Synapse is a PSVR2 masterpiece!
The latest PSVR2 shooter, Synapse, brings a lot to the table in terms of exhilarating gameplay while making use of the platform’s best features. Let’s discuss why you should pick it up!
Synapse takes full advantage of basically all the coolest features available on the PSVR2, and does it so well, these features become second nature in just two or three rounds. Some of those features include the haptic feedback within the controllers and headset itself. There are a lot of explosions in Synapse, and every explosion has an extra oomph to it thanks to the feedback blasting your hands and head. The coolest feature, however, is the fact you can feel enemies shooting at you. Not only does the slight vibration alert you to enemy fire, but it guides you in the direction they are shooting as well.
Synapse
Developed by: nDreams
Platforms: PlayStation 5 PSVR (reviewed on)
Release Date: July 4, 2023
Combine that with the 3D audio, and it leads to some extremely tense battles. You can hear shots blasting everywhere around you, and then feel when they get super close to you. If they land, you can hear and feel it. One enemy in particular is basically a suicide bomber that screams with heavy footsteps as it runs at you, and if they get too close you can’t help but flinch. The 3D audio picks up screams from different types of enemies so you can pinpoint exactly where they are, and where they are coming from. Some enemies will be flying over you, some might have heavy footsteps on bridges above you, and others might be running like a maniac off to your side.
The biggest feature the game utilizes is the headsets eye tracking. I’ve been here before and said how friggin awesome eye tracking is with PSVR2, but this game demonstrates why it’s so cool. You can basically aim with your eyes to use telekinesis powers (picking up objects and enemies). With so many things to pick up within view it’s neat to be able to pinpoint exactly what you want without struggling at all. You can then throw objects and swiftly shift to new targets quickly, leading to some really tense and incredible battles. The coolest moments are when Synapse gets you moving and you are tossing enemies left and right, while moving objects in a way to defend yourself.
Somehow, this never gets old and instead of being a basic arcade shooter, Synapse quickly finds itself in new ground. Early on you might struggle a bit with the gunplay because you have to physically move around to gain cover, and guns aren’t too accurate at distance. Simply pulling the trigger can throw your aim off just enough to miss targets. Without the perks you find later in the game there’s no real aim assist to help with it.
It’s both satisfying and tiring, but personally I enjoy actually kneeling and holding my gun out to blind fire. That said, I’m not a fan of “actually reloading” guns, but Synapse has a bit more simplistic approach. You simply eject a mag and slam the gun down to reload. It’s just enough action to keep it authentic, but not overly complex.
That being said after my first run through I wasn’t shooting very much anymore. Besides a few flying enemies and bigger boss like enemies, I felt no real need to shoot because my telekinesis was taking a majority of the fun.
I was flinging enemies off the map, against walls, slamming them against each other, or piling them all up to blast them with bombs. It seriously feels like cool Darth Vader moves where I raise my hand and choke the enemies to death (can we get that feature??). Joking aside it does feel like I was playing in Stranger Things and flinging people and objects with one hand. I was having so much fun that my gun was only ever used for finishing off enemies that flew too close for comfort.
I do say “first run through” because Synapse works like a roguelite game where you run through the same 9 stages repeatedly. After you progress a little bit, you potentially die and then can unlock new perks. This allows you to approach the levels in a new way.
This is how the story takes place. You are set in a way that you are exploring the mind of a Colonel (voiced by David Hayter) who planted a bomb somewhere, and as you progress little by little you unlock more core memories. In my initial runs I didn’t quite mind this because the levels change a tiny bit with enemies, and obviously get harder in later stages, but once you die a few times and have to restart back at square one it gets brutal. You basically need to sweep through all 9 stages in a run, and if you slip up in a later stage you have to restart, but if you beat it you also have to….Restart.
In a way it’s neat because as the story progresses you’re learning more about the mind. At the same pace you’re learning the maps physically and quickly learning how to progress.
This is my biggest gripe with Synapse. It’s a well done game, it’s incredible to play, it looks visually pretty, but it just needs to expand and offer a little more. For example, using eye tracking to control objects after you pick them up would be cool. More levels, and more enemy variety would be greatly appreciated. The kinetic abilities feel quite overpower at times because none of the enemies can truly defend themselves against it.
Visually I quite enjoyed Synapse. It has a chromatic look to it with a lot of gray and blacks, but when color is present it really pops against the environment. It made following objectives and finding in-game objects rather easy, along with making enemies clearly visible. My only complaint with visuals is the game has a hazy look to it, which makes the visible distance a little hard to see.
Besides my extremely minor complaints, Synapse is masterful in basically everything it does. For example climbing and touching objects. It’s such a minor aspect of the game, but it’s done absolutely perfectly. I haven’t played a VR game where climbing was not only useful, but actually functioned without any hiccups at all. Even resting my hand on a ledge and peeking over the top worked beautifully. The head tracking and in-game movements are spot on. Like I said, physically seeing cover and ducking down behind it is incredible. During one of my hard runs I was legit sweating (I live in a desert, so that doesn’t help), and even boss-like battles are intense and brutal. I mean I can lean into cover and physically hold my gun out of cover to shoot enemies, then slowly peek my head out only to feel shots whiz by.
