The game met with low sales, but strong critical reception due to its music, gameplay and graphics, though several reviewers faulted a lack of content.

Rez Infinite in particular was hailed for its virtual reality integration and its additional Unreal Engine 4-powered zone Area X, described as the closest people might see to a true sequel.

[9] In the future, amid a rising population and an overflowing amount of information corrupting cyberspace, a new network dubbed "K Project" is created to manage the data.

Overwhelmed by the ever-increasing flow of information, Eden begins doubting its purpose and existence, withdrawing into sleep at the heart of cyberspace when finally confronted with humanity's clashing nature and actions in the real world.

[18] In 1998, Mizuguchi was approached about forming a dedicated team to work on new innovative titles for Sega's new Dreamcast console; his first project along these lines was Space Channel 5, and during its production he made plans for Rez.

[20] The final title was meant to be a contraction of "Resolve", but during a studio visit from Edge Magazine staff, he was inspired to connect it to the concept of "de-rezzing" from the 1982 movie Tron.

[25] Searching for people who could help realise his vision, Mizuguchi met up with and employed a group of VJs dubbed "Mommy's Endorphin Machine", with Kobayashi being a member.

[31] The overall design drew from several different sources of inspiration, including rave culture as exemplified in events such as Street Parade, and a video from Africa he saw online where a man started clapping and people either swayed and stamped to the beat or joined in.

[20][32] Figuring that the capacity for music and sights to draw in a crowd would be the essential element to his envisioned game, Mizuguchi began exploring how to programmatically recreate this effect.

[20] The musical gameplay was developed following a call and response approach (the audience responds to something from a singer or performer), similar to that of what a disc jockey would do to get reaction from the crowd.

[31] The decision to use a rail shooter template for gameplay originated from the number of staff who were veterans of both Sega Rally and the Panzer Dragoon series.

Instead, the team adopted a quantization mechanic for the gameplay that allowed even players without natural rhythm to interact musically with the game through a process of "locking on" to enemies.

[21] Mizuguchi's first ideas for the game's plot, which is delivered through "sensory" means rather than being driven by text and narration, was to form a connection between life and music.

[31] Mizuguchi has suggested that the questions during the game's climax are intended to provoke the realization that the player is "not a hacker but a sperm", that Rez is a story of conception set against the backdrop of an emergent AI.

[9] According to Kobayashi, their journey to awake Eden allows the hacker experience elevation to a higher existence within cyberspace, achieving something similar to enlightenment.

Mizugushi and Yokota began investigating different musical genres that would evoke emotional and psychological responses appropriate to produce the primal and synaesthetic experience Rez was intended to provide.

After hours of investigation, they concluded that due to its digital simplicity which allowed a designer to isolate a single note and to alter the timing of the overall rhythm, the techno genre offered the greatest promise for producing the desired effects.

[41] Hiroishi contacted multiple composers to contribute tracks for each zone, including Ken Ishii and Joujouka as well as English artists Coldcut and Adam Freeland.

[25] The soundtrack album, titled Rez / Gamer's Guide to..., was co-published in collaboration with United Game Artists by Musicmine, an imprint of Universal, and independent record company Third Ear.

To achieve this he bleached and dyed his hair pure white and made his presentation—a solo demonstration of himself playing the game live—without saying a word after taking the stage.

[104] On the whole, Rez was classified as a commercial failure worldwide, blamed alternately on poor marketing support from Sega, and its non-standard gameplay and art style.

[86] Sam Jones of Official Dreamcast Magazine UK lauded the visual design and music, but felt a lack of challenge and noted that Sega should develop a sequel to smooth out some of the game's issues.

[11] Duncan Baizley of PSM2 was less positive, recognising its niche appeal but finding it lacking as a game for mainstream players; the environments and concept met with praise, but he faulted the music and found the gameplay difficult due to the graphic style.

[82] GameSpot's Don Francis, despite finding the music monotonous after a while, lauded the technical improvements made and how well the original graphics and gameplay had aged.

[91] Erik Brudvig of IGN praised the upgrade to the game, citing it as unique among the Xbox Live library and worth trying for any gamer, while admitting its niche appeal and lack of new content.

[93] Simon Parkin, writing for Eurogamer, also gave the port a perfect score and noted that modern gamers would be more appreciative of the title than those when it first released.

[90] Chris Carter of Destructoid praised the game's unique nature,[83] and IGN's Vince Ingenito called it the most complete version of Rez with or without the VR functions.

[106] Edge called it the best VR-based title of 2016,[85] and Phil Savage of PC Gamer lauded the range of graphics option alongside the aesthetic upgrades and new content.

[112] In anniversary retrospectives and lists of memorable Dreamcast titles from multiple websites including Gamasutra and IGN, Rez was noted for its visual design and blend of gameplay and music.

[113][114][115][116][117] As part of a feature on Mizuguchi's career and work, James Mielke of 1Up.com considered Rez underrated in its time and having aged well compared to its contemporaries.