Bleak, dystopian. These two words offer a glimpse into the future that Synced offers, but also somewhat sum up what it represents. Are all our shooters heading in this direction? They have a lot of ambition, a solid premise and good gunplay, but are weighed down by ruthless monetization and leave a bad taste in the mouth no matter how strong the core experience is. Good taste.
Synced is a new shooter from NExT Studios and Level Infinite. As runners in a world overtaken by nanomachines, we are the few who sneak into the danger zone of Meridian. We are looking for resources that will keep us alive as we survive as best we can in a world no longer dominated by humans. But we’re not alone in this life, even if we can’t grab a few friends to join us on cooperative missions. By defeating Prime Nano, one of the strong guys we find on the map, we can synchronize with them to create our own robot companions, who can be sent to fight enemies or can stay in our arms and give us special abilities, Like a double jump.
We offer both PvP and PvE in Synced, but it seems clear that the latter is the focus. Whether playing Nano alone, or in a team of three, you can carry out set missions in the world, which often have you taking out hordes of enemies before eventually facing off against a larger boss. Throughout the levels you can pick up new weapons, and you can also accumulate currency that can be used at locations where you can purchase upgrades for yourself, your Nano, or you can spend them on extra ammo, health kits, and even better weapons. . There’s a lot to be said for breaking up the monotony of going to one place, shooting a lot of enemies, and then going to another place to do the same thing, but the repetitiveness can creep in at times.
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For the most part, the gunplay is solid, if a little simplistic. Additionally, some of the upgrades you can choose from just make PvE an absolute piece of cake. Pretty much anything that causes bullets to explode will take out weaker enemies with ease, meaning you have no chance of being swarmed. That being said, there are plenty of ways to keep your game fresh. Choose a new runner, a new Nano, these options can give you more fun if things start to get a little dull. What particularly struck me was how different the runners were, and how it didn’t necessarily feel like one of them was the best. They’re all worth a try, and they’re easy to learn so you won’t feel locked into whatever you choose.
Synced shines brightest during big boss fights. This is where I really came to an end because I wasn’t taking the enemies seriously enough, which was a stark reminder that you need to pay attention when you see that giant boss health bar. At least a little. Unlike normal enemies, which feel like they’re defined by whether they fail to shoot you or fail to hit you in melee, the bosses actually have some solid design and encapsulate what you really want in a game like Synced Desirable element of chaos. In a post-apocalyptic setting, you shouldn’t wonder how humanity was lost because you can shred Nano like it’s nothing. Boss battles give you those memorable moments where you barely hold your team together after nearly being knocked out.
Sadly, there are only a certain number of PvE missions in Synced. More content will be added over time, as well as additional character stories and additional content, but we can’t judge the game by what it will be in the future, only by what it is now. So when you’re done with PvE, you might want to try PvP mode. Again, you can run alone here or with a team, but the premise is mostly the same. In 3 lives, collect as many resources as possible before time runs out or the number of attempts runs out. In PvP, the map feels very lifeless in a way, as it seems like the regular Nanos you encounter have been reduced in number. Additionally, resource gathering doesn’t matter unless you’re targeting one of the two ships that appear in the game. Within 3 minutes, you must stick to one of them or you get nothing. In short, there is no benefit in arriving early, so it is better to wait until the last minute. This promotes camping and a less fun way to play, especially when you only have a few lives to play with. Once again, the chaos is oddly dialed back, just when you think this is where the all-out effort should be.
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I do think Synced has potential. Its premise is unique and interesting, its characters are fun to play with, and the gunplay remains solid for the most part. However, as of now, it does seem to be pretty bare bones. You get the game for free, so there are bonus points, but these are immediately offset by rampant monetization that hits you right off the bat. It’s really hard to figure out what you can even unlock without opening your wallet, and there are pay-to-win mechanics in PvE which can make matching with random a bit of a roulette as you don’t know who’s going to show up with their fancy golden gun and cut everything before you.
Maybe this is something worth checking out when more content is added. As it stands, this is an excellent shooter that we can’t see cracking the top spot in the genre.
