The Synced beta is just around the corner. We have played the loot shooter extensively and tell you what you can expect.
This week it starts: The shooter hopeful Synced starts its open beta and wants to convince you with some exciting ideas to take a look. We have already done so and think: Synced has one of the coolest shooter ideas in years! But is it enough to stand out from the masses of countless Free2Play shooters?
What awaits you in Synced
In the free2play multiplayer shooter, the world has once again gone to the dogs. In the future, nano-technology forms the backbone of civilisation, but the mini-machines run amok after a catastrophe and turn people into robo-zombies.
And that”s where you come in: as a so-called runner, you go into the machines” territories and shoot your way through hordes of tech-beasts to harvest their valuable nano-energy. And not only do you have the help of two teammates, but also a very cool robot buddy that you can boss around.
But how exactly does it play? Synced is a third-person loot shooter with roguelike elements. You choose a hero, are thrown into a map with your team, which changes minimally with each new game. Then you have to run to marked target points and complete certain challenges – such as killing a particularly strong mini-boss or dismantling towers made of nanoparticles. Alternatively, you can follow the icons on the minimap to find loot such as new weapons or better armour – but note that the longer you are on a mission, the higher the difficulty level.
By completing objectives and killing enemies, you collect currency that can be invested in passive talents at upgrade stations and that you can keep until the end of the game. This way you can improve yourself or your robot companion, depending on your play style.
In our play session, we always put all our points into our buddy, because the robo-amigo is the coolest idea in Synced for us: Before the game starts, you choose one of four different nanos, which can be roughly divided into the archetypes ranged fighter, melee fighter, tank and support. You can summon the companion at any time so that he fights actively by your side – or you can leave him in your pocket and benefit from passive bonuses in return.
What do we like about Synced? What not?
Although we really liked the creative companion mechanic, Synced noticeably struggles to convince with new ideas in the rest. In the end, the fights against the nasty nanos are always the same – continuous fire into the hordes of enemies and the occasional dodge roll when a mini-boss visually announces its next attack.
The weapons we saw are unfortunately also all from the 08/15 shooter arsenal, instead of futuristic nano-guns we have shotguns. Assault rifle and sniper rifle. Perhaps more exciting options will be added later in the game, but we couldn”t discover anything of the sort in the developer material we were shown.
Of course, this doesn”t make Synced a bad game: the graphics are pretty, the use of the robo-buddy makes the fights more dynamic and the gunplay and upgrade mechanics are rock solid. The big problem is that a lot of it just feels like we”ve experienced it before.
The free2play shooter Shatterline has been available on Steam for a few months now – and the two titles can only be distinguished from each other because Synced uses a third-person perspective. Even the enemy design looks confusingly similar.
Whether the companion mechanic is really enough for Synced to stand out from the large mass of Free2Play shooters is currently questionable. At least the developers promise that there will be no Pay2Win in the in-game shop, only cosmetic customisations like skins – and that”s already a start.
If you want to see for yourself: The open beta of Synced starts on Saturday, 10 December 2022 and will run for about one month. Just visit the (Steam shop page) and request play test access there to get access.
