energy that's great for clusters of small enemies. Clapping your heads cycles through weaponry. The next destructive tool has players aim at groups of enemies to lock on to them, then a flick of the wrist releases a spray of homing missiles. Aerobically-inclined players can even kick their leg to release the barrage of projectiles. The final move I had available was a smart bomb, which clears the screen of enemies when players lift their hands skyward. The controls felt wonderful overall. The slow drag of the reticule makes shooting from the hip not only manageable, but precise and fun.

The highlight of the demo was the aforementioned boss fight. This multi-stage battle consisted of shooting down waves of flying enemies while taking time to pelt the core of the blooming flower. Each direct hit from the machine gun-like weapon results in a satisfying, thrumming techno beat that blended perfectly with the ambient score. My favorite part was when the flower began to recoil and shield itself with its petals. At this stage you must pepper the clenching flower with rapid fire, then switch to the lock-on missiles to deliver a strong attack.

Child of Eden promises to bring a relaxing-but-challenging shooter experience to Kinect users craving something more substantial than fake sports and dance parties. Those activities are fun too, but gunning down hordes of eye candy and working on raising your score is bound to get addictive. Keep an out for Child of Eden as the game nears its retail release this Summer.

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