Synapse
| Synapse | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| VR/AR | Virtual Reality |
| Developer | nDreams (nDreams Elevation) |
| Publisher | nDreams |
| Platform | PlayStation VR2 |
| Device | PlayStation VR2 |
| Operating System | PlayStation 5 |
| Type | Game |
| Genre | First-person shooter, roguelite |
| Input Device | PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers, eye tracking |
| Play Area | Seated, Standing |
| Game Mode | Single-player |
| Rating | ESRB Teen / PEGI 12 |
| Release Date | July 4, 2023 |
| App Store | PlayStation Store |
| Website | https://ndreams.com/games/synapse/ |
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Synapse is a 2023 virtual reality first-person shooter developed and published by the British studio nDreams. It launched as a PlayStation VR2 exclusive on July 4, 2023, and pairs conventional gunplay with motion-controlled telekinesis that uses the headset's eye tracking to select targets.[1][2]
The player takes the role of a special agent who enters the mind of a rogue colonel to extract intelligence and stop a plan for mass destruction. nDreams designed the game around features specific to the PlayStation VR2 hardware, including eye-tracked foveated rendering and the haptics and adaptive triggers of the PS VR2 Sense controllers.[3] It won Best AR/VR Game at the 2023 TIGA Games Industry Awards.[4]
Gameplay
Synapse is played from a first-person perspective. The player holds a firearm in one hand and uses telekinesis with the other, so shooting and object manipulation happen at the same time.[2] Targets for the telekinetic powers are chosen with the headset's eye tracking: the player looks at an interactable object, then grabs, lifts, throws, or smashes it with motion controls. Abilities include hurling enemies and environmental objects and catching thrown grenades in mid-air.[5][2] Firearms unlocked over the course of the game include a pistol, a shotgun, a submachine gun, and a grenade launcher.[2]
The structure is a roguelite. According to UploadVR, reaching the true ending requires three successful runs at increasing difficulty, and the same nine levels recur in the same order each run, with spawn points and routes varying between attempts.[5] Between and during runs the player earns points called Revelations by completing goals, spending them on permanent upgrades across three skill trees: Tactician (telekinesis), Assassin (gunplay), and Survivor (vitality).[5]
The game is rendered in a black-and-white art style with bursts of color, which nDreams built specifically for the PlayStation VR2's 4K HDR OLED displays.[3] It uses the headset's eye-tracked foveated rendering and the PS VR2 Sense controllers' haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.[3][1]
Development
Synapse was developed by nDreams, a UK studio that has worked only on VR since the early 2010s and whose earlier titles include Phantom: Covert Ops, Far Cry VR: Dive into Insanity, and the action game Fracked. nDreams described Synapse as a next-generation title from the Fracked team.[3] The work was credited to the studio's nDreams Elevation team.[2] The game was directed by Dan Taylor, and the score was composed by Paul Weir, who had previously written procedural music for No Man's Sky.[2]
The cast features two voice actors known for game work. David Hayter, the voice of Solid Snake in the Metal Gear series, plays the antagonist Colonel Peter Conrad, and Jennifer Hale plays the player's handler, Clara Sorensen.[2][5]
nDreams revealed Synapse during a PlayStation showcase in February 2023 and confirmed a July 4, 2023 release date in May 2023.[3][1] The game was added to the PlayStation Plus Premium catalog in November 2024.[6]
Release
| Platform | Region | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| PlayStation VR2 | Worldwide | July 4, 2023 |
| PlayStation VR2 (via PlayStation Plus Premium) | Worldwide | November 2024 |
Reception
Synapse received generally favourable reviews. On the review aggregator OpenCritic it holds a Top Critic Average of 78 across 27 critics, with 81 percent of critics recommending it and a "Strong" rating.[7]
Push Square's Graham Banas scored it 7 out of 10, calling its telekinesis the most impressive in-game implementation of the Force from Star Wars he had played, while criticising the limited amount of content (two zones with a few levels each) and noting that the monochrome environments blur together over time.[8] UploadVR's Henry Stockdale gave it a "Recommended" verdict, writing that eye tracking complements combat to make telekinesis feel satisfying, but flagged limited variety: four enemy types, repeated level order, and a final challenge of larger enemy waves rather than a dedicated boss fight.[5]
In UploadVR's Best of VR 2023 awards, Synapse was cited among the year's notable PlayStation VR2 releases; the site's overall VR Game of the Year went to Vertigo 2.[9] At the TIGA Games Industry Awards 2023, held on November 16, 2023 in London, Synapse won Best AR/VR Game.[4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Synapse launches July 4". 2023-05-24. https://www.gematsu.com/2023/05/synapse-launches-july-4.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 "Synapse (video game)". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synapse_(video_game).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Synapse brings dual-wielding VR action exclusively to PS VR2 this year". 2023-02-23. https://blog.playstation.com/2023/02/23/synapse-brings-dual-wielding-vr-action-exclusively-to-ps-vr2-this-year/.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "The TIGA Games Industry Award Winners 2023 have been revealed". 2023-11-17. https://mcvuk.com/business-news/from-the-industry-the-tiga-games-industry-award-winners-2023-have-been-revealed/.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Stockdale, Henry (2023-06-29). "Synapse Review - Mind Games Are Afoot". https://www.uploadvr.com/synapse-review-psvr-2/.
- ↑ "Synapse". https://ndreams.com/games/synapse/.
- ↑ "Synapse Reviews". https://opencritic.com/game/15170/synapse.
- ↑ Banas, Graham (2023-06-29). "Review: Synapse (PSVR2) - Some Incredible Gameplay But Not Enough Content". https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/psvr2/synapse.
- ↑ "UploadVR Best of VR 2023 Awards - Game Of The Year & More". 2023-12-29. https://www.uploadvr.com/uploadvr-best-of-vr-2023-game-of-the-year/.