Synapse Review

Following the release of the PSVR2, I’ve wholeheartedly fallen in love with virtual reality. The indescribable sense of size and scale, the sweat-inducing immersion that leaves you with a stupid smile painted across your face, and the terror that grabs you when confronted with the slightest non-horror surprise are all aspects of VR that I’ve championed these past few months. However, it wasn’t until I took a mind-melting sprint through the action-packed world of Synapse that I realised what VR’s greatest strength might be: providing a pure power fantasy. This new shooter from nDreams draws you in with striking visuals and an exciting concept and will keep you strapped in with intense action and some of the best combat available in the VR space.

Simultaneously wielding a pistol in one hand and telekinetic powers in the other, Synapse is a roguelike experience that challenges you to wade through gun-toting enemies across eight increasingly difficult levels before you convince yourself that you can improve your run, and you jump back in. While a single, successful run from the title screen to credits can be completed in a little over an hour (depending on your skill level), it’s more likely to take a few attempts before you reach the climactic conclusion.

Thankfully, death isn’t a setback, it’s an opportunity. As with most roguelikes, your death resets your progress, but it also allows you to unlock new abilities that will eventually see you become a badass mofo that’s one leather jacket away from becoming Neo from The Matrix. Instead of rewarding you with Insight (skill points) based on how far you make it in a single run, you earn your power by completing a range of basic challenges known as Revelations, displayed as a branching tree at the game’s hub. Simply put, you gain Insight by pulling off incredible telekinetic stunts and killing enemies in creative and kickass ways Do you feel like you should be rewarded for blocking bullets by holding something in mid-air with your cool power? Great, because you are rewarded. It’s a great way to deal with progression in a roguelite setting, as I always felt like I could work towards something, even if I utterly tanked the run.

You’ll quickly go from hiding behind rocks to slingshotting enemies into the air

If you are managing to get through stages, with ease or by the skin of your teeth, you’ll be rewarded with temporary upgrades that accompany you on that run. From something as simple as regaining health as you down enemies to the more insane buffs that turn the last bullet in your clip into a grenade, these little rewards add a tiny bit of RNG to the mix but also spice up each attempt.

The game’s gunplay is snappy and responsive, with the four available weapons all feeling distinct from each other and valuable in their own way. The pistol is simple yet versatile, the SMG is effective against groups at short range, the shotgun is super satisfying and lethal up close, and the grenade launcher speaks for itself. Reloading is as easy as pushing the clip into the gun, either with your hand or any available surface if your other appendage is busy throwing around blocks, barrels, or baddies.

While limited, the small arsenal of weapons is fun to use, especially when paired with god-like powers in your offhand. Brilliantly utilising the PSVR2’s eye tracking, simply looking at the object you wish to manipulate will bring colour to it, letting you hold down the trigger on the Sense controller and fling it around like a force user from Star Wars. Unbelievably, explosive barrels can be handled with care by lightly pressing down on the trigger, levitated near a group of enemies, and then detonated by fully pulling the trigger. The mechanics behind the telekinesis feel natural and are so intuitive and well implemented that you’ll be just as adept as Magneto at launching random objects at fools within minutes.

Taking out every enemy in a stage will unlock the alluring door to the next level

You might have weapons and wizardry, but Synapse will still hand you your own arse if you miss a step. While you may feel like Luke Skywalker, the enemies are far from Stormtroopers and will laser you from just about anywhere if they’ve got line-of-sight. To curb this, you can grab hold of just about any surface by holding L1 or R1 and pull yourself into cover. Similarly to telekinesis, taking cover is easy and feels natural, just don’t get too comfortable, as the enemies will flank you if you’re hunkered down.

While formidable, the enemy variety is shockingly lacking. You’ll be blasting standard grunts with guns, runners that explode, armoured heavies with mini-guns and flying enemies that shoot lasers, and that’s the extent of it. There’s certainly fun to be had in dispatching these foes, and encountering each of them for the first time is cool, but running out of surprises 30 minutes in was a bit of a letdown.

Oh, I haven’t even mentioned the story, have I? That tells you all you need to know, really. Taking heavy inspiration from Inception, you play as an unnamed agent that’s been sent into the mind of rogue Colonel Peter Conrad in hopes of preventing a world-altering attack. While the narrative is threadbare and mainly acts as a means to set up the spectacular gameplay, voice actor heavyweights David Hayter (Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid) and Jennifer Hale (Commander Shepard from Mass Effect) lend their lovely pipes to the game’s exposition-filled dialogue, so that’s certainly a plus.

Rotating your hand palm-side up will display a HUD, keeping your general view nice and clear

Immediately striking, the game’s monochromatic visuals are effective and very clever. Not only is the art style very crisp and unique, but the limited use of colour within the world is used extremely purposefully. The red hues found on enemies stand out from the black and whites of the landscape, giving you a clear indication of the threat, while objects that can be levitated light up with various shades of orange and purple when you gaze at them, subtly confirming your target.

By default, you’ll move using the left stick and incrementally shift which direction you’re looking in with the right, or you can move your body to orientate. The framerate never dipped, and the visuals are nice and sharp, so the quick movement wasn’t an issue for me, but those who suffer from nausea when playing VR games might struggle a bit, even with the suite of comfort options available.

Final Thoughts

The roguelite format is perfect for VR. The short, run-based gameplay loop and incremental upgrade systems let you jump in, have a great time and jump out at a moment’s notice, which is exactly what I’ll be doing with Synapse for the foreseeable future. The smooth and responsive gunplay and outlandishly satisfying telekinetic abilities make combat a power fantasy that will be extremely hard to beat. The minuscule weapon selection and garrison of goons hurt the overall package, sure, but when you take the gameplay and add a visual style that’s kind on the eyes and serves a practical purpose, you have a VR shooter that any self-respecting PSVR2 owner needs to have in their library.

Reviewed on PS5 // Review code supplied by publisher

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