SYNTHETIK Review

Rogue-lite genre is incredibly popular. However, most games are poorly done and finding the one which actually works is a rarity. This game is that game which works and gives you what it had promised. Fast paced, skill based, high-octane action. Each run feels unique. It allows quite a bit player freedom. It has countless classes which you can continously grind, but progression does not feel mandatory to complete the game. Game is a gem, one of the few gaming classics which anyone should play.


What is rare for rogue-lites that it is skill based. It doesn’t have arbitrary limits, poorly balanced skills, RNG dependent runs. Each run can be won or lost with basic skills and weapons. You can die having God-like weapons just as easily if you make one small tactical mistake. Game promotes skillful gamplay over luck which is rare among rogue-lites.

Action is quick and tactical when you are in a firefight. You also can take your time to approach most situations. Game has classes and items allowing different playstyles. You can play as a stealth assassin, use sound to lure enemies into one place and then blow them up all at once! Game allows you to play game your way.

You have plenty of classes and items to customize how you play. Stealthy assassins, snipers, heavy gunners, tanks, explosive specialists, engineers and many more. Classes alter the way you play the game and you can pick from a get go a class which you like rather than being stuck with underperforming one like in many other lesser rogue-lites. On top of that, you can customise your character with minor situational bonuses, emphasizing your preferred playstyle. You also get choice of your starting items and pistols. On top of that, if you complete main game, you can add mutations or difficulty settings to main campaign making it more difficult and different. Do you want it to be more fast paced? Maybe you want it to be hard from get go? More slower and tactical? There are options for all of that, allowing game to become harder in a way you like it. This rogue-lite gives you a lot of freedom in how you can play it.


As in any game, there are a lot of errors and issues within a game.

• Game has inconsistent game design. It has conveyor level which is universally hated, heavily RNG based and is has completely different gameplay. Then there is APC boss which is only acceptable, because it is optional. I never had managed to kill it, this is how overtunned it is.
  
  
• Boss design is inconsistent. At the end game becomes cheap. Tanks appearing out of nowhere. Disco room. Bullet hell enemies. Armageddon devise defense. They all present different challenges than it was throughout entire game with huge difficulty spikes at the end. Game allows one style of gameplay throughout entire run and then suddenly you need another for completing end boss. Then again completely another for loops.
  
  
• Gameplay is inconsistent. Most of the time it promotes tactical gameplay only for some times to force your hand into DPS checks or else you just die.
  
  
• There are too many modifiers at the start. Vanilla game starts with bonuses and amplifiers which are confusing. What a drone is supposed to do? Why I get it for free?
  
  
• Game is confused in its direction. On one hand it is designed for fast action. On another it gives you free items if you collect hidden objects. Progress can stop to crawl in this game and it has no save system. Every run can become painfully long.
  
  
• Sometimes graphical design is a mess. In a final chamber, Armageddon device just blocks half of your screen with lighting effects. You can’t where enemies are.
  
  
• Game is poorly designed as enemies can kill you off screen on rare occassions. Game design in general has too accurate weapons, allowing shotguns and SMGs to be effective at mid to long ranges.
  
  
• Lack of information. Items, modifiers, weapons. You have to pick them all blind. Only through dozens of hours of grinding you start to know what they do. The major obstacle to your progress at first is lack of knowledge. That is it.

This game is one of the best rogue-lites on the market. It is skillful, unique, customizable. Possesses great aesthetic and fun gameplay. It is the best recent rogue-lite on the market and everyone interested in the genre should try it.

[h1]One of the best Rogue-lites out there![/h1] Rogue-lite genre is incredibly popular. However, most games are poorly done and finding the one which actually works is a rarity. This game is that game which works and gives you what it had promised. Fast paced, skill based, high-octane action. Each run feels unique. It allows quite a bit player freedom. It has countless classes which you can continously grind, but progression does not feel mandatory to complete the game. Game is a gem, one of the few gaming classics which anyone should play. [h1]The Good[/h1] What is rare for rogue-lites that it is skill based. It doesn’t have arbitrary limits, poorly balanced skills, RNG dependent runs. Each run can be won or lost with basic skills and weapons. You can die having God-like weapons just as easily if you make one small tactical mistake. Game promotes skillful gamplay over luck which is rare among rogue-lites. Action is quick and tactical when you are in a firefight. You also can take your time to approach most situations. Game has classes and items allowing different playstyles. You can play as a stealth assassin, use sound to lure enemies into one place and then blow them up all at once! Game allows you to play game your way. You have plenty of classes and items to customize how you play. Stealthy assassins, snipers, heavy gunners, tanks, explosive specialists, engineers and many more. Classes alter the way you play the game and you can pick from a get go a class which you like rather than being stuck with underperforming one like in many other lesser rogue-lites. On top of that, you can customise your character with minor situational bonuses, emphasizing your preferred playstyle. You also get choice of your starting items and pistols. On top of that, if you complete main game, you can add mutations or difficulty settings to main campaign making it more difficult and different. Do you want it to be more fast paced? Maybe you want it to be hard from get go? More slower and tactical? There are options for all of that, allowing game to become harder in a way you like it. This rogue-lite gives you a lot of freedom in how you can play it. [h1]The Bad[/h1] As in any game, there are a lot of errors and issues within a game. [list] [*] Game has inconsistent game design. It has conveyor level which is universally hated, heavily RNG based and is has completely different gameplay. Then there is APC boss which is only acceptable, because it is optional. I never had managed to kill it, this is how overtunned it is. [*] Boss design is inconsistent. At the end game becomes cheap. Tanks appearing out of nowhere. Disco room. Bullet hell enemies. Armageddon devise defense. They all present different challenges than it was throughout entire game with huge difficulty spikes at the end. Game allows one style of gameplay throughout entire run and then suddenly you need another for completing end boss. Then again completely another for loops. [*] Gameplay is inconsistent. Most of the time it promotes tactical gameplay only for some times to force your hand into DPS checks or else you just die. [*] There are too many modifiers at the start. Vanilla game starts with bonuses and amplifiers which are confusing. What a drone is supposed to do? Why I get it for free? [*] Game is confused in its direction. On one hand it is designed for fast action. On another it gives you free items if you collect hidden objects. Progress can stop to crawl in this game and it has no save system. Every run can become painfully long. [*] Sometimes graphical design is a mess. In a final chamber, Armageddon device just blocks half of your screen with lighting effects. You can’t where enemies are. [*] Game is poorly designed as enemies can kill you off screen on rare occassions. Game design in general has too accurate weapons, allowing shotguns and SMGs to be effective at mid to long ranges. [*] Lack of information. Items, modifiers, weapons. You have to pick them all blind. Only through dozens of hours of grinding you start to know what they do. The major obstacle to your progress at first is lack of knowledge. That is it. [/list] [h1]Conclusion[/h1] This game is one of the best rogue-lites on the market. It is skillful, unique, customizable. Possesses great aesthetic and fun gameplay. It is the best recent rogue-lite on the market and everyone interested in the genre should try it.